Title 7, Title 7

(1) The legislative body of a local government may, by ordinance or resolution, provide for the care, restitution, sale, donation, return, or destruction of unclaimed tangible personal property that may come into the possession of a peace officer or a law enforcement entity of th…

A city and a county may, by contract, construct, purchase, or lease and manage a city-county building to house the offices of city government and county government.

The contract shall provide: (1) for the proposed expenditure for the construction, purchase, or lease of the city-county building and the proposed cost of equipping and operating the building; (2) for the management of the building by a method which will provide that the city and…

The total cost of the joint institution shall be divided between the city and county in such manner as they shall determine.

This part shall not be interpreted as modifying or diminishing the bonding authority of counties or cities as provided by law.

The board of county commissioners has jurisdiction and power, under such limitations and restrictions as are prescribed by law, to provide suitable rooms for county purposes when there are no necessary county buildings.

The board of county commissioners has jurisdiction and power, under the limitations and restrictions prescribed by law, to erect, furnish, equip, expand, improve, and maintain a courthouse, jail, health care facility, civic center, youth center, park buildings, museums, recreatio…

The board of county commissioners may create a building commission subject to the provisions of 7-1-201 through 7-1-203.

The board of county commissioners has jurisdiction and power, under such limitations and restrictions as are prescribed by law, to insure the county buildings in the name of and for the benefit of the county and shall have the power to use the proceeds of any insurance policy whi…

The board of county commissioners shall biennially prepare and file with the county clerk and recorder an inventory covering all county tools, machinery, and equipment.

Whenever county tools, machinery, or equipment are loaned or leased to private individuals, firms, associations, organizations, or corporations, they shall execute a written agreement stating the purpose of such loan or lease, the compensation to be paid the county, and that such…

The board of county commissioners may, subject to the provisions of this part, purchase, receive by donation, or lease any personal property necessary for the use of the county.

(1) Boards of county commissioners of this state may, subject to the provisions of this part, sell, trade, or exchange any personal property, however acquired, belonging to the county that is not necessary to the conduct of county business or the preservation of its property. (2)…

Unless otherwise provided, if personal property to be sold is reasonably of a value in excess of $2,500, the sale must be at public auction at a site determined by the board of county commissioners after notice by publication as provided in 7-1-2121.

(1) A sale under this part must be for cash or on terms that the board of county commissioners may approve, provided that at least 20% of the purchase price is paid in cash. All deferred payments on the purchase price of any personal property sold must bear interest at the rate o…

Unless otherwise provided: (1) in all sales of property of a value in excess of $2,500, there must, before any sale, be an appraisal thereof by the board and at a price representing a fair market value of such property. Such appraised value shall be stated in the notice of sale. …

(1) A taxpayer who believes that the appraised value under 7-8-2214 is less than the actual value of the property may, at any time before the day fixed for the sale of the property, file with the board of county commissioners written objections to the appraised value. (2) When an…

(1) The board of county commissioners shall have the power to sell directly to the school district, without the necessity of a public auction, any personal property, however acquired, that belongs to the county and that is not necessary to the conduct of the county's business or …

(1) If personal property to be sold is valued at less than $2,500, it may be sold at either a public or private sale as the board of county commissioners determines to be to the best interests of the county. (2) If the property is sold at public sale, notice must be given as prov…

After notice and appraisal are given as provided in 7-8-2212 and 7-8-2214, if no bid or offer is made for any property offered for sale at public auction, the board of county commissioners may, at any time after the auction, sell the property at private sale and may at the privat…

The funds derived from property disposed of in accordance with 7-8-2211, in the discretion of the board of county commissioners, may be credited to any account that is in the best interest of the county.

(1) The board of county commissioners has jurisdiction and power, under limitations and restrictions that are prescribed by law, to lease and transfer county property, however acquired, that is not necessary to the conduct of the county's business or the preservation of county pr…

(1) All revenue derived from leases authorized by 7-8-2231, except as otherwise provided, must be paid to the county treasurer and may be deposited in the county general fund. (2) The revenue described in subsection (1) may be used for any county purpose, including maintaining or…

(1) Whenever the county acquires land by tax deed, it is the duty of the board of county commissioners, within 6 months after acquiring title, to enter an order to: (a) sell the land at public auction; (b) donate the land to a municipality, as provided in subsection (3), if the l…

(1) Notice of the sale, donation, or retention of tax-deed lands provided for in 7-8-2301 must be given by publication as provided in 7-1-2121. (2) The notice must be signed by the county clerk and must include a list of all lands to be sold, donated, or retained, the fair market…

At any time up to 24 hours before the time fixed for the first offering of property for sale or the time fixed for the donation or retention of the property pursuant to 7-8-2301, the taxpayer or the taxpayer's successor in interest or legal representative may repurchase the prope…

(1) A sale must be made for cash or, in the case of real property, on terms that the board of county commissioners approves. (2) (a) If the sale is made on terms, at least 20% of the purchase price must be paid in cash at the date of sale and the remainder may be paid in installm…

(1) Subject to the provisions of subsection (2), upon payment of the purchase price in full, together with all interest that may become due on any installment or deferred payments, the presiding officer of the board of county commissioners shall execute a deed attested to by the …

The proceeds of each sale or lease under this part or part 25 must be paid over to the county treasurer, who shall apportion and distribute the proceeds in the following manner: (1) (a) Upon a sale of the property, the proceeds of each sale must be credited to the county general …

(1) On January 1 following the execution of a contract or deed, the land is subject to taxation in the name of the purchaser or the purchaser's assignee. (2) If the taxes are not paid and become delinquent, the contract is subject to cancellation and all payments made must be reg…

(1) All real property acquired by any county under tax title which in the judgment of the board of county commissioners is suitable for the production of trees or as a watershed or for other national forest purposes may be conveyed by deed to the United States by the board in exc…

(1) Any timber acquired from the United States in any exchange may be disposed of by the county commissioners by agreement with the United States department of agriculture that the timber must be cut and removed by any agency selected by the United States department of agricultur…

The execution by the board of county commissioners of a deed of conveyance to the United States of any county land conveyed under this part shall operate to discharge and cancel all tax levies, tax liens, and special assessments of every sort and kind against such land and to con…

The purposes of this part are to authorize a board of county commissioners to acquire real property and to establish procedures for the disposal of real property so that the property is used or disposed of in the best interests of the county and for the public benefit and welfare…

As used in this part, the following definitions apply: (1) "Board" means the board of county commissioners. (2) "Multiple use" means: (a) the management of the various surface and subsurface resources so that they are utilized in the combination that will best meet the present an…

(1) Subject to the provisions of subsection (2), when considered in the best interests of the county, the board may: (a) enter into agreements for the pooling of acreage with others for unit operations for the production of oil or gas or both and for the apportionment of oil or g…

(1) The county commissioners shall, before they sell, exchange, or lease lands with an estimated value of more than $20,000 under the provisions of this part, have the lands appraised by a disinterested certified general real estate appraiser to determine the value of the lands f…

(1) When granting a lease for oil, gas, or other mineral exploration or development, the board may reserve to the county a royalty interest as fixed by agreement between the board and the lessee. (2) In trading, exchanging, or selling such lands, the board may make such reservati…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2), all proceeds from use or disposition of lands pursuant to the terms of this part must be deposited in the county's general fund. (2) Revenue realized by a county from the sale, exchange, or disposal of lands dedicated to public use for pa…

The board may purchase, receive by donation, or retain as provided in this part any real property that the board determines to be necessary or useful for the operation and management of the county.

(1) Unless otherwise provided by law, a county may not purchase real property in an amount in excess of $20,000 or a conservation easement using public funds in an amount in excess of $80,000 unless the value of the property or conservation easement has been previously estimated …

(1) The board shall, after holding a public hearing noticed as provided in 7-1-2121, adopt a resolution providing for sale and disposition of county real property. The resolution must include: (a) approved locations for sales, including whether sales may be conducted by use of an…

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section and a resolution adopted pursuant to 7-8-2521, the board may make trades, exchanges, or donations of real property owned by the county. (2) In an exchange of real property, the properties must be appraised and an exchange of county pr…

The board of county commissioners of any county may provide money for the purposes of forest protection, improvement, and management.

(1) The board of county commissioners of any county in Montana is hereby authorized to create county forests from any lands in such county which: (a) are principally valuable for the timber thereon or for the growing of timber; and (b) have been acquired by such county by tax dee…

After any lands acquired by the county by tax deed have been offered for sale at public auction and not sold, the board of county commissioners may exchange such lands for other lands which are principally valuable for the timber thereon or for the growing of timber if, in the op…