SB 209 Montana Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Revise term length of conservation easements

SB 209 limits conservation easements to a maximum term of 40 years (previously allowing perpetual terms), amending Montana law to require renewal for additional periods. It directly affects landowners who use conservation easements, prohibiting restrictions on agricultural activities for lands used for farming within the past decade and banning land conversion to federal control under such easements. Key provisions include revising definitions of "conservation easement" and "open-space land," and ensuring property tax assessments reflect the land's restricted use without lowering valuation. The bill does not change existing permitted easement restrictions (like limiting construction or development) but adds specific protections for agricultural use and landowner control.
Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 24, 2025 Last action May 23, 2025
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What changed between versions

LC2184.pdf SB0209_1.pdf · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill revises Montana's conservation easement laws to limit their maximum duration to 40 years, prohibit restrictions that would force land conversion to federal control, and prevent easements from limiting agricultural activities on land currently used for farming. The changes aim to make conservation easements more flexible for agricultural producers while preventing permanent land use restrictions that could conflict with federal interests.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of what conservation easements cannot do by adding explicit prohibitions on federal land conversion requirements and agricultural activity restrictions, while also capping the maximum term length.
REQUIREMENT

Conservation easements are now limited to a maximum term of 40 years, with a minimum of 15 years if not perpetual.

Easements cannot prohibit or limit agricultural activities on land currently used or used within the past 10 years for agricultural production.

Easements cannot impose conditions that require land to be converted to federal administration and control.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
15
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Amendments
1
Feb 4, 2025
Amended
(S) Tabled in Committee - (S) Judiciary
upper
Jan 27, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Judiciary
upper
Jan 24, 2025
Introduced
(S) Introduced
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Tony Tezak
Tony Tezak
RRepublican
MT
35