This bill changes the composition of Montana's Board of Housing by requiring that at least one member be an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe and at least one member be a veteran of the U.S. armed forces. The legislation amends state law to mandate these specific qualifications when the governor appoints the seven-member board, which currently requires members to have expertise in housing, economics, or finance. The bill does not alter the board's existing powers or administrative structure but adds diversity requirements to its membership. This change ensures that tribal and veteran perspectives are formally represented on the board that oversees housing programs in the state.
This bill creates a new dispute resolution program in Montana to help landlords and tenants in mobile home parks resolve conflicts over alleged rule violations. Administered by the Department of Commerce, the program will investigate complaints, facilitate negotiations, and issue written determinations when parties cannot reach an agreement. The bill also requires the department to distribute educational materials about tenant and landlord rights, register mobile home parks, collect fees, and impose fines for noncompliance. Landlords must post notices about rights and responsibilities in common areas, and the program will be funded through collected fines and fees.
This bill, known as the Keep Montanans Housed Act, gives tenants the first opportunity to buy their rental homes before landlords sell them to third parties. It requires landlords to offer tenants a bona fide purchase price based on comparable market value or appraised value before selling or demolishing a property. Tenants have 45 days to accept the offer or challenge it with an independent appraisal at their own expense, while landlords cannot retain partial ownership in the sale. The law applies to rental dwelling units and takes effect on July 1, 2025.
This bill revises Montana's municipal zoning laws to limit mandatory parking requirements for new developments. It directly affects cities and towns that currently enforce minimum parking rules, as well as developers building new residential and commercial properties. The key provisions cap parking requirements at one space per residential unit and one space per 5,000 square feet of commercial space, with additional exemptions for small businesses, affordable housing, and certain facility types. Municipalities that choose to require more parking than these limits must compensate developers for the real cost of constructing the extra spaces. The bill also mandates duplex housing in cities with over 5,000 residents and allows shared parking agreements as an alternative to on-site parking.
This bill amends Montana's Commercial Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program to expand financing opportunities for multifamily housing facilities with at least five residential units. It updates legal definitions to explicitly include multifamily properties and clarifies what qualifies as an energy conservation measure, such as insulation, window upgrades, HVAC modifications, and electric vehicle charging stations. The changes allow local governments to establish districts within their jurisdictions to administer these financing programs, enabling property owners to pay for energy efficiency improvements through property assessments rather than traditional loans. The bill takes effect immediately upon passage and approval by the legislature.
This bill requires landlords and property managers in Montana to refund application fees within 20 days if a prospective tenant does not sign a lease agreement. Landlords may only retain fees to cover actual out-of-pocket costs like credit checks, which must be capped at $25 per service and provided to applicants within seven days. The law also mandates that landlords accept valid credit or background checks from the past six months and provides tenants with written itemization of how application fees are allocated. Applicants who believe fees were wrongfully withheld can sue for damages and potentially recover attorney fees, while the burden of proving services were rendered falls on the landlord.
This Montana bill creates a one-time property tax rebate of up to $400 for homeowners who paid property taxes on their principal residence in 2024. The rebate is limited to the actual amount of taxes paid and applies to single-family homes, apartments, and manufactured homes where the taxpayer lived for at least seven months during the year. Eligible homeowners must submit claims between August 15 and October 1, 2025, by mail or online, and the rebate is not subject to Montana income tax. The bill also establishes penalties for false claims and allows appeals if a rebate application is denied.
This bill requires homeowners' associations in Montana to distribute annual budget and financial reports to all property owners, ensuring transparency about how association funds are managed. The legislation mandates that associations send these reports by mail and email within 30 days after the end of each fiscal year, detailing estimated revenues and expenses for the upcoming year along with actual financial results from the previous year. Additionally, the bill limits fee increases to once per year and caps them at 15% of the prior year's charges, requiring written approval from a majority of property owners for increases within that limit and two-thirds approval for larger hikes. These provisions aim to give homeowners clearer insight into their association's finances and more control over fee adjustments.
This bill revises Montana laws to limit how restrictive covenants and homeowners' association rules can be enforced against property owners. It prevents anyone from imposing new or stricter restrictions on a property than those that existed when the owner originally acquired it, unless the owner explicitly agrees in writing to the change. The law also requires property owners to record exceptions to these restrictions and notify other affected owners, while exempting successors like family members or lenders from this protection in certain cases. Existing covenants remain valid as long as they were enforceable when the owner purchased the property, and the bill does not invalidate current agreements or create new legal claims for past actions.
This bill allows Montana to keep any interest or income earned on $12 million in workforce housing funds instead of returning it to the general fund. The money is designated for building or buying housing for state employees who work at facilities housing inmates or behavioral health patients in smaller counties. Key provisions include using funds to lower construction costs, provide matching loans, discount housing prices for eligible workers, or purchase housing that will be privately owned within ten years. The change applies retroactively to interest earned since June 14, 2023, and takes effect immediately upon passage.
