MONTANA CODE ANNOTATED
TITLE 70: PROPERTY
CHAPTER 16: RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS INCIDENTAL TO OWNERSHIP IN REAL PROPERTY
PART 3: Gratuitous Permittee for Recreation

§70-16-301. Recreational purposes defined. "Recreational purposes", as used in this part, includes hunting, fishing, swimming, boating, waterskiing, camping, picnicking, pleasure driving, biking, winter sports, hiking, touring or viewing cultural and historical sites and monuments, spelunking, or other pleasure expeditions.

History: En. Sec. 2, Ch. 138, L. 1965; R.C.M. 1947, 67-809; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 531, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 264, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 303, L. 1995.

§70-16-302. Restriction on liability of landowner.

(1) A person who uses property, including property owned or leased by a public entity, for recreational purposes, with or without permission, does so without any assurance from the landowner that the property is safe for any purpose if the person does not give a valuable consideration to the landowner in exchange for the recreational use of the property. The landowner owes the person no duty of care with respect to the condition of the property, except that the landowner is liable to the person for any injury to person or property for an act or omission that constitutes willful or wanton misconduct. For purposes of this section, valuable consideration does not include the state land recreational use license fee imposed under 77-1-802.

(2) As used in this part, "landowner" means a person or entity of any nature, whether private, governmental, or quasi-governmental, and includes the landowner's agent, tenant, lessee, occupant, grantee of conservation easement, water users' association, irrigation district, drainage district, and persons or entities in control of the property or with an agreement to use or occupy property.

(3) As used in this part, "property" means land, roads, water, watercourses, and private ways. The term includes any improvements, buildings, structures, machinery, and equipment on property.

(4) The department of fish, wildlife, and parks, when operating under an agreement with a landowner or tenant to provide recreational snowmobiling opportunities, including but not limited to a snowmobile area, subject to the provisions of subsection (1), on the landowner's property and when not also acting as a snowmobile area operator on the property, does not extend any assurance that the property is safe for any purpose, and the department, the landowner, or the landowner's tenant may not be liable to any person for any injury to person or property resulting from any act or omission of the department unless the act or omission constitutes willful or wanton misconduct.

History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 138, L. 1965; R.C.M. 1947, 67-808; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 209, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 440, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 303, L. 1995.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Text of Code also available at http://statedocs.msl.state.mt.us/cgi-bin/om_isapi.dll?clientID=11741&hitsperheading=on&infobase=mca_99.nfo&softpage=Browse_Frame_Pg on 11/13/00.