Montana Title 2. Government Structure and Administration § 2-10-102. Purpose

It is the policy of this state that a person may not be deprived of the use of private property without due process of law and that private property may not be taken or damaged by a state agency without prior just compensation to the owner in accordance with the meaning ascribed to these concepts by the United States supreme court and the Montana supreme court. An assessment of each state agency action with taking or damaging implications is needed to avoid imposing expensive litigation burdens on citizens and to minimize the risk of unanticipated demands on the state's fiscal resources. The purpose of this part is to establish an orderly and consistent process that better enables state agencies to evaluate whether an action with taking or damaging implications might result in the taking or damaging of private property. It is not the purpose of this part to expand or diminish the private property protections provided in the federal and state constitutions.