Montana Title 77. State Lands § 77-1-125. Liability for unauthorized installation or construction of facility or structure on state trust land--penalty

(1) A person, other than the lessee of the affected state trust land, may not, after September 30, 1997:

(2) A person who violates subsection (1) is liable to the department for a civil penalty in an amount determined by the board. The penalty may be an amount up to three times the full market value of the land disturbed or affected or $500, whichever is greater.

(3) In addition to the penalty provided for in subsection (2), a person who installs or constructs a facility or structure on state trust land without permission is liable for any permanent damage to the state trust land and may be required to remove the facility or structure and to reclaim the disturbed land to the satisfaction of the department or to pay the department's cost of removal and reclamation.

(4) If the department allows the facility or structure to remain on state trust land, the department shall also require payment of full market value of any easement, lease, or license required for the facility or structure.

(5) The penalties provided in this section do not apply to the lessee of the affected state trust land. The remedies and penalties provided in a state trust easement, lease, or license and the statutes and regulations under which the easement, lease, or license was entered are the exclusive remedies and penalties that may be applied to a lessee.

(6) The penalties provided in this section do not apply to persons who have inadvertently installed or constructed pipelines or utility lines within 20 feet of the easement boundaries granted by the state.

(7) The penalties provided in this section do not apply to facilities or structures installed on lands acquired by the state through exchange or purchase that were authorized with the permission of the previous landowner or through authority granted by an appropriate government agency.