Budget & Taxes (Fees & Licensing)

This bill increases recording fees charged by Montana county clerks and recorders for documents, affecting property owners, lenders, and other parties who file legal documents. It raises the standard fee to $20 for the first page and $10 for each additional page, with non-standard documents incurring an extra $10 charge. The bill also establishes a records preservation fund requiring a $2 deposit per page and allows fees to automatically adjust every two years based on inflation starting in 2027. These changes take effect on October 1, 2025, for all documents recorded on or after that date.

This bill limits the fees that Montana local governments can charge children for using parks and sports fields, setting a maximum of $25 per month or $10 for a three-day period. It directly affects counties, cities, towns, and special districts by prohibiting them from creating or enforcing rules that exceed these fee caps for children under 18. The legislation also clarifies that fees charged to children's sports teams must be calculated per individual child rather than per team, while excluding swimming pools, aquatic centers, and ice recreation facilities from these restrictions.

SB 133 revises the laws governing impact fees that local governments charge on new development. The bill removes the ability for governmental entities to include an administrative fee within impact charges and limits impact fee increases to the rate of inflation. It also updates definitions related to these fees and details the required documentation for their calculation, such as a service area report.