77-6-302. Compensation for improvements -- actual costs. - Montana Statutes

     77-6-302. Compensation for improvements -- actual costs. (1) Except for the improvements described in 77-1-134, prior to renewal of a lease, the department shall request from the lessee a listing of improvements on the land associated with the lease, including the reasonable value of the improvements. This information must be provided to any party requesting to bid on the lease. Except for the improvements described in 77-1-134, when another person becomes the lessee of the land, the person shall pay to the former lessee the reasonable value of the improvements. The reasonable value may not be less than the full market value of the improvements.
     (2) If the former lessee is unable to produce records establishing the reasonable value or if the former lessee and the new lessee are unable to agree on the reasonable value of the improvements, the value must be ascertained and fixed as provided in 77-6-306. The former lessee shall initiate this process within 60 days of notification from the department that there is a new lessee. The department notification must include an explanation of the requirements of 77-6-306. Failure to initiate the process within this time period results in all improvements, except those described in 77-1-134, becoming the property of the state.
     (3) Upon the termination of a lease, the department may grant a license to the former lessee to remove the movable improvements from the land. Upon authorization, the movable improvements must be removed within 60 days or they become the property of the state unless the department for good cause grants additional time for the removal. The department shall charge the former lessee for the period of time that the improvements remain on the land after the termination of the lease.

     History: En. Sec. 34, Ch. 60, L. 1927; re-en. Sec. 1805.34, R.C.M. 1935; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 257, L. 1965; amd. Sec. 22, Ch. 428, L. 1973; R.C.M. 1947, 81-421(part); amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 586, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 270, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 476, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 14, Ch. 472, L. 2009.