The COVID Project
The record
- Jurisdiction
- Montana
- Level
- State
- Authority
- Mont. Code Ann. Title 50 (Health and Safety), ch. 1 (Administration of Public Health Laws), part 2 (Department)
- Issued
- 2026-09-28 Sept. 28, 2026
- Effective
- standing (read as 2026-09-28)
- End
- standing
- In force
- Standing since Sept. 28, 2026 (a statutory duty; in force throughout the six quarters)
- Quarters
- 2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
- Limitation types
- Business closureQuarantine and isolationStanding duty
- Addressees
- persons generally; owners or persons in control of premises; all businesses (as the objects of inspection, correction orders, quarantine and nuisance abatement)
- Character
- statutory duty
- Collection
- Standing duties: Montana DUT-MT
Operative words
the department... shall: (a) make inspections for conditions of public health importance and issue written orders for correction, destruction, or removal of the condition;... (d) identify, assess, prevent, and mitigate conditions of public health importance through:... (iii) isolation and quarantine measures;... (v) abatement of public health nuisances; (vi) inspections
Penalty
Enforcement through 50-1-103 (injunction; prosecution) (DUT-MT-004), 50-1-104 (misdemeanor for violating a department rule with no specified penalty; read, not saved) and 50-2-124(2) (misdemeanor; DUT-MT-007)
What it required
DPHHS holds a mandatory ('shall') charge to inspect for conditions of public health importance, issue written correction orders, impose isolation and quarantine measures and abate public health nuisances, and under (1)(g) to 'bring and pursue actions necessary to abate, restrain, or prosecute the violation of public health laws and rules'; every 2020 Directive recited this section as its public-health authority and directed local agencies to assist under 50-1-202(2)(a).
Retrieval noteSubsection (1)(p) directs the department to 'adopt and enforce rules regarding: (i) the reporting and control of communicable diseases' (ARM Title 37, ch. 114). Subsection (2)(a) gives the department 'the power to use personnel of local public health agencies to assist in the administration of laws relating to public health services'. The Directives quoted this section's 'written orders for correction' and 'abatement of public health nuisances' (Ex. MT-009, MT-013, MT-016, MT-018).