House Bill 681 revises existing laws regarding the regulation of subdivisions and the assessment of water availability in Montana. The bill clarifies the definition of "water right" to exclude authorized notices of intent to appropriate groundwater and amends the process for issuing certificates of water rights for exempt groundwater appropriations. Significant provisions require governing bodies to base their subdivision reviews solely on specified criteria, without influence from state agency decisions, and mandate that applicants for subdivisions not served by certain water facilities demonstrate adequate water rights or availability. Additionally, the bill prohibits denial of subdivision approval based solely on impacts to educational services or wildland-urban interface designations.

The bill also introduces new requirements for subdividers to provide evidence of sufficient water quality and conduct preliminary analyses of potential groundwater quality impacts from wastewater treatment systems. It allows for a complete nondegradation analysis as an alternative and exempts certain land divisions from submitting required information. Furthermore, the bill outlines the responsibilities of the department of natural resources and conservation in establishing standards for water supply, sewage disposal, and stormwater drainage, while ensuring public health and environmental protections are maintained. The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2026, and will apply to subdivisions reviewed after this date.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_1(1): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_1(2): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_1(3): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_1(4): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_1: 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2(1): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2(10): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2(11): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2(12): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2(2): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2(3): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2(4): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2(5): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2(6): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2(7): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2(8): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2(9): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_2: 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_3(1): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_3(2): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_3(3): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_3(4): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_3(5): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_3(6): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_3(7): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_3: 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4(1): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4(10): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4(11): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4(12): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4(2): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4(3): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4(4): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4(5): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4(6): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4(7): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4(8): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4(9): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_4: 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_X(1): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_X(2): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_X(3): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_X(4): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_X(5): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_X(6): 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306
HB0681_X: 76-3-501, 76-3-604, 76-3-608, 76-3-622, 76-4-104, 85-2-102, 85-2-306