2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 80. Agriculture › Chapter 8. Pesticides › Part 3. Enforcement and Penalties › 80-8-306. Penalties

80-8-306. Penalties.
(1) A person convicted of violating any of the provisions of this chapter or the rules issued under this chapter or who misrepresents, prevents, or attempts to prevent the department or its authorized agent in performance of its duty in connection with the provisions of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined not less than $100 but not more than $1,500.
(2) The department or its authorized representative may apply to the district court of the county where a violation is about to occur or has occurred to grant a temporary or permanent injunction restraining any person from violating or continuing to violate any of the provisions of this chapter or any rule promulgated under the chapter notwithstanding the existence of other remedies of law. When a person makes pesticide applications in more than one county on a commercial basis without a license or permit or operates in violation of a lawful written order of the department in more than one county, the district court of Lewis and Clark County has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court of another county where a violation has occurred or is about to occur and the department may select and proceed in the court that is most appropriate under the circumstances. The injunction is to be issued without bond.
(3) Nothing in this chapter requires the department or its authorized agent to report minor violations of the chapter for prosecution or for the institution of seizure proceedings when it believes that the public interest will be best served by other remedial action, by a suitable notice of warning in writing, or by a lawful written order. This chapter does not apply to common carriers transporting shipments tendered to them by the general public.
(4) Any person who with intent to defraud uses or reveals information relative to formulas of products acquired under the authority of 80-8-201 shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $500 or be imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both.
(5) (a) Any registrant, applicator, dealer, retailer, or other person who commits a major violation of this chapter as defined in subsection (5)(e), in addition to other penalties provided in this chapter, may be assessed a civil penalty by the department of not more than $2,500 for each offense. However, farm applicators possessing a permit may not be assessed a civil penalty over $500 for the first offense. Assessment of a civil penalty may be made in conjunction with any other department warning, order, or administrative action authorized by this chapter.
(b) A civil penalty may not be assessed unless the person charged was given notice and opportunity for a hearing and an appeal pursuant to the Montana Administrative Procedure Act.
(c) (i) If after investigation the department determines that a major violation of this chapter has significantly harmed human life, welfare, or safety or affected agricultural commodities, livestock, or the environment in a manner that cannot be appropriately addressed by the penalties assessed in subsection (5)(a), the department may seek a civil penalty, not to exceed $25,000 for each offense, by filing a complaint in district court.
(ii) In addition to the civil penalty provided in subsection (5)(c)(i), a person who willfully commits a major violation of this chapter that results in significant harm to human life, welfare, or safety or to agricultural commodities, livestock, or the environment is guilty of a felony and shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $50,000 or be imprisoned in the state prison for not more than 10 years, or both.
(d) In determining an appropriate penalty, the department shall consider the effect on the person's ability to continue in business, the gravity of the violation that occurred, the degree of care exercised by the offender, and whether significant harm resulted to human health, agricultural commodities, livestock, or the environment.
(e) A major violation of this chapter includes:
(i) misuse of a pesticide that results in proven exposure of humans, agricultural commodities, or livestock or results in proven harm to human health, agricultural commodities, livestock, or the environment. As used in this subsection (i), "misuse" means the use, handling, or release of a pesticide by a person in a manner inconsistent with the label or labeling or in violation of department pesticide application, storage, mixing, and loading rules or pesticide and container disposal rules.
(ii) selling of a restricted pesticide to a person not certified or authorized to purchase restricted pesticides;
(iii) use or sale of unregistered pesticides;
(iv) failure to maintain any individual pesticide application and sales records;
(v) using or selling pesticides without having obtained the required license or permit;
(vi) noncompliance with pesticide worker protection standards and labeling;
(vii) noncompliance with pesticide ground water and environmental protection agency endangered species standards and labeling;
(viii) noncompliance with pesticide or pesticide container disposal, labeling, or handling requirements and standards; or
(ix) reoccurrence of any identical violation of this chapter within 2 years of the first violation.
(f) If the department is unable to collect the civil penalty or if a person fails to pay all or a portion of the civil penalty as determined by the department, the department may recover that amount by action in the appropriate district court.
History: En. Sec. 34, Ch. 403, L. 1971; amd. Sec. 17, Ch. 462, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 27-245; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 184, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 9, Ch. 633, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 189, L. 1995.