2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 80. Agriculture › Chapter 8. Pesticides › Part 1. General Administration › 80-8-120. Local pesticide regulation

80-8-120. Local pesticide regulation.
(1) (a) A unit of local government may adopt an ordinance to require a commercial applicator, as defined in 80-8-102, to provide notification when applying a pesticide, subject to the following provisions:
(i) The applicator shall post a sign or signs at the time of the pesticide application or provide notification as provided for in subsection (1)(a)(v). The applicator, property owner, or property manager may not remove a sign until the pesticide is dry or the reentry interval on the pesticide label has expired, whichever is later.
(ii) A sign must be:
(A) at least 4 inches in height and 5 inches in width; and
(B) made of weather-resistant material if used for outdoor application.
(iii) A sign must contain:
(A) the words "pesticide application"; and
(B) the telephone number of the applicator, property owner, or property manager who can supply further information about the pesticide.
(iv) A sign must be posted:
(A) at a point clearly visible from each street or road frontage of the property so that the warning is conspicuous from the public right-of-way;
(B) for an interior application, at each public access to the treated property with the front of the sign facing the access;
(C) for a golf course, at a conspicuous place in the clubhouse or pro shop or at the first and tenth tees.
(v) Notification for an application by a mosquito control district or a weed management district must be provided in a local newspaper or on local radio or television stating that the property will be treated and providing the telephone number of an individual who can supply further information on the pesticide applications. Notification under this subsection (1)(a)(v) must be made annually in the spring and periodically during the pesticide application season.
(vi) Posting or notification is not required for the following:
(A) a spot treatment of an area that is less than 100 square feet;
(B) an applicator subject to the environmental protection agency's worker protection standards as published in 40 CFR, part 156, subpart K, and 40 CFR, part 170;
(C) an application on land classified as agricultural land or forest land for taxation purposes;
(D) an application on an irrigation conveyance facility or land or on an irrigation ditch easement or right-of-way;
(E) an application of a pesticide that is a minimum risk pesticide as published by the environmental protection agency in 40 CFR 152.25(g)(1) or a sanitizer, a disinfectant, or a microbial registered with the environmental protection agency;
(F) an application on a railroad facility or right-of-way;
(G) an application on a public utility facility or right-of-way.
(b) A unit of local government that adopts a notification ordinance pursuant to this section shall:
(i) notify the department that it is adopting the ordinance on pesticide notification as provided in this section and provide the department a final copy for the department's register provided for in subsection (4); and
(ii) fund the costs, including but not limited to:
(A) educating its citizens of the ordinance's requirements;
(B) compensating personnel to enforce the ordinance; and
(C) prosecution of a violation of the ordinance.
(c) A unit of local government may not adopt a notification ordinance under this section that imposes additional fee requirements on a commercial applicator.
(2) The department may enter into a cooperative agreement with a unit of local government for the administration and enforcement of local rules adopted under 80-8-105(3)(a).
(3) Except as provided in subsections (1) and (2), a unit of local government may not regulate or prohibit the registration, labeling, distribution, use, or sale of pesticides or enact notification provisions more stringent than those provided for in subsections (1) and (2). It is not the intent of this subsection to prevent local responsibilities for zoning, fire codes, or disposal of pesticides pursuant to Title 75, chapter 10, part 4.
(4) The department shall maintain and, upon request, distribute a register of ordinances adopted by local governing bodies pursuant to subsection (1).
History: En. Sec. 10, Ch. 465, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 180, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 126, Ch. 114, L. 2003.