Montana § 70-30-111 - Facts Necessary To Be Found Before Condemnation

§ 70-30-111. Facts Necessary To Be Found Before Condemnation

Facts necessary to be found before condemnation. (1) Before property can be taken, the condemnor shall show by a preponderance of the evidence that the public interest requires the taking based on the following findings: (a) the use to which the property is to be applied is a public use pursuant to 70-30-102 ; (b) the taking is necessary to the public use; (c) if already being used for a public use, that the public use for which the property is proposed to be used is a more necessary public use; (d) an effort to obtain the property interest sought to be taken was made by submission of a final written offer prior to initiating condemnation proceedings and the final written offer was rejected. (2) Subsection (1)(d) does not prohibit the condemnor from making further offers in an effort to obtain the property interest sought to be taken, but offers made after the final written offer is submitted pursuant to subsection (1)(d) may not be used to determine whether the condemnee prevails pursuant to 70-30-305 . The condemnor shall disclose to a property owner that further offers made in accordance with this subsection (2) are not considered the final written offer.