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Panel weighs streamlined process for minor county zoning changes in SB 175
Summary
Senate Bill 175 would let counties use a shorter notice-and-hearing process (15 days notice, two weeks newspaper publication) for minor amendments to existing county zoning regulations while preserving the longer process for creating new zoning districts. Supporters said it speeds routine fixes; an opponent cautioned the public process should not be curtailed.
Senator Forrest Mandeville told the committee SB 175 responds to an administrative problem in county-initiated (part 2) zoning: the existing statutory process to amend zoning closely mirrors the lengthy process used to create a new zoning district and can take months. "If you start adding up those days, it takes several months to get through a simple process to amend zoning regulations," Mandeville said, and the bill would allow a 15-day notice and two weeks of newspaper publication for text amendments while preserving the full 45-day process for establishment of new districts.
Adrienne Cotton, representing the Montana Building Industry Association, supported the bill saying it increases transparency and consistency while allowing counties to respond more quickly to changes affecting housing and land use. Jordan Green of the Montana Association of Planners testified that the bill clarifies that minor text amendments (permitted uses, setbacks, lot-size minimums) can follow the shorter process while major boundary changes still require the 45-day notice.
Opponents raised concerns about due process and the administrative record; an opponent argued that some substantive changes deserve the longer notice and public engagement the current law provides. The sponsor said the bill retains public hearings and notice requirements and cited emergency zoning provisions as an existing mechanism counties can use in acute situations.
The public hearing closed without immediate committee action; sponsor invited questions and said he would work with interested parties on implementation details.
