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Montana bill would let counties set 25 mph limits in defined "urban districts"
Summary
Sen. Will Street’s bill (SB 428) would allow county governments to lower speed limits to 25 mph in defined "urban districts" (structures every 100 feet for 1/4 mile). MDT provided engineering context and will supply survivability figures to the committee; no proponents or opponents testified in person.
Sen. Will Street introduced Senate Bill 428, which would allow county governments to reduce speed limits to 25 miles per hour in areas defined in the bill as "urban districts." Street told the House Transportation Committee the measure responds to places outside municipal boundaries where 25 mph signs exist but counties currently lack legal authority to set those limits.
The bill defines an "urban district" for speed‑limit purposes as stretches where businesses or houses are situated at intervals of 100 feet or less for a distance of one‑quarter mile. Street said the change would be discretionary: residents who believe a road segment meets the definition could petition their county commission, which would decide whether to designate the area and install signage.
Gabe Preebe, a traffic and safety engineer with the Montana Department of Transportation, appeared as an informational witness. He told the committee that statutory speed limits are listed in code and that establishing non‑statutory special speed zones outside those limits normally requires engineering judgment and, in MDT jurisdictions, presentation to the Transportation Commission. Preebe said the bill applies only to roads outside MDT/Transportation Commission jurisdiction; routes under the commission’s authority would still be set by the commission.
Committee members asked for engineering evidence about pedestrian survivability at lower impact speeds. Preebe summarized safe‑system research, saying survivability is very high at 20 mph (he cited about 80% in general terms) and remains high at 25 mph, but declines markedly as speeds rise toward 30–40 mph; he agreed to email the committee the supporting figures and studies to include in the record.
Street and members clarified that the bill’s definition is limited to traffic‑control purposes and would not affect annexation law. The sponsor closed the hearing and the chair recorded no in‑person proponents or opponents for SB 428.
The committee requested the engineering numbers Preebe referenced before acting on the bill. If the committee advances the measure, counties would gain a discretionary tool to lower posted speeds on qualifying non‑municipal roads; the bill does not automatically change any existing speed limits.
