Mont. Code Ann. » TITLE 3. JUDICIARY, COURTS · CHAPTER 7. WATER COURTS · Part 2. Water Judges
Montana Code Annotated

Mont. Code Ann. § 3-7-201 (2026)

Designation Of Water Judge

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  1. MCA Contents
  2. TITLE 3
  3. CHAPTER 7
  4. Part 2
  5. 3-7-201 Designation of water judge

TITLE 3. JUDICIARY, COURTS

CHAPTER 7. WATER COURTS

Part 2. Water Judges

Designation Of Water Judge

3-7-201. Designation of water judge. (1) A water judge must be designated for each water division by a majority vote of a committee composed of the district court judge from each single-judge judicial district and the chief district judge from each multijudge judicial district, wholly or partly within the division. Except as provided in subsection (2), a water judge must be a district court judge or retired district court judge of a judicial district wholly or partly within the water division.

(2) A district court judge or retired district court judge may sit as a water judge in more than one division if requested by the chief justice of the supreme court or the water judge of the division in which the judge is requested to sit.

(3) A water judge, when presiding over a water division, presides as district court judge in and for each judicial district wholly or partly within the water division.

History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 697, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 80, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 604, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 185, Ch. 61, L. 2007.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases, 1984–2011 · leading case: Montana Trout Unlimited v. Beaverhead Water Co., 2011 MT 151, 255 P.3d 179.
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Montana Trout Unlimited v. Beaverhead Water Co., 2011 MT 151, 255 P.3d 179. · cites it 12× “Section 3-7-201(1), MCA. "A water judge, when presiding over a water division, presides as district court judge in and for each judicial district wholly or partly within the water division.”
Pinnow v. Montana State Fund, 2007 MT 332, 172 P.3d 1273. · cites it 4× “Furthermore, we note that while the Legislature has provided that a district court judge may be designated to fill the role of water judge, see § 3-7-201(2), MCA, it has not likewise provided that a district court judge may be designated to fill the role of WCC judge.”
State ex rel. Wilcox v. Dist. Court of the Thirteenth Jud. Dist., 678 P.2d 209 (Mont. 1984). · cites it 3× “Section 3-7-201(1), MCA. The Chief Water Judge is appointed by the Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court and may be a retired judge.”
State ex rel. Wilcox v. DIST. CT. OF 13TH JUD., 678 P.2d 209 (Mont. 1984). · cites it 3× “Section 3-7-201(1), MCA. The Chief Water Judge is appointed by the Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court and may be a retired judge.”
Mont. Code Ann. § 3-7-201(1): 3 cases
Montana Trout Unlimited v. Beaverhead Water Co., 2011 MT 151, 255 P.3d 179. “Section 3-7-201(1), MCA. "A water judge, when presiding over a water division, presides as district court judge in and for each judicial district wholly or partly within the water division.”
State ex rel. Wilcox v. Dist. Court of the Thirteenth Jud. Dist., 678 P.2d 209 (Mont. 1984). “Section 3-7-201(1), MCA. The Chief Water Judge is appointed by the Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court and may be a retired judge.”
State ex rel. Wilcox v. DIST. CT. OF 13TH JUD., 678 P.2d 209 (Mont. 1984). “Section 3-7-201(1), MCA. The Chief Water Judge is appointed by the Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court and may be a retired judge.”
Mont. Code Ann. § 3-7-201(2): 1 case
Pinnow v. Montana State Fund, 2007 MT 332, 172 P.3d 1273. “Furthermore, we note that while the Legislature has provided that a district court judge may be designated to fill the role of water judge, see § 3-7-201(2), MCA, it has not likewise provided that a district court judge may be designated to fill the role of WCC judge.”
Mont. Code Ann. § 3-7-201(3): 1 case
Montana Trout Unlimited v. Beaverhead Water Co., 2011 MT 151, 255 P.3d 179. “Section 3-7-201(1), MCA. "A water judge, when presiding over a water division, presides as district court judge in and for each judicial district wholly or partly within the water division.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.