Montana Code Annotated 2023

TITLE 70. PROPERTY

CHAPTER 29. PARTITION OF REAL PROPERTY

Part 2. Trial and Judgment

Partition According To Rights Of Parties -- Roads

70-29-205. Partition according to rights of parties -- roads. (1) In making partition, the referees must divide the property and allot the several portions thereof to the respective parties, quality and quantity relatively considered, according to the respective rights of the parties as determined by the court, pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, designating the several portions by proper landmarks, and may employ a surveyor with the necessary assistants to aid them.

(2) Before making partition or sale, the referees may, whenever it will be for the advantage of those interested, set apart a portion of the property for a way, road, or street, and the portion so set apart shall not be assigned to any of the parties or sold but shall remain an open and public way, road, or street unless the referees shall set the same apart as a private way for the use of the parties interested or some of them, their heirs, and assigns, in which case it shall remain such private way. Whenever the referees have laid out on any tract of land roads sufficient, in the judgment of said referees, to accommodate the public and private wants, they shall report that fact to the court, and upon the confirmation of their report all other roads on said tract shall cease to be public highways.

History: En. Sec. 504, p. 143, Bannack Stat.; re-en. Sec. 276, p. 192, L. 1867; re-en. Sec. 325, p. 99, Cod. Stat. 1871; re-en. Sec. 376, p. 143, L. 1877; re-en. Sec. 376, 1st Div. Rev. Stat. 1879; re-en. Sec. 389, 1st Div. Comp. Stat. 1887; en. Sec. 1358, C. Civ. Proc. 1895; re-en. Sec. 6901, Rev. C. 1907; re-en. Sec. 9534, R.C.M. 1921; Cal. C. Civ. Proc. Sec. 764; re-en. Sec. 9534, R.C.M. 1935; R.C.M. 1947, 93-6319.