Who Can Access Montana Public Records
Montana may be one of the smaller states in the country, but it still collects a large amount of data on its citizens. Montana also has a number of public records that are open for public use. While some records, such as library records, social security numbers, and the location of burial sites are all kept confidential, many of the records kept by the government are available upon request.
State Law vs. The Constitution
One of the more confusing aspects of Montana public records involves who is allowed to access these records. According to Montana public records law, only citizens are allowed to access these records. Yet in the Montana constitution it states that anyone is allowed to access records upon request. The way the government operates, the constitution is more valuable than any individual law, so even though the Montana public records law states that only certain people can have access, that is voided in favor of the constitution.
The only restrictions are against using any of the data you collect for mailing lists. Beyond that, the data may be used for any purpose and requested without giving any reason. That allows anyone interested in Montana public records to access the data provided they are not using it for mailing lists.