Montana

Visitors must register after staying 8 to 29 days.

Visitors register after8–29 days

Montana requires registration within 3 business days of entering a county to reside or set up temporary residence for 10 or more days, or over 30 aggregate days in a calendar year. Transients with no fixed home must register within 3 business days of entering any county. There is no statewide school or park presence ban, though court conditions and local ordinances may apply.

Registering as a visitor

When it's required

After 10 days, counted in total over a calendar year.

Deadline

Register within 3 business days of entering a Montana county intending to reside or set up temporary residence for 10 days or more, or for an aggregate exceeding 30 days in a calendar year; transients must register within 3 business days of entering a county regardless of length of stay.

Where

City police department if in a municipality, otherwise the county sheriff's office (registration agency); police must notify the county sheriff

Also required if

Transient status (no fixed residence): register within 3 business days of entering any county, plus monthly in-person reporting
Aggregate presence exceeding 30 days in a county in a calendar year
Regularly residing in more than one county or municipality requires registering with each agency
Possible agency application of the 11th-day absence and 24-hour subsequent-county rules in 46-23-505(4)-(5)

Public registry

The law doesn't clearly say whether visitors appear on the public registry.

Montana DOJ runs a public online Sexual or Violent Offender Registry including level designations, but the dissemination statute (46-23-508) was not read, so whether a registered visitor is publicly displayed and whether the entry is removed on departure is unresolved. Removal is likely not automatic; a change of residence must be reported in person within 3 business days.

Places registrants can't go

Schools, parks, playgrounds (statewide)No statewide presence or residency exclusion zone statute appears in Title 46, ch. 23, Part 5; Montana DOJ states it has no authority to direct where a registrant may live.Applies to: All registrants, including visitors
Court-ordered or supervision conditionsSentencing courts and probation/parole conditions may impose no-contact, loitering, or location restrictions.Applies to: People under supervision
Local municipal or county ordinancesSome localities may impose their own residency or loitering rules; not surveyed.Applies to: Registrants in those localities
HalloweenNo Montana statute found imposing Halloween-specific restrictions.Applies to: All registrants

Laws cited

Mont. Code Ann. § 46-23-504 (2025) · Montana Legislature
Mont. Code Ann. Title 46, ch. 23, Part 5 (table of contents) · Montana Legislature

Last checked September 19, 2026 · full review September 19, 2026

Research notes

Only § 46-23-504 and the Part 5 table of contents were read on the official state site. Definitions (§ 46-23-502), change-of-status rules (§ 46-23-505), dissemination (§ 46-23-508), and the Montana DOJ registration page were known only from search excerpts and are unverified; subsection numbering has shifted between code years. Registration is keyed to residence/temporary residence/transient status, not a standalone work or school trigger, though employer and school data are collected. Multi-county travel is a grey zone. Registration involves fingerprints, photograph, and a DNA sample.

Common questions

Do registered sex offenders have to register when visiting Montana?

Visitors must register after 10 days, counted in total over a calendar year. Register within 3 business days of entering a Montana county intending to reside or set up temporary residence for 10 days or more, or for an aggregate exceeding 30 days in a calendar year; transients must register within 3 business days of entering a county regardless of length of stay.

Will a visiting registrant appear on Montana's public registry?

Montana's law doesn't clearly say whether visitors appear on the public registry.

Are there places registrants can't go in Montana?

The state restricts registrants from: schools, parks, playgrounds (statewide); court-ordered or supervision conditions; local municipal or county ordinances; halloween. Details and who they apply to are listed on this page.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules may add requirements. Confirm with the state registry agency or an attorney before you travel.