Administrative Rules of Montana Department 23 - JUSTICE
Here’s a well-rounded overview of Department 23 – Justice in the Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM)—the full set of regulations governing the Montana Department of Justice, published quarterly:
🏛️ Structure of Department 23 – Justice
According to the official Montana DOJ, rules under Title 23 include:
Organizational Rule
Procedural Rules
Board of Crime Control
Certificates of Public Advantage for Health Care
Consumer Protection Office
Office of Victim Services
Division of Criminal Investigation (including Fire Prevention/Bureau & Law Enforcement Academy subdivisions)
Forensic Science Division (e.g. precursors to dangerous drugs)
Gambling Control Division
Highway Patrol Division (including tow trucks rules)
Motor Vehicle Division
Public Safety Officer Standards & Training (POST)
Tobacco Product Reserve Fund Act (dojmt.gov)
📚 Cornel’s Breakdown of Chapters
Cornell Law details the ARM chapters within Department 23 as follows:
23.1 – Organizational Rule
23.2 – Procedural Rules (Subchapters 23.2.1–23.2.4)
23.3 – Motor Vehicle Division (Subchapters 23.3.1–23.3.11)
23.4 – Forensic Science Division (Subchapters 23.4.1–23.4.5)
23.5 – Motor Carriers (transferred to Title 18)
23.6 – Highway Patrol Division
23.7 – Fire Prevention & Investigation Bureau (transferred to Chapter 12)
23.8 – Telecommunications Bureau
23.9 – Reserved
23.10 – Laboratory of Criminalistics Bureau
23.11 – Reserved
23.12 – Division of Criminal Investigation (Subchapters 23.12.1–23.12.14)
23.13 – POST (Subchapters 23.13.1–23.13.8)
23.14 – Board of Crime Control (Subchapters 23.14.1–23.14.10)
23.15 – Office of Victim Services (Subchapters 23.15.1–23.15.5)
23.16 – Gambling Control Division (Subchs. 23.16.1–23.16.38)
23.17 – Law Enforcement Academy (Subchs. 23.17.1–23.17.6)
23.18 – Miscellaneous Duties of the Department
23.19 – Consumer Protection Office (Subchs. 23.19.1–23.19.10) (law.cornell.edu)
📌 Highlights of Key Chapters
Motor Vehicle Division (Chapter 23.3)
Covers driver licensing (including commercial licenses 23.3.5), vehicle registration, alcohol analysis protocols, tow-truck regulations, and more (rules.mt.gov).
Forensic Science Division (Chapter 23.4)
Governs laboratory procedures and oversight of drug precursors and forensic testing processes (rules.mt.gov, law.cornell.edu).
Division of Criminal Investigation (Chapter 23.12)
Includes rules for criminal history records (e.g. custodial fingerprinting) and administrative procedures for DCI operations (law.cornell.edu, casetext.com).
Consumer Protection Office (Chapter 23.19)
Defines unlawful practices, motor vehicle sales regulations, telemarketing rules, identity-theft passport program, debt management, and warranty requirements (regulations.justia.com).
✅ Accessing the Rules
You can find the full, current text online:
Montana Rules Portal: Browse Title 23 directly by chapter and subchapter.
Montana ARMs: The Secretary of State’s site distributes the official Administrative Rules of Montana.
Cornell LII / Justia: Useful for overviews and breakdowns—but always verify against official sources, as updates may lag (law.cornell.edu, regulations.justia.com).
🔍 What Next?
Let me know if you’d like to:
Dive into the full text of a specific rule (e.g., Arm 23.12.106 on custodial fingerprints).
Understand how a particular subchapter operates (e.g., POST certification rules under 23.13).
Track recent rulemaking activity or proposed amendments within Title 23.
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