61-6-304. Penalties. (1) Conviction of a first offense under 61-6-301 or 61-6-302 is punishable by a fine of not less than $250 or more than $500. A second conviction is punishable by a fine of $350. A third or subsequent conviction is punishable by a fine of $500 or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 10 days, or both.

Terms Used In Montana Code 61-6-304

  • Commission: means the state transportation commission. See Montana Code 61-1-101
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Department: means the department of justice acting directly or through its duly authorized officers or agents. See Montana Code 61-1-101
  • Driver: means a person who drives or is in actual physical control of a vehicle. See Montana Code 61-1-101
  • Motor vehicle: means :

    (i)a vehicle propelled by its own power and designed or used to transport persons or property on the highways of the state;

    (ii)a quadricycle if it is equipped for use on the highways as prescribed in chapter 9; or

    (iii)a golf cart only if it is equipped for use on the highways as prescribed in chapter 9 and is operated pursuant to 61-8-391 or by a person with a low-speed restricted driver's license. See Montana Code 61-1-101

  • Owner: means each person who holds the legal title to a vehicle. See Montana Code 61-1-101
  • person: means an individual, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, state agency, local government unit, another state government, the United States, a political subdivision of this or another state, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Montana Code 61-1-101
  • register: means the act or process of creating an electronic record, maintained by the department, of the assignment of a license plate or a set of license plates to and the issuance of a registration decal for a specific vehicle, the ownership of which has been established or is presumed in department records. See Montana Code 61-1-101
  • Registration decal: means an adhesive sticker produced by the department and issued by the department, its authorized agent, or a county treasurer to the owner of a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, motorboat, sailboat, personal watercraft, or snowmobile as proof of payment of all fees imposed for the registration period indicated on the sticker as recorded by the department under 61-3-101. See Montana Code 61-1-101
  • Registration receipt: means a paper record that is produced and issued or, if authorized by the department, an electronic record that is transmitted by the department, its authorized agent, or a county treasurer to the owner of a vehicle that identifies a vehicle, based on information maintained in the electronic record of title for the vehicle, and that provides evidence of the payment of all fees required to be paid for the registration of the vehicle for the registration period indicated in the receipt. See Montana Code 61-1-101
  • Suspension: means the temporary withdrawal by action of the department of a person's driver's license, privilege to drive a motor vehicle on the public highways, and privilege to apply for or be issued a driver's license for a period of time designated by law. See Montana Code 61-1-101
  • Vehicle: means a device in, on, or by which any person or property may be transported or drawn on a public highway, except devices moved by animal power or used exclusively on stationary rails or tracks. See Montana Code 61-1-101

(2)Upon a second or subsequent conviction under 61-6-301 or 61-6-302, the sentencing court shall order the surrender of the vehicle registration receipt and license plates for the vehicle operated at the time of the offense if that vehicle was operated by the registered owner or a member of the registered owner’s immediate family or by a person whose operation of that vehicle was authorized by the registered owner. The court shall report the surrender of the registration receipt and license plates to the department, which shall immediately suspend the vehicle’s registration. The vehicle’s registration status may not be reinstated until proof of compliance with 61-6-301 is furnished to the department, but if the vehicle is transferred to a new owner, the new owner is entitled to register the vehicle. The surrendered license plates must be recycled or destroyed by the court unless the court decides to retain the license plates for the owner until the registration suspension has been completed or the requirements for a restricted registration receipt have been met. Upon proof of compliance with 61-6-301 and payment of fees required under 61-3-333 for replacement license plates and registration decal and under 61-3-341 for a replacement registration receipt, during the period of 90 days from the date of a second conviction or 180 days from the date of a third or subsequent conviction, the department shall issue a restricted registration receipt to the offender. A restricted registration receipt limits the use of the motor vehicle operated at the time of the offense to use solely for employment purposes until the date indicated on the restricted registration receipt.

(3)Upon a fourth or subsequent conviction under 61-6-301 or 61-6-302, the court shall order the surrender of the driver‘s license of the offender, if the vehicle operated at the time of the offense was registered to the offender or a member of the offender’s immediate family. The court shall send the driver’s license, along with a copy of the complaint and the dispositional order, to the department, which shall immediately suspend the driver’s license. The department may not reinstate a driver’s license suspended under this subsection until the registered owner provides the department proof of compliance with 61-6-301 and the department determines that the registered owner is otherwise eligible for licensure.

(4)An offender is considered to have been previously convicted for the purposes of sentencing if less than 5 years have elapsed between the commission of the present offense and a previous conviction.

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