Mont. Code Ann. § 61-3-101

(1) The department shall keep a record as specified in this section of all motor vehicles, trailers, and semitrailers of every kind, and of certificates of registration and ownership of those vehicles, and of all manufacturers and dealers in motor vehicles.

(1) (a) The department shall create and maintain a central registry of electronic files that includes an electronic record of title as specified in this section for motor vehicles, trailers, semitrailers, pole trailers, travel trailers, campers, motorboats, personal watercraft, sailboats, snowmobiles, and off-highway vehicles for which:

(i) an application for a certificate of title has been received by the department, its authorized agent, or a county treasurer;

(ii) a certificate of title has been issued by the department; or

(iii) a registration, security interest, or lien transaction has been recorded by the department.

(b) The central registry of electronic files described in subsection (1) must include an electronic record of registration for each motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, snowmobile, and off-highway vehicle registered in this state:

(i) for which the certificate of title was issued by another jurisdiction and that was registered in another jurisdiction; or

(ii) for which a certificate of title has not been issued or is not required.

(2) The electronic record must show the following: of title for a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, snowmobile, or off-highway vehicle must contain the following information:

(a) name of owner, the owner's name, Montana residence address by street or rural route, town, and, and if county, different, and mailing mailing address if different than residence address; address, and

(b) name and address a description of conditional sales vendor, mortgagee, or other lienholder and amount due under contract or lien; the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, snowmobile, or off-highway vehicle, including, as pertinent to the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, snowmobile, or off-highway vehicle:

(i) the manufacturer of the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, snowmobile, or off-highway vehicle;

(ii) the manufacturer's designation of the style of the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, snowmobile, or off-highway vehicle;

(iii) the identifying number;

(iv) the manufacturer's designated model year of manufacture and the odometer reading, if applicable, at the time of the transfer of ownership;

(ix) any brand required under state law or any brand carried forward from a certificate of title surrendered from another jurisdiction;

(v) the character of the motive power and the shipping weight of the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, snowmobile, or off-highway vehicle as shown by the manufacturer;

(vi) the distinctive license number assigned to the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, snowmobile, or off-highway vehicle, if any;

(vii) the gross vehicle weight and gross vehicle weight rating, as determined by the manufacturer, or, for a trailer operating interstate, the declared weight;

(viii) the unique transaction record number, when available and assigned by the department, for each transaction pertaining to the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, snowmobile, or off-highway vehicle and the date of each transaction;

(x) if the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, snowmobile, or off-highway vehicle has been or is currently registered in this state, the distinctive license plate number or certificate number assigned to the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, snowmobile, or off-highway vehicle and a record of all fees and local option taxes, if applicable, paid for the current and preceding registration periods; and

(xi) other information that may be required for registration or may from time to time be found desirable.

(c) manufacturer of vehicle;

(d) manufacturer's designation of style of vehicle;

(e) identifying number;

(f) year of manufacture;

(g) character of motive power and shipping weight of vehicle as shown by the manufacturer;

(h) the distinctive license number assigned to the vehicle, if any;

(i) if a truck or trailer, the number of tons' capacity or GVW if imprinted on manufacturer's identification plate;

(j) except as provided in 61-3-103, the name and complete address of any holder of a perfected security interest in the vehicle; and

(k) other information that may from time to time be found desirable.

(3) The department shall file applications electronic record for of registration received by it from the county treasurers of the state and register the vehicles and for a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, travel trailer, camper, motorboat, personal watercraft, sailboat, snowmobile, or off-highway the vehicle vehicle owners as follows: must contain, at a

(a) under the distinctive license number assigned to the vehicle by the county treasurer; owner's name, Montana residence and, if different, mailing address, and the customer identification number;

(b) alphabetically under the same data that is required under subsection (2)(b) for the name electronic record of the owner; title; and

(c) numerically under make and identifying number of any other data considered to be pertinent by the vehicle;

(d) other index of registration as the department considers expedient.

(4) Vehicle registration In order to prevent an accumulation of unneeded records and indexes and driver's license records and indexes files, regardless of any other statutory requirements, the department may be maintained by electronic recording destroy all records and storage media. files that relate to motor vehicles, trailers, semitrailers, pole trailers, travel trailers, campers, motorboats, personal watercraft, sailboats, snowmobiles, or off-highway vehicles that have not been registered within the preceding 4 years and that do not have an active lien.

(5) In Subject to the case provisions of dealers, the Title 61, chapter 11, part 5, motor vehicle records maintained by must the show the information contained in the application for dealer's license as required by 61-4-101 through department must be open 61-4-105, as well as the to distinctive license number assigned to inspection during reasonable business hours, and the dealer. department shall furnish any information from the records, except personal information and highly restricted personal information, as defined in 61-11-503, upon payment by the applicant of the cost of the information requested. Prior to providing the information, the department shall require the applicant to provide identification. The department may not disclose personal information or highly restricted personal information except as permitted or required under 61-11-507, 61-11-508, or 61-11-509.

(6) In order to prevent an accumulation of unneeded records and files, regardless of any other statutory requirements, the department may destroy all records and files that relate to vehicles that have not been registered within the preceding 4 years and that do not have an active lien.

(7) All records must be open to inspection during all reasonable business hours, and the department shall furnish any information from the records upon payment by the applicant of the cost of the information requested. Prior to providing the information, the department may require the applicant to provide identification. However, the department may, by rule, reasonably restrict disclosure of information on an owner or the owner's vehicle if the owner has requested in writing that the department not disclose the information.

Duties of department -- – records