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FOR FLOCK'S SAKE

ALPR records in Montana

Ask your police department or sheriff what their license-plate cameras log, who they share with, and what they cost. A starting point, not legal advice.

Public records law

Montana public records law

We haven't verified this state's statute citation and deadline against an official source yet, so we're not listing them. The generator below leaves a placeholder for the law's name. The Reporters Committee Open Government Guide covers every state.

Fees & appeals

  • Set a fee cap in your letter and ask for an estimate before any work that would exceed it.
  • Ask for electronic copies. They're usually cheaper than paper.
  • If anything is withheld, ask for the specific exemption and the reasonably segregable parts.
  • If you're denied or the deadline passes, ask the agency in writing how to appeal.

General guidance, not state-specific fee or appeal rules.

What to ask for

  • Search audit logs

    Every ALPR search: date, the officer or agency, the plate or reason entered, and the case number. This shows who is looking, and why.

  • Contract & invoices

    The vendor agreement (Flock Safety or other), renewals, purchase orders and what it costs.

  • Retention policy

    How long plate reads are kept and the records retention schedule that applies.

  • Sharing list

    Every outside agency or organization that can search your local cameras, and the ones your agency can search.

  • Hot lists

    Which watch lists are loaded into the system, who can add plates, on what basis, and how many alerts fired.

  • Policy & camera list

    The written use policy or general order, and the number and locations of cameras.

Your Montana request

We haven't verified Montana's statute yet, so the letter leaves a placeholder. State guide →

Every state's law differs on deadlines, fees and how to submit. Find yours in the Reporters Committee Open Government Guide. Not legal advice. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

[Your Name]
[Address · Email · Phone]
October 13, 2026

To: Public Records Officer, [Agency name]

Re: Public records request: automated license plate reader (ALPR) records

Under [Montana's public records law], I request copies of the following records, in electronic format where available:

1. All contracts, purchase orders, renewals, and invoices with any ALPR vendor (including Flock Safety) from January 1, 2024 to present.
2. Any policy, general order, or procedure governing ALPR use, data retention, sharing, and access.
3. A list of outside agencies or organizations with which ALPR data is shared, or which have access to your ALPR system or network.
4. Audit logs, search logs, or audit reports of ALPR queries from January 1, 2024 to present, including the stated reason for each search where recorded.
5. The number and locations of ALPR cameras operated by or on behalf of the agency.
6. Any records retention schedule that applies to ALPR data.
7. Any hot lists, watch lists, or alert lists loaded into the ALPR system (or records describing who may add entries and on what basis), and the number of hot-list alerts from January 1, 2024 to present.

If any portion is withheld, please cite the specific exemption and release all reasonably segregable portions. If fees will exceed $25, please contact me before proceeding. I request a fee waiver because this information is in the public interest and is not sought for commercial purposes.

Thank you,
[Your Name]
Open in email

City files in Montana

Each city file links to a request prefilled for that city. Find the exact agency name and records portal on the agency's website.

Montana ALPR law

§ 46-5-117 to -119

Prohibits the use of ALPRs by an agency or employee of the state or any subdivision of the state on any public highway. Provides exceptions for specific agencies or purposes, including state or local law enforcement and the department of transportation, if specified requirements are met. Authorized use for planning, parking, ports of entry operations, and specified law enforcement uses including identifying vehicles that are stolen, associated with wanted, missing or endangered persons, registered to a person with a warrant, in violation of commercial trucking requirements, involved in case-specific surveillance, involved in a homicide or other major incident or in the vicinity and may be connected to a crime. State or local law enforcement agencies that use an ALPR system shall adopt and publish a written policy governing use before a system becomes operational. The policy must address database comparison, retention of data, sharing of data, training, supervisory oversight, access to and security of data, access to data obtained by ALPR systems operated by the law enforcement agency and any other subjects related to law enforcement use. Law enforcement agencies must maintain records of users indefinitely and keep system maintenance and calibration on file. At least once every year, law enforcement agencies must audit the ALPR system’s use and effectiveness. Except as provided, license plate data captured by law enforcement may not be preserved for more than 90 days after the date that the data is captured. One year from the date of the initial preservation request, if one was made, the captured license plate data must be destroyed unless the custodian receives another preservation request. The one-year retention period is resets based on the date of the second request. Data may be maintained only for the minimum time necessary but no more than 18 months. Data is confidential and exempted from public records.

Summary quoted from NCSL, Automated License Plate Readers: State Statutes, updated September 28, 2026. Not legal advice; read the statute.