Pet Addendum in Montana

Adds pet terms to a lease. Assistance animals for people with disabilities are not pets: no pet fee or pet rent may be charged for them under federal fair housing rules.

What Montana law says

Pet deposits and fees	Montana has no cap on security deposits. Any deposit the lease requires the tenant to keep with the landlord is presumed to be a security deposit, and any fee or charge for cleaning and damages, however labeled, is presumed to be a security deposit — so a pet deposit or 'pet cleaning fee' is generally subject to the security-deposit return and itemization rules. No statute limits pet rent. A landlord may approve an emotional support animal as a reasonable accommodation and may request supporting information from a health care practitioner when the need is not apparent; the tenant is liable for damage the animal causes (§ 70-24-114). Source: Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-101(4)
Service & support animals (state law)	A person with a disability with a service animal has full and equal access to housing and may not be charged extra for it, but is liable for damage the animal causes. 'Service animal' means a dog or miniature horse individually trained to assist a person with a disability and expressly excludes emotional support animals. Misrepresenting a service animal can lead to removal and, after a prior written warning, a misdemeanor ($50 first offense; up to $1,000 for third or later). No state statute sets documentation rules for emotional support animals in housing. Emotional support animals in housing are governed by the federal Fair Housing Act and Montana's housing discrimination law (reasonable accommodation), not by these service-animal provisions. The misrepresentation sections are framed around public places and accommodations. Source: Mont. Code Ann. §§ 49-4-203(2), 49-4-214(1)-(2), 49-4-221, 49-4-222

Pet deposits and fees

Montana has no cap on security deposits. Any deposit the lease requires the tenant to keep with the landlord is presumed to be a security deposit, and any fee or charge for cleaning and damages, however labeled, is presumed to be a security deposit — so a pet deposit or 'pet cleaning fee' is generally subject to the security-deposit return and itemization rules. No statute limits pet rent.

A landlord may approve an emotional support animal as a reasonable accommodation and may request supporting information from a health care practitioner when the need is not apparent; the tenant is liable for damage the animal causes (§ 70-24-114).

Source: Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-101(4)

Service & support animals (state law)

A person with a disability with a service animal has full and equal access to housing and may not be charged extra for it, but is liable for damage the animal causes. 'Service animal' means a dog or miniature horse individually trained to assist a person with a disability and expressly excludes emotional support animals. Misrepresenting a service animal can lead to removal and, after a prior written warning, a misdemeanor ($50 first offense; up to $1,000 for third or later). No state statute sets documentation rules for emotional support animals in housing.

Emotional support animals in housing are governed by the federal Fair Housing Act and Montana's housing discrimination law (reasonable accommodation), not by these service-animal provisions. The misrepresentation sections are framed around public places and accommodations.

Source: Mont. Code Ann. §§ 49-4-203(2), 49-4-214(1)-(2), 49-4-221, 49-4-222

Fill it in

Nothing you type leaves your browser. Replace anything still highlighted, and keep a signed copy.

PET ADDENDUM to the lease for [rental address] dated [lease date]

Tenant: [tenant name] Pet(s): [type, breed, name, weight]

Pet deposit: $[pet deposit] (counts toward any state deposit limit where the law says so). Monthly pet rent: $[pet rent]

The tenant keeps the pet under control, cleans up after it, and pays for damage it causes beyond normal wear and tear.

Signatures and dates: [signatures]

Pet Addendum for other states · Montana tenant rights

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.