You’re in luck, the Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (MT DNRC) has an online water right query system, which has made finding one’s water right information much easier. Visit the website at the link below or by doing a web search for “water right query system.”
Searching can be done in a variety of ways. The default options are the simple search tab, which allows one to search by water right number (note the exact formatting requirement), owner name, or geocode. The geocode is a unique identifier for a property and can be found through the state Cadastral land ownership system (website linked below). Geocodes can change, so always try an alternate search method if you don’t find the expected results you are looking for, these default search options are a quick way to see if a property has water rights.
One can also click the advanced tab at the top of the search window to search more creatively for water rights or to create specific indexes (lists) of water rights, based on a water source, a priority date, or a ditch name. If you don’t find a water right using the search, a water right may not exist for the property. Another possibility is that the water right owner might be a municipality, a ditch company, a water users’ association, or another type of public water supply. If you pay a bill for water, this is most likely the case, and these water rights will show up reflecting the business or public entity name.
A search will generate links to three helpful pieces of information: a map, an abstract, and the file documents. Abstracts provide a summary of the water right elements such as maximum flow rate, points of diversion, and purpose. The map link shows a very general map based on land description (not actual location of use), whereas the file documents often include an accurate map of the water right along with other records like well log information and ownership updates. If creating an index or looking at an ownership, some water rights may be listed more than once. The results can be downloaded into a table and then simplified for your needs.
MT DNRC has received very positive feedback on this initial query system, but is still working to improve the tool, so you may see some upgrades to this system in the future.
MT DNRC Water Right Query System: http://wrqs.dnrc.mt.gov MT Cadastral website to find geocodes for a property: http://svc.mt.gov/msl/mtcadastral.