Fee increase for nonresident Smith River lottery process passes Montana Legislature

The Montana Legislature approved raising nonresident fees to purchase bonus raffle points for a coveted Smith River permit, funding maintenance along the scenic corridor and purportedly giving a slight edge toward resident floaters .

Located in central Montana, flowing north through the Big Belt Mountains toward Great Falls, the Smith River — a 59-mile stretch of which is officially Smith River State Park — is the only river in Montana that requires a permit for all recreational access.

Sen. Laura Smith, D-Helena, said the increasing popularity of the Smith River and the effects of compounded use, were reasons she brought Senate Bill 257.

The secluded stretch of river is so popular that the lottery system sees more than 20,000 individuals enter each year, with roughly 1,200 permits available. Of that, nonresidents can only receive 10% of available permits.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks operates the permitting lottery with a bonus point system — applicants pay to enter the lottery and each year can purchase an additional bonus point to increase their chances of being selected. Bonus points can accumulate each year an applicant doesn’t draw a permit and the points are squared during the drawing.

Smith’s bill more than doubles the cost of bonus points for out-of-state individuals, from $50 to $125, while resident’s pay just $5.

“When I was door knocking, one things folks talked about in addition to public lands was Smith River permits. They were talking about the fact that people weren’t really pulling the permit, and so I looked at the bonus point system and what the money goes to,” Smith told the Senate Fish and Game Committee in February.

Revenue from the bonus point system goes into the state’s Smith River Enhancement Account, to “protect and enhance the integrity of the natural and scenic beauty of the Smith River waterway and its recreational, fisheries, and wildlife values.”

“Because of the increased foot traffic, in and out use, some of the funds have been used to improve the put in and put out,” Smith told the committee. “Ten years ago, when my now husband and I floated it, we used to camp at the put in. They said the impact at the bank, with so many people putting into the river there, really eroded those river banks. So they used this money to restore the put in and take out.”

According to the bill’s fiscal note, 1,114 nonresident bonus points were sold in 2024, and under the new fee structure would provide a more than $83,000 boost to revenue.

Revenue from the account has also been used to work on waste disposal systems along the river — which has no public access along its 59-mile stretch — and to purchase or lease adjacent land.

“The money goes to good causes that preserve the integrity of the river,” Smith said.

Trout Unlimited, the Montana Wildlife Federation and several individuals, including fishing guides, supported the legislation in committee hearings.

The bill sailed through the Senate with just four votes in opposition. The bill was unanimously concurred in the House on 2nd reading, but drew two nay votes on the final vote Wednesday.