Marriage
40-1-103. Formalities. Marriage is a personal relationship between a man and a woman arising out of a civil contract to which the consent of the parties is essential. A marriage licensed, solemnized, and registered as provided in this chapter is valid in this state. A marriage may be contracted, maintained, invalidated, or dissolved only as provided by the law of this state.
40-1-212. Effective period of license. A license to marry is effective upon issuance and expires after 180 days.
40-1-213. Judicial approval.
(3) The district court shall authorize performance of a marriage by proxy upon the showing required by the provisions on solemnization.
40-1-301. Solemnization and registration.
(1) A marriage may be solemnized by a judge of a court of record, by a public official whose powers include solemnization of marriages, by a mayor, city judge, or justice of the peace, by a tribal judge, or in accordance with any mode of solemnization recognized by any religious denomination, Indian nation or tribe, or native group. Either the person solemnizing the marriage or, if no individual acting alone solemnized the marriage, a party to the marriage shall complete the marriage certificate form and forward it to the clerk of the district court.
(2) If a party to a marriage is unable to be present at the solemnization, he may authorize in writing a third person to act as his proxy. If the person solemnizing the marriage is satisfied that the absent party is unable to be present and has consented to the marriage, he may solemnize the marriage by proxy. If he is not satisfied, the parties may petition the district court for an order permitting the marriage to be solemnized by proxy.
(3) The solemnization of the marriage is not invalidated by the fact that the person solemnizing the marriage was not legally qualified to solemnize it, if either party to the marriage believed him to be so qualified.
40-1-321. Registration of marriage.
(1) Upon receipt of the marriage certificate, the clerk of the district court shall register the marriage.
(2) Every person solemnizing a marriage who shall neglect to make and deliver to the clerk of the district court a certificate thereof within 30 days after having solemnized such marriage shall forfeit for such neglect a sum not less than $10 or more than $50; and any clerk of the district court who shall neglect to record such certificate so delivered within 1 month after its delivery shall forfeit the like penalty.
40-1-324. Declaration to be acknowledged and recorded. The written declaration of marriage provided for in 40-1-323 shall be attested by at least two witnesses and formally acknowledged by an official authorized to administer oaths in the state of Montana. The filing of the declaration with the clerk of the district court in the county of the residence of the parties shall serve as an official record of the marriage of the parties.
40-1-401. Prohibited marriages -- contracts.
(1) The following marriages are prohibited:
(d) a marriage between persons of the same sex.
(4) A contractual relationship entered into for the purpose of
achieving a civil relationship that is prohibited under subsection
(1) is void as against public policy.
Counseling/healing
Acupuncture
37-13-104. Partial exemptions.
3) This chapter does not affect the practice of an occupation by an individual who does not represent to the public that the individual is licensed under this chapter.
PSYCHOLOGISTS
37-17-103. Limitation of license authority. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as permitting psychologists to prescribe drugs, perform surgery, or administer electroconvulsive therapy.
37-17-104. Exemptions. This chapter does not prevent:
(1) qualified members of other professions, such as physicians, social workers, lawyers, pastoral counselors, or educators, from doing work of a psychological nature consistent with their training if they do not hold themselves out to the public by a title or description incorporating the words "psychology", "psychologist", "psychological", or "psychologic";
SOCIAL WORK
37-22-305. Representation to public as licensed clinical social worker -- limitations on use of title -- limitations on practice.
(1) Upon issuance of a license in accordance with this chapter, a licensee may use the title "licensed clinical social worker". Except as provided in subsection
(2), a person may not represent that the person is a licensed clinical social worker by adding the letters "LSW" or "LCSW" after the person's name or by any other means unless licensed under this chapter.
(3) Subsection (1) does not prohibit:
(a) qualified members of other professions, such as physicians, psychologists, lawyers, pastoral counselors, educators, or the general public engaged in social work like activities, from doing social work consistent with their training if they do not hold themselves out to the public by a title or description incorporating the words "licensed social worker" or "licensed clinical social worker";
PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING
37-23-201. Representation or practice as licensed clinical professional counselor
4) Subsection (2) does not prohibit:
(a) a qualified member of another profession, such as a physician, lawyer, pastoral counselor, probation officer, court employee, nurse, school counselor, educator, chemical dependency counselor accredited by a federal agency, or addiction counselor licensed pursuant to Title 37, chapter 35, from performing duties and services consistent with the person's licensure or certification and the code of ethics of the person's profession or, in the case of a qualified member of another profession who is not licensed or certified or for whom there is no applicable code of ethics, from performing duties and services consistent with the person's training, as long as the person does not represent by title that the person is engaging in the practice of professional counseling;
37-27-104. Exemptions. This chapter does not limit or regulate the practice of a licensed physician, certified nurse-midwife, or licensed basic or advanced emergency medical technician. The practice of direct-entry midwifery does not constitute the practice of medicine, certified nurse-midwifery, or emergency medical care to the extent that a direct-entry midwife advises, attends, or assists a woman during pregnancy, labor, natural childbirth, or the postpartum period when the pregnancy is not a high-risk pregnancy.
37-27-111. Parents' rights regarding birth of baby. Except as otherwise provided by law, parents have a right to give birth where and with whom they choose.
