Montana Storage Auction Laws

    70-6-411. Sale to pay costs of storage. (1) Any storage or commission merchant receiving personal property from any person for storage and any common carrier of goods by whom any personal property is lawfully stored before or after the transportation thereof may, after keeping the same in store for 90 days, in default of the payment of the storage or freight money on such personal property, advertise and sell the same at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, first giving notice of the time, the terms, and place of sale and a description of the property to be sold by publication in some newspaper published in the county where the property may be stored. Said notice shall be published at least once a week for 4 weeks next previous to the day of sale and shall specify the amount due on the property to be sold. When a specified time has been agreed upon between the parties for the storage of said property, the same shall not be advertised until the expiration of the time agreed upon.      (2) Should there be no newspaper published in the county where such property is stored, then notice may be given in the newspaper published nearest thereto in some other county in this state.      (3) But no more of such property shall be sold than is necessary to pay the charges due, together with the costs.

     70-6-412. Application of proceeds of sale. (1) After paying the expenses of sale, including the publication of notice, the storage or commission merchant or the carrier shall be authorized, out of the proceeds arising from the sale of the property, to retain the amount due him for storage or freight money, or both, due upon any such property, and the excess, if any, must be paid over to the person entitled to the proceeds thereof.      (2) All sales under this part shall vest the title to the property sold in the purchaser thereof.

     70-6-420. Default in payment of storage space rental fees -- notice -- sale of contents. (1) A person who rents storage space to another may sell at public auction the contents of the storage space if the owner of the contents is more than 30 days in default in paying rental fees on the space.      (2) At the expiration of the period of default provided for in subsection (1), the person renting the storage space shall send written notice by certified mail to the last-known address of the owner of the contents that he has 30 days from the date of the certified letter to pay the past due rental fees and to claim the contents of the storage space or the contents will be sold at public auction. The notice must contain the date, time, and place of the auction if the past due rental fees are not paid. If the certified notice is returned undelivered, notice must be given as provided in Rule 4 of the Montana Rules of Civil Procedure.      (3) Prior to an auction provided for in subsection (1), notice of the date, time, place, terms, and description of the property must be published in a newspaper in the county in which the property to be sold is located. The notice must be published once a week for 2 weeks prior to the day of the sale. If there is no newspaper published in the county in which the property to be sold is located, then the notice may be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county.      (4) (a) Proceeds of the auction must first be applied to the costs of the sale, then to the unpaid storage rental fees, and the excess, if any, must be paid to the owner. If the owner or the person entitled to the proceeds cannot be located, the proceeds escheat to the state as provided in Title 72, chapter 14.      (b) All sales under this section vest title to the property sold in the purchaser of the property.