Montana Law Has Gray Areas Regarding Meth Cleanup
Montana's methamphetamine cleanup law, which took effect in 2005, requires property owners to tell renters or buyers about a meth lab on the property, but there are no rules about a cleanup threshold for meth use or that anyone has to disclose it. The decontamination standard for meth labs in Montana is 0.1 micrograms per 100 square centimeters, which is just a trace and is the level that most people encounter daily by touching money, ATMs, and shopping carts. One person could blow meth smoke on a wall one time, and it would register above the 0.1-microgram threshold. However, Realtors believe it is a best practice to disclose of any meth use, regardless of the laws. The 0.1-microgram level is one of the strictest standards in the country for meth lab decontamination, which means a similar home in states like California, Colorado, or Utah, where the thresholds are 1.5, 0.5, and 1.0, respectively, may not need abatement. "In 90% of these properties, the contamination isn't from manufacturing, it's from smoking," says meth abatement specialist Lee Yelin. He adds that he would like to see the contamination and abatement laws be uniform across the country.