{"data":{"id":"us-mt/53-21-112","jurisdiction":"us-mt","citation":"53-21-112","heading":"Voluntary admission of minors.","body":"(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a parent or guardian of a minor may consent to mental health services to be rendered to the minor by:\n(a) a facility;\n(b) a person licensed in this state to practice medicine; or\n(c) a mental health professional licensed in this state.\n(2) A minor who is at least 16 years of age may, without the consent of a parent or guardian, consent to receive mental health services from those facilities or persons listed in subsection (1).\n(3) Except as provided by this section, the provisions of 53-21-111 apply to the voluntary admission of a minor to a mental health facility but not to the state hospital.\n(4) Except as provided by this subsection, voluntary admission of a minor to a mental health facility for an inpatient course of treatment is for the same period of time as that for an adult. A minor voluntarily admitted with consent of the minor's parent or guardian has the right to be released within 5 days of a request by the parent or guardian as provided in 53-21-111(3). A minor who has been admitted without consent by a parent or guardian, pursuant to subsection (2), may also make a request and also has the right to be released within 5 days as provided in 53-21-111(3). Unless there has been a periodic review and a voluntary readmission consented to by the parent or guardian in the case of a minor patient or consented to by the minor alone in the case of a minor patient who is at least 16 years of age, voluntary admission terminates at the expiration of 1 year. At the minor's request or at any time that the minor is faced with potential legal proceedings, the court shall order the office of state public defender, provided for in 2-15-1029, to assign counsel for the minor.","path":["TITLE 53. SOCIAL SERVICES AND INSTITUTIONS","CHAPTER 21. MENTALLY ILL","Part 1. Treatment of the Seriously Mentally Ill"],"source_url":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0530/chapter_0210/part_0010/section_0120/0530-0210-0010-0120.html","current_through":"Montana Code Annotated 2025","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T04:57:24Z","sha256":"ea5c513f903792529e409f6018c388a4f23fda99bc2687ff6b6934ccd41defae","source_id":"us-mt","stale":false,"prev":"us-mt/53-21-111","next":"us-mt/53-21-113"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}