Billings does not require straws on request and does not limit plastic straw distribution. Montana auxiliary-container preemption removes the legal basis for a local rule. Restaurants set their own straw policies.
Many cities on the West Coast adopted straws-on-request rules to reduce plastic waste. Billings cannot follow that model under current Montana law because the auxiliary-container preemption sweeps in plastic straws alongside bags and foam. As a result, Billings restaurants give out plastic straws freely or, increasingly by their own choice, switch to paper or compostable straws. The Americans with Disabilities Act protects access to plastic straws as a flexible drinking aid for people with certain disabilities, and Billings vendors generally accommodate that without a local mandate. Yellowstone County has no countywide straw rule.
There is no local enforcement against vendors or customers because the city has no straw ordinance. State preemption would block adoption of one.
Billings, MT
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Billings, MT
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Billings, MT
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Billings, MT
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Billings, MT
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Billings, MT
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See how Billings's plastic straw rules rules stack up against other locations.
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