Yes, Montana and California are both members of the Drivers License Compact (DLC) so if you are convicted of the ticket for running a red light in CA then their courts will inform the MT Motor Vehicle Division.

According to the Montana MVD a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) for a driver who is licensed in Montana is comprised of information provided by a variety of sources. In Montana, District Courts or Courts of Limited Jurisdiction may provide conviction information. Information may come from tribal courts, courts in other states, other state Departments of Motor Vehicles, even from agencies in other countries. So it would appear that once the MT MVD receives information the moving violation conviction from California it will be placed on your driving record.

In Montana your driving record is a lifetime record. Traffic convictions stay on your driving record for life. Montana law restricts how some aspects of a driving record may be utilized or applied. For example, in accordance with Montana Code Annotated 33-18-210 (9), conviction information older than three years that is derived solely from a driving record may not be used to affect your insurance rates or insurance eligibility.

The California courts will not inform your auto insurance provider however when the Montana MVD places the out of state citation information on your MVR your insurance company will be able to see it the next time they pull your driving record. It will then depend upon the rating system of your insurance carrier to determine if this California red light ticket will affect your rates or not.

According to the California Courts site when you sign your ticket, you promise to go to court or pay the fine. If you do not go to court or pay your fine, your driver's license can be suspended by the CA DMV and you may not be able to renew your car's registration (this registration penalty would not likely affect you since you are not a CA resident).

The judge can also charge you with "contempt of court" or "failure to pay a fine" (FTP).If that happens, the court can charge you with a misdemeanor and issue a warrant for your arrest or add an additional fee (called a "civil assessment") of up to $300.

Usually if you have received a notice from the CA Department of Motor Vehicles indicating a Failure to Appear (FTA) or FTP hold on your driver’s license, you may clear it by posting and forfeiting the entire bail amount OR by appearing in court.

We know of people that live out of state and have failed to pay California citations. The California courts have tracked them down and continue to send them collection notices for the violation, with the fine amount continuing to go up as time passes. If you do not want to have issues with your license in California (and possibly in MT if the MVD would suspend your license for failure to pay the CA ticket) and not be hounded by collections then it would be better to pay the ticket before the due date / court date.

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