Montana
Gianforte-backed property tax measure would offer homeowner relief by raising taxes on second homes, Airbnbs
A property tax relief measure touted by Gov. Greg Gianforte as his signature response to widespread public angst over rising residential tax bills would lower taxes on primary residences by raising them on second homes and Airbnb-style short-term vacation rentals.
Heard before the House Taxation Committee Wednesday, the proposal drew praise from members of Gianforte’s tax task force but opposition from large businesses worried it would raise their taxes and progressive groups that want lawmakers to adopt tax measures that provide more relief to lower-income taxpayers by leaning harder on wealthier residents.
House Bill 231, sponsored by Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, would also offer tax savings to landlords with long-term tenants and to smaller businesses that own commercial properties.
Specifically, the bill would divide the state’s existing residential property category into a bifurcated system, lowering rates used to calculate taxes for owner-occupied homes and long-term rentals while raising them for other residential properties.
The measure would also split the state’s commercial property category into two rate brackets, offering a lower rate to approximately the first $2 million of business value.
The Montana Department of Revenue would be responsible for tracking which residential properties qualify for the lower rates, starting with the list of properties that were granted one-off homeowner property tax rebates the past two years and shifting to an application program over time.
Jones argued Wednesday that the proposal represents a reasonable effort to provide tax relief without shifting an undue amount of tax burden onto non-residential properties. He also said he’s deliberately trying to raise property tax bills for part-time residents who use public services while living in Montana but file their income taxes elsewhere.
“Without a sales tax, it’s fairly difficult to have those folks participate in this economy,” he said.
related
Democrats pitch property tax relief via income tax credit
A measure pitched by the Democrats in the Montana Legislature would take aim at rising homeowner property bills by offering an income tax credit, offsetting a portion of property tax payments for homeowners and renter households earning up to $150,000 a year.
Part of the challenge facing the state’s tax system, Jones said, is that Montana’s gradual transformation from a natural resource-heavy economy to one increasingly driven by destination tourism has eroded much of the property tax base that once paid much of the bill for local services like law enforcement and education.
Jones presented the tax committee with data indicating that the fraction of the Montana property value contained in residential properties has grown dramatically in recent decades, up to 76% in 2023 versus 29% in 1985. In contrast, the share of the tax base represented by major industrial properties has declined dramatically, down to 5% in 2023 from 23% in 1985.
By raising taxes on second homes such as Yellowstone Club mansions, the bill would in effect try to use them as a replacement for the state’s historic industrial tax base. Jones also said Wednesday that he believes offering preferential tax treatment to long-term rentals over Airbnb-style short term rentals could encourage property owners to make more housing available to permanent residents.
Jones said he estimates his bill would reduce property taxes for about 230,000 primary residences by an estimated 17%. He also estimates that 130,000 rental properties and 32,000 small businesses would see similar reductions. MTFP estimated previously that the median residential property tax bill increased by 21% between 2022 and 2023.
The proposal drew support at Wednesday’s hearing from Gianforte’s budget office, as well as public education advocates, the National Federation of Independent Business, AARP Montana and the Montana Farm Bureau Federation.
“Ultimately it’s a solution that keeps property taxes inside the property tax system. It doesn’t require a personal income tax bailout into the property tax system,” said Ryan Evans, the assistant director of the governor’s budget office.
related
Bed-tax-to-property-tax-relief proposal slammed by tourism advocates
Lawmakers who want to offer residents substantial immediate property tax relief face an inescapable mathematical reality: Unless they want to force local governments to lay off cops and teachers, the money to lower residential property tax bills has to come from somewhere. That somewhere, for one of the first major tax relief proposals to come up for hearing before a legislative committee this year, is the $120 million a year collected by the state’s pair of bed taxes.
The bill was opposed by the Montana Chamber of Commerce and other business advocates, who worried that lower taxes on residences and small businesses would end up forcing larger businesses to pick up the tab.
Bob Story, the executive director of the Montana Taxpayers Association, testified that the bill would mean a property tax increase of at least $1,000 for more than 900 Montana companies, with several facing increases of more than $100,000.
“They’re large companies, sure, but that doesn’t mean they have all kinds of money to pay additional taxes,” Story said.
Some advocates for a more progressive tax system also spoke in opposition.
Rose Bender, a researcher with the Montana Budget and Policy Center, said she believes the bill is too generous to higher-value homes and not generous enough to less valuable ones.
“This bill needs to better target relief to low- and moderate-value homes,” Bender said.
Like other property tax relief bills heard by legislative committees this week — among them a bill that would divert bed tax dollars from tourism promotion to property tax relief and another that would offset property taxes with a state income tax credit — Jones’ bill faces a committee vote and potential amendments as the first of several hurdles it must clear en route to the governor’s desk.
Gianforte said during his Jan. 13 State of the State address that he wants to be able to sign the measure into law by mid-February so the state Department of Revenue can implement its provisions this year, a timeframe that would require it to advance rapidly through the Montana House and Senate.
HELENA — A group of conservation advocacy organizations are suing the State of Montana to “cement the legality of corner crossing” in Montana.
On Thursday, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Public Land and Water Access Association filed a lawsuit against Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Lewis and Clark County District Court.
The legal action comes one day after Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras, a Republican, addressed the Montana Environmental Quality Council about corner crossing.
(WATCH: Lt. Gov. Juras discusses corner crossing with Montana lawmakers)
Montana elected leaders discuss “corner crossing”
Corner crossing is the act of stepping from adjoining corners of public land without stepping on the adjacent private land.
While there is no state law or case law directly addressing corner crossing in Montana, FWP, under the Gianforte administration, has stated that corner crossing remains unlawful in Montana, and people should obtain permission from the adjoining landowners before crossing corners. Wardens have been instructed to use their discretion to cite individuals for trespassing if caught corner crossing.
The new lawsuit argues that FWP policy on corner crossing is “incorrect and unlawful.”
“Though not an attack on the agency overall, as both BHA and PLWA are currently defending FWP as intervenors in separate litigation, we fundamentally disagree with the Department on this issue and believe this must now be decided before a neutral court,” said Jake Schwaller, Chair of the Montana Chapter of BHA, in a press release. “There comes a time when we simply need to stand up for our public land, and this is our time.”
MTN News
The plaintiffs in the case say they had met with FWP several times about corner crossing, but believe the lawsuit is their path forward to resolving the debate.
“Montanans deserve clear, consistent guidance on how they can access their public lands,” said Alex Leone, Executive Director for PLWA, in the press release. “There is a commonsense path that respects private property while ensuring public lands aren’t effectively blocked. We’ve worked in good faith to find that solution and remain ready to do so.”
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL COMPLAINT
According to data from onX, there are around 1.5 million acres of public lands locked behind private property in the Treasure State. About 871,000 acres of public land in Montana is “corner locked.”
Much of the recent debate on corner crossing has followed developments last year in a Wyoming corner crossing case.
(WATCH: Corner Crossing in Montana explained)
Corner crossing in Montana explained
In October, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from the 10th District Court of Appeals on Iron Bar Holdings v. Cape. The case stems from a land access dispute in Wyoming. In 2022, the ranch, owned by pharmaceutical executive Fred Eshelman, sued a group of hunters who used a ladder to corner cross onto public land that was locked in by Eshelman’s property. The suit alleged that the hunters trespassed when they passed through the airspace over the private property.
A federal district judge agreed with the hunters, stating that nothing they did violated federal law. When the 10th District Court of Appeals took up the case, it ruled a property owner could not create an obstacle that would limit free passage over public lands.
Since the Supreme Court did not take the case up, the ruling effectively became case law. However, that ruling only impacts states in the 10th Circuit; Montana is in the 9th Circuit.
MTN has spoken with several lawyers, including a prosecutor, about the issue of corner crossing. They agreed to provide background as long as it was off-camera due to the clients they represent. The consensus from the lawyers was that most county attorneys don’t pursue corner crossing trespassing cases.
Juras also testified before the EQC that she was not aware of a true corner crossing trespass case that had gone to trial.
GREAT FALLS — Blowing dust is becoming a major issue again on the Hi-Line as winds gust to 60–70+ mph, especially from Phillips County eastward.
Visibility has dropped to very low to near zero at times, and there have already been several crashes east of Glasgow near Nashua and Frazer. People are urged to avoid unnecessary travel in these areas if possible.
This is a very dangerous situation for travelers across northeast Montana. Blowing dust is causing near-zero visibility in many locations.
WATCH:
Hazardous driving along the Hi-Line
Highway 2 from Dodson to Wolf Point is closed until further notice, with only emergency travel allowed in these areas.
All red- and black-shaded roads and highways are experiencing severe driving conditions because of the low visibility.
MDT
Click here to visit the MDT 511 site.
(WEDNESDAY, MAY 13) A fast-moving front rolled through north-central Montana on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The powerful winds gusted to more than 80 miles per hour in some areas.
Shaylan Verploegen shared video from north of Havre, showing a huge “wall” of dirt and dust in a unique weather phenomenon known as a haboob; watch the video and see other viewer photos here:
Fast-moving front kicks up walls of dust
The strong winds caused some damage. There were trees blown over in Havre, Great Falls, and Helena. Part of a roof was blown off in Box Elder, and there were several carports that were destroyed in Havre. There were also numerous power outages reported across the area, some of which lasted for several hours.
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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 13, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 13 drawing
22-31-52-56-67, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from May 13 drawing
17-18-28-37-42, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 13 drawing
02-06-10-16, Bonus: 16
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 13 drawing
08-13-39-63-66, Powerball: 02
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from May 13 drawing
02-04-13-17-32
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 13 drawing
21-24-29-42-49, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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