Top 21 Things to Consider When Buying Land in Montana
Owning land in Montana is a dream for many, offering wide-open spaces, rugged mountains, clear-running streams, abundant wildlife, and the chance to live on the land. But buying a ranch here may not be a simple process. The details can be as vast and complex as the landscape itself. A purchase of this scale requires more than vision; it requires diligence.
Below are 21 key considerations to keep in mind when evaluating land before you sign on the dotted line.
1. Location
Proximity to airports, hospitals, towns, ski resorts, or national parks can add convenience and resale value. Sometimes that comes at the cost of solitude, but occasionally, you’ll find a property in the “sweet spot.” In Montana, location isn’t just where you live, it’s how you want to live.
2. Access
Unlike many eastern states, Montana does not guarantee legal access to private property. Some ranches rely on old handshake easements that may not be recorded are may not be binding, while others have roads that disappear under winter snow for months at a time. Always confirm whether access is legal, year-round, and practical.
3. Improvements
Cabins, barns, fencing, pivots, and corrals add value, but only if they’re functional. Montana is full of properties with aging infrastructure that may cost more to replace than they’re worth. Even luxury homes may not retain value if situated on very large acreages, as affluent buyers tend to want to customize the ranch to their desires.
4. Water Rights
Water is life in Montana. Ensure rights are deeded, valid, and actively used, as unused rights can be vulnerable to legal challenge. Irrigation not only increases property value but also supports wildlife, livestock, and recreation. Irrigated fields also add visual appeal as they will remain green even in the driest years.
5. Mineral & Subsurface Rights
In Montana, surface ownership doesn’t always mean subsurface control. Mineral rights may belong to someone else, giving them legal authority to explore or mine on your land. While rare, it has happened and knowing your rights upfront is essential.
6. Topography
The lay of the land defines usability. Flat benches are easy to build on, while steep terrain can be prohibitively expensive to develop and difficult to recreate on. The best properties often feature a mix of ridges, draws, and valleys that provide building sites, grazing opportunities, wildlife cover, and visual appeal.
7. Wildlife
Wildlife can dramatically increase a ranch’s appeal, especially elk. But be wary of vague listing terms like “abundant wildlife” which can really mean “I saw an elk here once”. A knowledgeable agent can help distinguish between true wildlife value and marketing fluff.
8. Surface Water
Streams, rivers, and ponds are highly desirable but come with management challenges like erosion, flooding, and riparian restrictions. In Montana, rivers can even shift course over time, altering your acreage through accretion or erosion.
9. Climate
Montana’s climates vary widely. The Bitterroot Valley differs dramatically from the Gallatin Valley, and the Gallatin Valley from the Missouri Breaks. Rainfall, snowfall, elevation, and growing seasons all impact usability. A ranch must fit both your intended use and your tolerance for local weather.
10. Utilities
Running power, drilling wells, installing solar panels, or burying septic systems can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Thankfully, rural internet access is a forgone conclusion since the addition as a result of Starlink and the ConnectMT project bringing fiber to many rural areas. Cell phone service is continually more widespread by the year, but some areas still lack adequate coverage especially in low lying portions of a property.
11. Conservation Easements
Easements protect open spaces forever but may limit your future plans. No two easements are the same as each carries its own rules on building, improving, grazing, farming, or subdividing. Review them carefully.
12. Neighbors
Neighbors in Montana come in all forms: working ranchers, absentee landowners, billionaires, blue collar workers, public lands, and more. Neighbors can add headaches just as much as they can solve them. Be mindful of junkyards, unmanaged weeds, or land-use conflicts on nearby properties.
13. Corner Crossing
In places where checkerboarded public and private lands exist in Montana that can create access controversies. Corner crossing, stepping from one public parcel to another at a shared corner, is legally unsettled and may soon be litigated before the supreme court. If your ranch borders checkerboarded land, understand the implications for hunters, trespass disputes, and potential litigation.
14. Energy, Utility, and Mine Projects
Wind farms, transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines, and large scale mining operations can transform a ranch overnight, even if built on neighboring land. Research pending projects, as their presence can permanently affect viewsheds, wildlife, and property value.
15. Boundaries
Old barbed-wire fences don’t always follow true survey lines. Inaccurate fencing or outdated surveys may mean barns, corrals, or even homes sit off the legal boundary. Before purchasing, a professional survey is often wise.
16. Agriculture
The ability to grow crops or hay adds a little income and value. Soil quality, rainfall, irrigation potential, and elevation all determine agricultural viability. Even small-scale production can enhance wildlife habitat.
17. Wildfires
Wildfires are a reality in Montana. Some properties are more vulnerable than others, depending on topography, vegetation, and management. Grazing practices, thinning, and controlled burns can all mitigate fire risk.
18. Livestock
Livestock grazing, when managed well, benefits both land health and wildlife. Overgrazing, however, degrades soils and increases weeds; under grazing can create fuel for wildfires. A thoughtful livestock plan adds long-term value. Note Montana is a fence out state, meaning you are responsible for keeping your neighbors cows off your property.
19. Airspace
While you don’t own the sky, you do own the “immediate reaches” above your land. There is precedence for trespass of low flying aircraft if their use is deemed unreasonable. Airstrips on ranches in Montana is not necessarily uncommon and one on a neighboring ranch may provide a less tranquil setting than expected. Airspace “ownership” is the issue currently being used by landowners to combat corner crossing, as one cannot cross a corner without their body passing through the airspace of the other cornering parcels.
20. Plant Life
Native grasses and wildflowers make Montana landscapes shine, but many properties battle invasive weeds. Noxious weed control can be a costly and ongoing challenge, requiring time and resources.
21. Emotion
Finally, don’t discount the role of emotion. A ranch is more than an investment; it’s a place to build memories, traditions, and legacies. If the land moves you, the price is within reason and within your budget, and it checks most of your “boxes”, it may be the best decision to buy it. I have worked with many clients that missed a great ranch with regret, trying to find a more than perfect place that may not even exist, let alone we for sale and even as many that bought a property that checked hardly any of their “boxes”, but their gut said it was the right place.
Buying land in Montana is about far more than just acreage. It’s about securing a lifestyle, building a legacy, and making a sound investment. Yet the decisions that come with it, water rights, access, easements, management, can be overwhelming. Most people don’t have the time or background to navigate those details alone. That’s why working with a skilled buyer’s agent matters. A good agent helps you cut through the noise, handle the complexities alongside you, and ensure no stone is left unturned. The result? Confidence when you sign, clarity in what you own, and the peace of mind to fully enjoy your ranch, whether that means chasing bugles in the fall, gathering with family, or simply watching the sunset over your land.