Property tax in Chouteau County, Montana

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Chouteau County, Montana is $1,566 a year, which is about 0.75% of the county's median home value of $207,800. That effective rate is higher than the typical Montana county (0.68%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.

Estimate the property tax on a home in Chouteau County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Chouteau County's average effective rate of 0.75% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.

Home market value

Estimated property tax: $1,559 / year

Property tax in Chouteau County at a glance

Chouteau County, Montana property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,566
Median home value	$207,800
Effective tax rate	0.75%
Typical Montana county rate	0.68%
National median county rate	0.81%

Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

How does Chouteau County compare in Montana?

Among Montana's 56 counties, Chouteau County has the 22nd highest effective property-tax rate: 21 rank higher and 34 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Montana. Nationally, it ranks 1731st of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Montana county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Chouteau County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Chouteau County's 1,472 owner-occupied homes, 17.7% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 35.4% pay at least $2,000, and 12.6% pay under $800. Another 7.5% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Chouteau County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	186	12.6%
$800 to $1,499	470	31.9%
$1,500 to $1,999	185	12.6%
$2,000 to $2,999	260	17.7%
$3,000 or more	260	17.7%
No property tax paid	111	7.5%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,648 and owners without one pay $1,532. That is within 10% either way, so in Chouteau County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

How does the Chouteau County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $1,566 is about 2.2% of the median income of Chouteau County homeowner households, $71,500 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 68.2% of Chouteau County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.

Have property taxes gone up in Chouteau County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,202 in 2015-2019 to $1,566 in 2020-2024, a 30.3% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 45.1%, from $143,200 to $207,800. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.

Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.

Property tax in counties next to Chouteau County

Chouteau County borders 8 counties.

Chouteau County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Blaine County, MT	1.34%	$2,080	$155,500
Hill County, MT	0.98%	$1,980	$202,600
Liberty County, MT	0.93%	$1,570	$169,100
Cascade County, MT	0.87%	$2,320	$265,300
Pondera County, MT	0.8%	$1,651	$206,100
Fergus County, MT	0.75%	$1,769	$236,100
Teton County, MT	0.75%	$1,987	$264,000
Chouteau County, MT (this county)	0.75%	$1,566	$207,800
Judith Basin County, MT	0.45%	$1,066	$238,300

How is a home assessed in Chouteau County?

Montana sets the assessment rules and Chouteau County applies them. How Montana assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Chouteau County?

Not as a dollar amount. Montana's homestead benefit is a lower tax rate for an enrolled principal residence; a home that does not enroll is taxed at the flat 1.9% rate. That is the Montana rule, and it applies in Chouteau County. Montana's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Chouteau County?

Montana bills once and you pay in two halves. The first half is due by 5 p.m. on November 30, or 30 days after the notice is mailed if that falls later, and the second by 5 p.m. on May 31. Anything unpaid after May 31 is delinquent, picks up a 2% penalty and accrues interest monthly. Owners of a primary residence can instead enroll in an alternative schedule spreading the bill over seven monthly payments from November through May.

Montana splits the bill into 2 installments. That is the Montana rule. Chouteau County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Chouteau County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the County Tax Appeal Board, then the Montana Tax Appeal Board, then district court. The filing deadline is typically 30 days from the date on your classification and appraisal notice. That is the Montana rule; Chouteau County sets the exact dates and forms. The Montana appeal process step by step.

Montana rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Montana page.

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Chouteau County, Montana: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.