Property tax in Pondera County, Montana

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Pondera County, Montana is $1,651 a year, which is about 0.8% of the county's median home value of $206,100. 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 Pondera County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Pondera County's average effective rate of 0.8% (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: $1,649 / year

Property tax in Pondera County at a glance

Pondera County, Montana property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,651
Median home value	$206,100
Effective tax rate	0.8%
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 Pondera County compare in Montana?

Among Montana's 56 counties, Pondera County has the 18th highest effective property-tax rate: 17 rank higher and 38 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Montana. Nationally, it ranks 1585th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Montana county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Pondera County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Pondera County's 1,536 owner-occupied homes, 19.4% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 39.4% pay at least $2,000, and 12.8% 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 Pondera County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	197	12.8%
$800 to $1,499	468	30.5%
$1,500 to $1,999	151	9.8%
$2,000 to $2,999	307	20%
$3,000 or more	298	19.4%
No property tax paid	115	7.5%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,449 and owners without one pay $1,849. Here the owners without a mortgage pay more, which can happen where long-held homes sit in the higher-value parts of the county. Census table B25103.

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

The median property tax bill of $1,651 is about 2.6% of the median income of Pondera County homeowner households, $63,333 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 67.7% of Pondera 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 Pondera County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,345 in 2015-2019 to $1,651 in 2020-2024, a 22.8% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 56.3%, from $131,900 to $206,100. 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 Pondera County

Pondera County borders 6 counties.

Pondera County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Liberty County, MT	0.93%	$1,570	$169,100
Toole County, MT	0.87%	$1,908	$218,400
Glacier County, MT	0.84%	$1,391	$165,100
Pondera County, MT (this county)	0.8%	$1,651	$206,100
Chouteau County, MT	0.75%	$1,566	$207,800
Teton County, MT	0.75%	$1,987	$264,000
Flathead County, MT	0.58%	$3,120	$535,500

How is a home assessed in Pondera County?

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

Is there a homestead exemption in Pondera 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 Pondera County. Montana's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Pondera 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. Pondera County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Pondera 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; Pondera 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 Pondera 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.