Due Dates
- Livestock Reporting Due
- March 1
- Per Capita Fee Payments Due
- May 31
All livestock owners must report the number of each type of livestock they own on February 1 every year. Even if you only own one horse or a few chickens, you must report your livestock.
If you reported livestock last year, you need to submit a livestock report this year. Even if you no longer own livestock. This is the only way to update our records.
Livestock reports are due March 1. (15-24-903, MCA)
Livestock owners can report their livestock online or by filling out the Livestock Reporting Form.
The Department of Revenue also collects the fees on reported livestock. (15-24-921, MCA)
Per capita fees are due on May 31.
Please Note:
A service charge will apply when making an electronic payment:
- E-Check: $2.00 per transaction
- Credit Card: Percentage of total Per Captia Fee Amount
For more detail, once logged in to the Livestock Reporting system, click on the Instructions link at the top, right corner.
Types of Livestock
According to Montana state law (15-24-921, MCA), livestock owners need to report “cattle, sheep, swine, poultry, honey bees, goats, horses, mules, asses, llamas, alpacas, domestic bison, ostriches, rheas, emus, and domestic ungulates.”
You must report:
- All poultry and honey bees,
- All swine at least three months old as of February 1, and
- All other livestock at least nine months old as of February 1
Livestock Fees
Montana livestock fees are charged per capita, meaning you pay the fee for each animal.
| Livestock Type | Fee Per Head |
|---|---|
| Horses, mules, asses, ponies, donkeys, and burros | $5.85 |
| Cattle, including cows, bulls, yearlings, and heifer and steer calves at least nine months old | $2.29 |
| Domestic Bison | $6.38 |
| Sheep | $0.54 |
| Swine over three months | $0.78 |
| Goats | $0.54 |
| Poultry, including chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks and other domestic birds raised for food or feathers | $0.05 |
| Honey bees | $0.41 per hive |
| Alternative livestock, including privately owned caribou, mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, moose, antelope, mountain sheep, and mountain goats indigenous to Montana | $26.33 |
| Ostriches, rheas, and emus | $9.73 |
| Llamas and Alpacas | $9.73 |
The Board of Livestock sets the per capita fee rates.
Livestock Fee Distribution
Livestock per capita fees help fund Department of Livestock programs used for:
- Monitoring animal health
- Monitoring and restricting livestock imports
- Tracking animal movements
- Preventing and investigating livestock theft
- Managing predators
Additional Livestock Fees
Some counties also collect a fee to fund Predatory Animal Control (PAC) at the local government level.
County treasurers use the cattle and sheep head counts you sent to us to collect these fees on personal and or property tax bills.