Property appraisers employed by the Montana Department of Revenue work year-round in Montana neighborhoods, subdivisions, commercial districts, and rural areas completing inspections for property tax purposes.

Department staff are authorized by Montana law, 15-7-139, MCA, to enter private land to appraise or audit property for property tax purposes. To be present during the inspection, a property owner may request an appointment with an appraiser by submitting a Property On-Site Review Authorization, Form AB-27.

The department staff visiting your property will always knock on your door first to let you know who they are and why they need to complete an inspection of your property. Staff will identify themselves by presenting their State of Montana identification and will provide their business card. If no one answers the door, the appraisers will leave their business card at the door and proceed with an external inspection of the property. Appraisers will not make entry into buildings, structures, or personal property without the permission of the property owner or the property owner’s agent.

The appraisers visiting your property may have either a mobile tablet device with an electronic version of your property record or a paper copy of your property record.

A property inspection consists of the appraisers completing these tasks:

• Externally measuring all structures. Appraisers will have either a laser measuring device or a traditional tape measure.
• Taking photographs of main structure and all outbuildings.
• Walking around structures, including accessing back or side yards to view the condition and characteristics of structures.
• Updating the property record with any new construction, remodeling, additions, or deletions, and making notes of property condition and construction quality.

If the appraisers are able to meet and talk to the property owner or the property owner’s agent, they will request verification of internal characteristics such as number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and the condition of home. Entry into the structure may be requested to evaluate conditions atypical to the property.

A property inspection may last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour or more depending on complexity of the property and the reason for the inspection.

Common reasons why the department staff complete property inspections:

• Property sales verification, including price paid and sale characteristics
• New construction discovery
• New building construction completion review
• New construction, as self-reported on a personal property reporting form
• Remodeling and demolition review
• New subdivisions and land surveys review
• Reappraisal property review
• Taxpayer requests for informal classification and appraisal review
• Appeal review
• Natural disaster review
• Agricultural land classification review
• Exemption application review
• Personal property audit

Please note: Anyone wanting to access your property without State of Montana identification is not from our office. To confirm the identity of our staff, please call us at (406) 444-6900 or Montana Relay at 711 for the hearing impaired.