Property Tax Appeals · Montana
Appeal your property taxes
in Montana.
Montana is unusual: a state agency — the Department of Revenue — appraises all property, not county assessors. In reappraisal years (residential runs on a two-year cycle) the DOR mails a classification and appraisal notice, and your first move is Form AB-26, a request for informal review, within 30 days. If the DOR’s answer doesn’t match the market, you appeal to your county tax appeal board, a local citizen panel, and from there to the Montana Tax Appeal Board. The DOR values by mass-appraisal model; the counterweight the boards respect is a property-specific licensed appraisal with comparable sales as of the valuation date.
You have 30 days from the date on your classification and appraisal notice to request the Department of Revenue’s informal review (Form AB-26) — notices go out in reappraisal years.
If taxes come due mid-appeal, pay under protest — it preserves your refund. Land and improvements are valued separately on the notice; check which one drove the jump before you argue.
The evidence
Boards act on value,
not frustration.
However Montana labels the process, the case underneath is identical: show what your home was actually worth on the assessment date. A licensed, USPAP-compliant appraisal — comparable sales, documented adjustments, a signed opinion of value — is that showing. Start with the $5 check to see if the numbers are on your side before you spend real money.
- Valued as of your assessment date — not today
- Comparable sales with adjustments and citations
- Signed by a state-licensed MT appraiser
- Phone walkthrough — no stranger in your home
- Delivered in 48–72 hours, rush available
Montana counties
Montana questions
The Montana Department of Revenue — a state office, not your county. That’s why appeals start with a DOR informal review (Form AB-26) before any county board gets involved.
Appeal to your county tax appeal board within the window stated on the determination, then to the Montana Tax Appeal Board if needed. These are independent panels weighing market evidence — mass-appraisal output versus your appraiser’s documented comps.
We’re not an AVM, a computer model, or a real-estate agent estimate. Every report is prepared under the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) and signed by a licensed appraiser in your state — the same qualification required for mortgage appraisals.