Updated September 4, 2026. Quick answer: Montana set its homestead value limit at $350,000 for 2021 and requires the Department of Revenue to raise it 4% every calendar year after that, so the operative figure keeps climbing without a new law. Compounding 4% annually from 2021 puts the 2026 figure at roughly $426,000, a computed estimate from the statute’s own formula, not a number independently confirmed against the department’s adopted rule, so confirm the exact current-year figure before relying on it.
This is protection against an ordinary money judgment creditor under Mont. Code Ann. §§ 70-32-101 to 70-32-106, 70-32-201 to 70-32-216, a different question from a property tax bill or exemption, which this page does not cover.
How it works in Montana
- A filed declaration is required. Montana requires an owner to execute, acknowledge, and record a declaration of homestead before the exemption applies; unlike most states in this family, it is not automatic.
- Married couples and joint owners: For a married claimant, the homestead may be selected from either spouse’s property; a mortgage on the homestead is only enforceable against the exemption if both spouses (or the unmarried claimant) signed and acknowledged it.
If you sell the home
Proceeds from a sale, condemnation, or insured loss stay protected for 18 months, traced on a first-in-first-out or similarly reasonable basis.
What it does not protect against
Construction or vendor’s liens on the property, mortgages signed and acknowledged by both spouses (or the unmarried claimant), and mortgages recorded before the homestead declaration was filed.
Read it yourself
Verbatim from Mont. Code Ann. §§ 70-32-101 to 70-32-106, 70-32-201 to 70-32-216: “In 2021, the homestead value limit is $350,000… The homestead value limit must increase by 4% every calendar year after 2021.” Read the full official text before relying on any figure here. Exemption law is fact-specific, and this is a source-backed planning guide, not individualized legal advice.