Livestock Feedlots in Custer County, MT: Rules & Permits

Custer County isn't a hypothetical feedlot market -- it already has multiple real, state-permitted concentrated animal feeding operations near Miles City and Kinsey. A landowner considering a feedlot here needs to understand two separate layers: the state's water-quality permit process and the county's own Agricultural District zoning treatment.

This page covers what's specific to Custer County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

Real, named feedlots already operating under DEQ permits

Custer County already has real precedent for feedlot operations, not just zoning language on paper. Montana DEQ's public-notice records show several active concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the county under the state's MPDES CAFO General Permit (MTG010000), including Solaris Feedlot (a medium beef cattle open-air feedlot operated by Solaris Feeders LLC, permit MTG010251, discharging to the Hall Reservoir watershed), Diamond K Feedlot near Kinsey (operated by Diamond K Feeds and Feeding, Inc., permit MTG010268), Two SW Ranches' "The Feedyard - South Lot" also near Kinsey (permit MTG010276), and Miles City Livestock Commission on the I-94 Business Loop in Miles City (permit MTG010177). This is a real, active local industry with a track record of permits actually being issued -- worth knowing whether you're evaluating land to start a feedlot yourself or buying a neighboring parcel and want to understand what's already operating nearby.

Because these are public DEQ permit actions, the underlying facility applications, nutrient management plans, and any public comment history are matters of public record. If you're evaluating a specific feedlot operation, or land near one, DEQ's Water Protection Bureau public-notice pages and permit files are the primary source for a given facility's approved animal capacity, waste-management plan, and discharge conditions -- don't rely on a listing's description of an existing or planned feedlot's scale.

The state layer: Montana's CAFO General Permit process

Any concentrated animal feeding operation in Montana above the size thresholds that trigger CAFO status needs coverage under DEQ's MPDES CAFO General Permit (MTG010000), which regulates manure, litter, and process wastewater to protect water quality. In practice this means submitting a Notice of Intent and a Nutrient Management Plan (NOI-NMP) to DEQ's Water Protection Bureau, which then runs a public comment period (commonly around 30 days) before issuing or renewing coverage -- the same process the Solaris, Diamond K, and Two SW Ranches permits above went through. This is a state water-quality permit, separate from and in addition to any county land-use approval; getting one doesn't substitute for the other.

If you're planning a new feedlot or buying an existing one, confirm current permit status, animal-unit capacity, and any compliance history directly with DEQ's Water Protection Bureau before assuming an existing operation's DEQ coverage transfers automatically with a change of ownership -- permit transfers and renewals have their own requirements, and an operation's approved capacity is tied to its specific nutrient management plan, not just its physical footprint.

The county layer: an Agricultural District that allows ranching by right -- but confirm a feedlot's specific treatment

Custer County's Zoning Regulations (Resolution #2016-31) list farming and ranching as a by-right use in every zoning district, alongside one residential dwelling and accessory buildings -- everything else generally requires a Special Use Permit or Planned Unit Development review. Available county zoning documentation for this review confirmed the by-right status of general farming and ranching and a baseline structure setback (fifty feet from property lines on parcels of three acres or more, twenty-five feet on smaller parcels), but did not spell out whether a large-scale confined feeding operation is treated as ordinary "ranching" for zoning purposes or as a separate use requiring its own Special Use Permit given its water-quality, odor, and traffic profile.

That's a real, practical gap to close before committing to a feedlot project or purchase here: ask Custer County's Land Use Department directly whether a proposed or existing confined feeding operation of a given scale needs a Special Use Permit on top of its DEQ CAFO coverage, and whether the county's setback standards or any supplemental conditions apply to feedlot structures and waste-storage facilities specifically. Since the county's Land Use and Environmental Health functions share one office, that single call can also confirm what, if anything, the county itself reviews beyond the state DEQ permit.

Livestock Feedlots in Custer County, Montana

Real, named feedlots already operating under DEQ permits

The state layer: Montana's CAFO General Permit process

The county layer: an Agricultural District that allows ranching by right -- but confirm a feedlot's specific treatment

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