Montana
Buying Land in McCone County, Montana
McCone County is real eastern Montana wheat-and-cattle country along the Missouri River, bordered on the west by the vast Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and Fort Peck Lake. A joint county/Town of Circle Planning Board reviews subdivisions, but the county has no zoning ordinance in place -- it's actively developing its first one -- and even routine functions like septic permitting run through a contract sanitarian shared with Dawson County.
A joint county/town Planning Board, and a zoning ordinance still in the works
McCone County's land-use planning runs through a joint board with the Town of Circle -- the county passed a resolution in 1976 expanding its Planning Board to include Circle's representatives, and the resulting nine-member board (five county, three town, one conservation-district appointee) now administers both the McCone County Subdivision Regulations and the Town of Circle Subdivision Regulations, reviewing certificates of survey for compliance with the Montana Subdivision and Platting Act before they're filed with the Clerk and Recorder.
What the county does not yet have, per its own Land Planning page, is a zoning ordinance -- the page describes zoning regulations as something the county "is developing," language that suggests active work toward a first ordinance rather than an existing code. For land-use planning support, McCone County has contracted with an outside engineering firm (Stahly Engineering & Associates) rather than staffing an in-house planner -- another sign of how small-county planning capacity gets assembled in this part of Montana. If a zoning ordinance matters to your purchase decision, confirm current status directly with the Planning Board rather than assuming either that none exists or that one has since been adopted.
A shared sanitarian: septic and environmental health run out of Dawson County
McCone County doesn't employ its own sanitarian. Instead, records from neighboring Dawson County's Board of Commissioners show a paid, renewable services contract under which Dawson County's registered sanitarian handles McCone County's environmental-health and septic-permitting function -- one recent renewal covered a one-year term for roughly $8,800 plus mileage. This is a genuine example of the shared/contract-services pattern that keeps costs down for Montana's smallest counties, but it also means septic site evaluations and permit sign-offs depend on someone traveling in from out of county -- plan for longer lead times than you might expect in a county with a full-time, in-house sanitarian.
Property tax valuation follows a similar part-time pattern: Montana Department of Revenue staff (valuation is a state function everywhere, not a county assessor role) have held courthouse hours in Circle on a weekly basis rather than staffing a permanent local office. Confirm the current schedule before planning an in-person appraisal or classification inquiry.
Wheat country bordering the Missouri River and the CMR Refuge
McCone County's 2,594 square miles are overwhelmingly agricultural -- more than three-quarters of the county's land is classified as farmland, with wheat, corn for grain, pulse crops, and forage as the primary output, and agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting the single largest employment category among county residents. The Missouri River forms the county's entire northern boundary, and the county's western edge borders the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge -- at roughly 1.1 million acres, Montana's largest wildlife refuge -- along with Fort Peck Lake, a 250,000-acre reservoir with some 1,600 miles of shoreline.
For a buyer, this means McCone County land falls into genuinely different categories depending on location: interior dryland wheat and cattle ground with typical private-land neighbors, versus parcels near the refuge or lake edge where hunting access, road quality (the refuge itself is served mostly by gravel and dirt roads), and proximity to a huge block of federally managed land shape the property in ways an interior parcel wouldn't experience. With a total county population of well under 2,000 people, expect thin comparable-sales data regardless of which category a specific parcel falls into.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in McCone County
McCone County's Land Planning page did not list a direct phone extension separate from the Commissioners' general line, so that number is used for both the Planning Board and general land-planning contact above -- confirm with staff who to ask for. The county's sanitarian/environmental-health function is provided under contract by Dawson County's registered sanitarian rather than an in-county employee; route septic and environmental-health calls through McCone County Public Health, which will connect you.
Planning & Zoning
McCone County / Town of Circle Joint Planning Board
Subdivision review, certificates of survey, and the status of the county's in-development zoning ordinance. Routed through the McCone County Commissioners' office.
Subdivision & Land Development
McCone County Land Planning (contract engineer: Stahly Engineering & Associates)
Subdivision plat review and certificate-of-survey compliance under the Montana Subdivision and Platting Act.
Environmental Health
McCone County Public Health (sanitarian services contracted from Dawson County)
Septic permits and environmental-health questions -- served by Dawson County's registered sanitarian under a contract with McCone County rather than an in-county hire.
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
McCone County Public Health (sanitarian services contracted from Dawson County)
On-site wastewater/septic permit applications and site evaluations.
Assessor / Property Tax
Montana Department of Revenue -- McCone County (Circle Courthouse hours)
Property appraisal, classification, and assessed-value questions (Montana property valuation is a state Department of Revenue function, not a locally elected assessor). Staff have held weekly (Tuesday) hours at the courthouse rather than a full-time office -- confirm the current schedule.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
McCone County Clerk and Recorder
Recorded deeds, mortgages, certificates of survey, and plat history for a specific parcel.
GIS / Parcel Records
McCone County GIS
County parcel and mapping data.
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Get local guidanceSources
- McCone County -- Land Planning — McCone County, Montana Government (accessed 2026-09)
- McCone County -- Clerk & Recorder — McCone County, Montana Government (accessed 2026-09)
- McCone County -- Geographic Info. Systems — McCone County, Montana Government (accessed 2026-09)
- McCone County On-Site Wastewater Treatment Regulations — McCone County, Montana Government (accessed 2026-09)
- McCone County Public Health -- Contact — McCone County Public Health (accessed 2026-09)
- Dawson County Board of County Commissioners, September 2024 Minutes (sanitarian services contract with McCone County) — Dawson County, Montana Government (accessed 2026-09)
- McCone County, Montana — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
- McCone County -- Simple Left Nav (agricultural impact report) — Montana State University Extension (accessed 2026-09)
- Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge — U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09