Montana Closing Costs for Buyers: How Much You'll Pay

Transfer tax in Montana: none

Montana does not charge a tax on the transfer of real estate, which is the main reason its closing costs sit below the national picture. No real estate transfer tax. Montana's 'Realty Transfer Act' (MCA Title 15, Chapter 7, Part 3, Sections 15-7-304/305) only requires a Realty Transfer Certificate declaring the consideration paid, filed with the county clerk and recorder for property-tax assessment purposes - it is a disclosure requirement, not a tax, and imposes no charge based on price. Source

You still pay recording fees: $20 to record the deed and $20 for the mortgage at the Yellowstone County Clerk & Recorder (Billings, Montana's most populous county) - statewide statutory fee. Fee schedule

How much is title insurance in Montana?

On a $505,600 home in Montana, an owner's title policy costs about $1,483 and the lender's policy about $75 when both are issued together (the simultaneous-issue discount). The seller customarily pays for the owner's policy; the buyer pays the lender's policy. Montana uses a filed uniform rate: insurers file one rate schedule with the state, so premiums are the same from company to company and shopping only affects settlement fees. Premiums computed from WFG National Title Insurance Company - State of Montana Manual of Title Insurance Premiums, effective December 1, 2022 (filed with the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance under MCA 33-25-212).

Who pays the owner's policy: seller (customary in most Montana residential transactions; fully negotiable in the purchase contract) Source

Montana title insurers must file a complete, all-inclusive rate schedule with the state insurance commissioner, who may reject a rate that is 'excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory' (MCA 33-25-212) - each underwriter's filing then applies uniformly to that underwriter's agents statewide, so figures are close but not necessarily identical across the handful of underwriters active in Montana (Stewart, WFG, First American, Old Republic). Using WFG's filed Basic Rate Table: $505,600 rounds up to $506,000 of liability. Standard Owner's Policy premium = $180.50 flat to $15,000, + $78.75 (15,000-30,000 @ $5.25/1,000) + $100.00 (30,000-50,000 @ $5.00/1,000) + $212.50 (50,000-100,000 @ $4.25/1,000) + $478.00 (100,000-300,000 @ $2.39/1,000) + $432.60 (300,000-506,000 @ $2.10/1,000) = $1,482.35, rounded up to $1,483. If a Loan Policy is issued simultaneously with the Owner's Policy and does not exceed the Owner's Policy's liability amount, WFG charges a flat $75 for the Loan Policy instead of a second full premium; a standalone Loan Policy for the full $506,000 would otherwise cost the same $1,483 under the identical 'Acquisition, Finance & Extended Loan Policies' column. Stewart Title (the state's other major filer, per Montana Division of Insurance bulletins MT2025002 and MT2026001) revises its Montana manual periodically; that filing was not independently re-verified line-by-line in this pass.

Montana-specific buyer costs on a $505,600 home

These are the line items set by Montana law or filed rates. Lender fees, appraisal, escrow and prepaid taxes and insurance come on top and depend on your loan.

Other Montana specifics

• Per-page recording fee (not flat). Montana's statewide recording fee (MCA 7-4-2637, as amended 2025) is $20 for the first page of any standard document plus $10 for each additional page - the $20 figure above is a one-page minimum; deeds and especially deeds of trust/mortgages with riders or long legal descriptions often run several pages and cost more. A $10 surcharge applies if a document does not meet Montana's formatting standards (margins, return-address block, etc., MCA 7-4-2636). Source

How much are closing costs in Montana?

For a buyer, closing costs usually run 2% to 5% of the purchase price. On Montana's median-priced home (about $505,600), that is roughly $10,112 to $25,280, and it is separate from your down payment. The exact figure depends on your lender, your loan, and local taxes.

What closing costs include

Closing costs are a bundle of one-time fees due at settlement: lender or origination fees, an appraisal, title insurance, escrow and settlement fees, recording fees and any Montana transfer tax, plus prepaid property taxes and homeowners insurance.

Why Montana closing costs vary

The single biggest reason closing costs differ from state to state is transfer taxes, which states and sometimes counties and cities charge on the sale. Title insurance customs and whether an attorney is required at settlement also matter.

How a rebate offsets Montana closing costs

Buyer commission rebates are legal in Montana. Because a rebate can be paid as a credit at closing, it can erase a meaningful share of these costs. On a $505,600 home, a 2% rebate is about $10,112, often enough to cover much of the closing bill.

See Montana buyer rebates and how to get one →

Sources

• Montana transfer tax statute
• WFG National Title Insurance Company - State of Montana Manual of Title Insurance Premiums, effective December 1, 2022 (filed with the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance under MCA 33-25-212)
• Who pays the owner's title policy
• Yellowstone County Clerk & Recorder (Billings, Montana's most populous county) - statewide statutory fee recording fees
• Per-page recording fee (not flat)
• MCA 15-7-304 - Report of transfers -- change of ownership records
• MCA 33-25-212 - Rates filed with commissioner (title insurance)
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: buyer closing costs are typically 2% to 5% of the purchase price

Montana figures last verified against official sources on September 11, 2026.