Montana is one of a handful of states with NO real estate transfer tax or deed tax of any kind — this has been confirmed as still true for 2026. Instead of a transfer tax, Montana requires a Realty Transfer Certificate (Form RTC) to be filed with the County Clerk and Recorder alongside every deed at the time of recording. The RTC is not a tax — it's a disclosure form (sale price, parties, property description) that the Montana Department of Revenue uses for property tax assessment and income tax compliance purposes. There is no fee tied to the RTC itself beyond standard recording charges. Montana's constitution has been the subject of past ballot proposals to explicitly prohibit a property sales/transfer tax, reflecting long-standing political resistance to introducing one.
Buyers: roughly 0.8%-2% of purchase price for pure loan/lender-side closing costs (origination, appraisal, inspection, prepaids), though some sources cite up to 2%-5% when all buyer-side costs are included. Sellers: roughly 2%-6% of sale price excluding commission (title fees, recording fees ($8/page), prorated property taxes, mortgage payoff/reconveyance); once real estate agent commissions are factored in, total seller-side costs commonly run 6%-10% of sale price. There is no transfer tax component in these figures since Montana doesn't have one.
Who typically pays: Montana follows a seller-pays-more convention for title-related costs: the seller customarily selects the title company and pays for the buyer's owner's title insurance policy (and in many transactions also the lender's title policy), plus recording fees for the deed/reconveyance and prorated property taxes up to closing. The buyer typically covers their own loan-related closing costs (origination fees, appraisal, credit report, private mortgage insurance if applicable) and the recording fee for the new mortgage/deed of trust. As with most states, these are customary norms, not legal mandates — the purchase and sale contract controls and terms are negotiable between the parties.
No county- or city-level transfer tax variation exists to note, because Montana prohibits/lacks a transfer tax statewide with no local-option version (unlike states such as Washington or New York where cities/counties can layer on additional transfer taxes). The only local-level cost variation is the standard $8-per-page deed recording fee charged by County Clerk and Recorder offices (with a possible added $10 non-conforming-format fee), which is uniform in structure across counties. Separately, but not a transfer tax: starting in 2026 Montana overhauled its property TAX system (not transfer tax) — properties that don't qualify as a primary residence or long-term rental (e.g., second homes, short-term rentals) are taxed at a flat 1.9% of assessed value, while long-term residents get relief. This is an ongoing annual property tax change, unrelated to the one-time cost of transferring title, but worth distinguishing since it's frequently conflated with "transfer tax" in search results.
Facts on this page reflect research current as of 2026-07-05. Programs, rates, and laws change — confirm current figures with the relevant state agency before relying on them.