Montana · Off-grid & homestead potential
Silver Bow County scores 66/100 on the Bolthole Index, a strong county profile. Its strengths are a stronger property-autonomy legal backdrop and manageable long-term carry cost.
Found land here? Start a Property Hunt →County locator
Evidence strength: 98%. This reports direct-source completeness and fallback use; it is separate from the score and is not a confidence interval. How it works →
Scout Silver Bow County
Camp here before you commitBook a few nights nearby on Hipcamp →Already own land here?Earn money hosting campers — get $100 when you become a Hipcamp host →Some links are affiliate or referral links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you.
Property hunt
Search live inventory elsewhere, then cost and vet each candidate here. No copied listings, account, or paid data feed.
Each button opens a current land search for Silver Bow County. Listing sites control their own results and filters.
Use rough quotes or placeholders. Blank fields count as $0.
Working estimate
A planning estimate, not a valuation or contractor quote. The USDA benchmark includes farm land and buildings; it is context, not a parcel comp.
Before an offer
Saved properties and checklist progress stay on this device. Bolthole Index does not receive them.
What it takes to build here — permits, zoning, and septic — scouted from Silver Bow County’s own official sources.
The consolidated City and County of Butte-Silver Bow operates a Building Code Department that adopts and enforces the International Residential Code and issues residential building permits countywide.
Butte-Silver Bow Building & Code Enforcement ↗Zoning requirements are set out in Butte-Silver Bow Municipal Code Title 17, administered by the City-County Planning Department and Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Butte-Silver Bow Zoning ↗The Butte-Silver Bow Environmental Health Division regulates and permits all onsite wastewater (septic) systems under BSB Wastewater Regulations and DEQ Circular 4.
Butte-Silver Bow Septic Permits and Information ↗Not published on an official source — confirm with the county.
Not published on an official source — confirm with the county.
Not published on an official source — confirm with the county.
Not published on an official source — confirm with the county.
Not published on an official source — confirm with the county.
Not published on an official source — confirm with the county.
Always confirm current rules with Butte-Silver Bow Building & Code Enforcement before you buy or build. Scouted Jul 2026 from official county sources.
Whether a new home can legally get its own water here — the sub-state groundwater regime, from Montana’s water agency.
This basin is under active state management — new water use is scrutinized, though a domestic well is usually still allowed.
Montana's exempt-well exception (85-2-306 MCA) was tightened after Upper Missouri Waterkeeper v. DNRC (2024), and from Jan 1, 2026 appropriators must file a Notice of Intent with DNRC before putting exempt groundwater to use.
Limit: 35 gpm or less AND ≤10 acre-ft/yr; a combined appropriation exceeding 10 acre-ft needs a permit regardless of flow rate
Montana DNRC — Water Rights Permit Exceptions (Exempt Wells) ↗~8.5 sq mi in/around Butte (Superfund/mining contamination); all new wells require a permit and water-quality controls.
Montana DNRC — Basin Closures and Controlled Ground Water Areas ↗Contamination-driven CGWA west of Butte; new wells require a permit with monitoring provisions.
Montana DNRC — Basin Closures and Controlled Ground Water Areas ↗Contamination-driven CGWA (Missoula Gulch); new wells require a permit and are restricted.
Montana DNRC — Basin Closures and Controlled Ground Water Areas ↗Prior-appropriation state (first in time, first in right). Groundwater rules change and basin boundaries follow the aquifer, not the county line — confirm current well and appropriation rules with the Montana state water agency before you buy or drill.Groundwater governance as of Jul 2026, cited to each administering agency.
Silver Bow County scores 66/100 on the Bolthole Index, a strong county profile. Its strengths: a stronger property-autonomy legal backdrop and manageable long-term carry cost.
Silver Bow County generally requires a residential building permit, and it enforces county zoning. Onsite septic is permitted by Butte-Silver Bow Environmental Health Division. Rules change and cities within the county differ — always confirm with the county before you buy or build.
Land in Silver Bow County runs about $2,572 per acre, based on the latest county data.
Silver Bow County gets about 18.1" of rain a year, with severe drought in roughly 17.2% of years. On water rights, Silver Bow County lies in the Butte Alluvial & Bedrock Controlled Groundwater Area — ~8.5 sq mi in/around Butte (Superfund/mining contamination); all new wells require a permit and water-quality controls..
A representative private-land location has about 25,145 people within a 30-minute drive and 317,087 within two hours. The road-network catchments count population across county lines and clusters of smaller cities; straight-line radius values remain available as a comparison.
Off-grid gear
Going off-grid in Silver Bow County means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:
These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you.
