LET MONTANA BUILD

Montanans can't afford rising home prices.

Montana families are being priced out of the communities they call home. Regulatory delay, legal uncertainty, and unchecked government discretion are driving up the cost of housing.
LET MONTANA BUILD

MONTANA HOUSING STATS

$500K+

Montana Median Home Price (2025)

30K

Housing Units needed in Montana

~60%+

Home Price Increase 2020 - 2024

$130K

Income Needed to Qualify

$75K

Max Cost of One Formal Water Right

~18K

Montanans employed by our members

MONTANA HOUSING CRISIS

The gap between what Montana families earn and what homes cost has never been wider, and regulatory delay widens it every year.

Montana's median home price has exceeded $500,000, up roughly 60% since 2020. In Bozeman, the median surpasses $700,000. A household must now earn $130,000+ a year to qualify for a median-priced home, while the state's median household income is about $65,000.

WHAT IT COSTS TO BUILD A HOME

Construction is now a record 64.4% of a new home’s final price. Per NAHB’s 2024 survey, the average single-family home costs $392,241 to build before land, with government fees in every line.

FRAMING & TRUSSES

EXCAVATION AND FOUNDATION

ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, & HVAC

EXTERIOR, ROOFING, WINDOWS, & DOORS

INTERIOR FINISHES, CABINETS, etc.

GOV. PERMITS, FEES, & INSPECTIONS

AVG. CONSTRUCTION COST

$72,310

$39,731

$68,442

$44,400

$43,978

$19,300

$392,241

Every year, a project sits in limbo, and the losses compound

Land carrying costs at 7–9% rates: a $2M acquisition costs $140,000–$180,000/year in interest before a single foundation is poured.
Each year of delay adds an estimated 5–10% to final home prices as costs are passed to buyers.
A stalled 100-unit project defers $200,000–$500,000 in annual municipal tax revenue.
300+ direct and indirect construction jobs lost or delayed per 100 units (NAHB).
$30–$50 million in downstream economic activity — materials, trades, retail, services — deferred or lost.
Statewide, with thousands of units in regulatory limbo, cumulative annual losses reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

Montana League of Cities & Towns v. DNRC. As a court-recognized party, MontanaBIA now has standing to file briefs, present arguments, and pursue appeals on behalf of Montana's building industry. Your support directly funds that legal fight.

The Case.

Exempt Well Lawsuit

Montana League of Cities & Towns v. Montana DNRC challenges whether the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation can unilaterally impose new administrative conditions on existing, vested water rights — the rights towns, utilities, and developers rely on to approve and finance new construction.

Montana follows the Prior Appropriation doctrine: water rights are private property, established by first use, and protected by law. DNRC's expanding demands now threaten to nullify that principle without due process or compensation.

MontanaBIA intervened because this is not an abstract municipal dispute — it directly determines whether our members can get subdivision plat approval, pull permits, and build homes.

No water certainty = no development.

A ruling against DNRC gives every western agency a roadmap to impose new conditions on vested rights. Construction lenders are already freezing draws on projects where water adequacy is uncertain.

Every year of delay adds 5–10% to final home prices and defers $30–$50M in downstream economic activity per stalled 100-unit project.

A MESSAGE TO ELECTED OFFICIALS & CANDIDATES

"Every Montana family priced out of homeownership is a policy failure. Supporting our cause means supporting affordable housing, workforce retention, and economic growth for every Montana community."