HELENA — This week, Montana homeowners have begun filing their claims to receive a state property tax rebate, but some have had questions about how to find a key piece of information needed for the application.
As of Friday, more than 80,000 Montanans have submitted applications for a rebate. You can apply at getmyrebate.mt.gov.
Each application requires some specific information to ensure rebates only go out to Montana residents for their primary home. Much of the needed information – the address, the amount of property taxes paid in 2022 and the names and Social Security numbers of the owner and their immediate family – will be well-known. However, people might not be as familiar with their property’s geocode.
A geocode is a 17-digit number that uniquely identifies each piece of property in Montana. It begins with the two-digit county code – as seen on license plates – and goes on to encode the township, section and smaller geographic areas all the way down to the parcel level.
To find the geocode, the Montana Department of Revenue is directing applicants to the state Cadastral website. You can search for your property using either the county and the owner’s last name or the city and street address. When you click on the parcel on the Cadastral map, the geocode will be at the top of the information displayed.
However, there are also plenty of other options for finding the geocode. For example, some counties and cities offer their own online GIS mapping services where you can find your parcel and its geocode. They include:
· Yellowstone County Road and Ownership Search
· Gallatin County Planning Map
· Missoula County Property Information System
· Flathead County Interactive Mapping Application
· Cascade County Interactive GIS Map (except the city of Great Falls)
· Great Falls GIS
· Lewis and Clark County/City of Helena Interactive Map
· Ravalli County Parcels and Addresses
Additionally, counties that have online property tax systems generally include the geocode when you search for your property. That includes 14 Montana counties that allow you to search for property tax information through the iTax system.
The geocode also appears on the property reassessment notices that went out to homeowners across the state earlier this year. You can find it near the right edge of the notice, across from the address and geographical description.
Some homeowners have also been able to get their geocodes by contacting their mortgage companies.
If you find a 15-digit geocode for your property, you will need to add your county code to the beginning when filling out your application.
The deadline to submit an application for a state property tax rebate this year is Oct. 1.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to include that geocodes can also be found on property reassessment documents mailed out earlier this year.
