Montana wildfire risk
Montana carries meaningful wildfire hazard without the acute insurance-availability crisis of the western states. This page covers current fire activity, how the state ranks nationally, and where hazard actually concentrates.
Active fires in Montana
Montana's recorded fire history
Federal perimeter records list 2,173 mapped wildfires in Montana since 2000. The largest on that record is the Lodgepole Complex Fire of 2017, which burned 271,421 acres.
| Fire | Year | Area burned |
|---|---|---|
| Lodgepole Complex Fire | 2017 | 271,421 acres |
| Ash Creek Fire | 2012 | 249,713 acres |
| Derby Fire | 2006 | 207,430 acres |
| Rice Ridge Fire | 2017 | 160,002 acres |
Recorded history feeds directly into your address score: our model counts mapped burns within 25 miles of a parcel, weighted toward large ones. It is worth knowing the limitation, though — a long record of successful suppression can leave an area reading quiet while fuel accumulates, which is precisely the condition that produces the next large fire.
Where hazard concentrates in Montana
Wildfire hazard is not spread evenly across a state. These are the 5 counties in Montana with the highest wildfire risk scores in FEMA's National Risk Index, with the building value each has sitting in exposed areas.
| County | Hazard score | Building exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Ravalli County | 98.9 | $4.6B |
| Lincoln County | 96.6 | $2.1B |
| Missoula County | 95.8 | $3.2B |
| Flathead County | 95.5 | $4.7B |
| Rosebud County | 95.0 | $594M |
Ravalli County carries the highest score in the state at 98.9. If your address is there, or in any of the counties above, the statewide average understates your situation considerably — which is the reason to check the parcel rather than the state.
How Montana ranks nationally
FEMA's National Risk Index scores every US county for expected annual wildfire loss. Across Montana's 56 assessed counties the average wildfire hazard score is 75.0, which places the state 12th of the 50 states. The most exposed county in Montana scores 98.9.
Against a 50-state average of 52.7, Montana sits 22.3 points above it. Rank 12 of 50. The National Risk Index blends how often wildfire is expected with how much is standing in the way, so a state can post a moderate score with severe local hazard wherever development has pushed into the wildland-urban interface.
Roughly $60.1B of building value sits inside Montana's wildfire-exposed areas. That figure is what drives carrier behaviour: insurers manage concentration of exposure, so a state can have modest average hazard and still see availability problems wherever that value clusters in the wildland-urban interface.
Montana wildfire season
Montana's fire season typically runs from late spring through to the first autumn precipitation, peaking in July and August. Snowpack and spring moisture set the tone for the year — a dry winter usually means an early and long season.
Insurance in Montana
Montana does not operate a FAIR Plan in the way the western fire states do, which in practice means the surplus lines market is the fallback for a parcel the admitted market declines. An independent broker is more useful here than a captive agent, because only they can access those carriers.
Residual-market availability and the rules governing it change. Confirm the current position with the Montana Department of Insurance before you rely on it.
Whatever the market looks like in your area, the sequence is the same: document mitigation before your renewal date, work with an independent broker who can access surplus lines, and ask directly whether the carrier credits wildfire mitigation. The full fire insurance guide covers non-renewal, FAIR Plans and difference-in-conditions wraps in detail.
Lowering your risk in Montana
The two changes with the best return anywhere in the country are clearing the first five feet around the structure to non-combustible material, and screening vents against ember entry. Both are cheap, both address the mechanism that destroys most homes, and both are visible to an underwriter if you photograph and invoice them. What qualifies and how to document it.