Insurance
Rules that make insurers count mitigation, and the certification many of them recognize.
Insurance ruleIn effectReady to proceed
Right to see your wildfire risk score (MCA 33-16-117)
Montana. Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance
Admitted insurers that use a wildfire risk score in rating homes must, on request from the insured, their agent, or an applicant, provide the score and what drove it.
Within 30 days of a request: your current score, the possible score range, who made the model, the date of the score, and the key factors that hurt it.
Ready to proceed. It applies to insurers in your state. Keep the record of the work.
Details and how to use it
- Details
- Does not require mitigation discounts or an appeal process and names no projects; useful for finding which property features to fix. Non-admitted insurers are excluded.
- How
- Ask your insurer or agent in writing for your wildfire risk score and the key factors; the insurer has 30 days to respond. Use the factors to plan work, then send documentation and ask for re-rating.
- We prepare
- Request for a mitigation review and Mitigation record
Insurance ruleIn effectReady to proceed
Insurer mitigation discounts allowed (HB 136, 2025)
Montana. Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance
Montana's 2025 HB 136 lets insurers offer benefits or premium reductions for fire, wind, and hail mitigation without breaking the anti-rebate law, and requires insurers to tell policyholders in writing. Discounts are optional, not required.
Possible premium reduction if your insurer chooses to offer one.
Ready to proceed. It applies to insurers in your state. Keep the record of the work.
Details and how to use it
- Details
- Voluntary for insurers; the summary reviewed names no specific projects. A 2025 to 2026 interim study (HJ 61) is looking at mandatory approaches used in other states.
- How
- Ask your insurer whether it offers a wildfire mitigation discount and what proof it needs, then send your mitigation record.
- We prepare
- Mitigation record and Request for a mitigation review
CertificationOpenReady to proceed
Wildfire Prepared Home
Nationwide. Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
A certification from the insurance industry’s research institute that a house meets its wildfire standard. An evaluator visits and documents the work, and many insurers in the states where it’s offered recognize it.
Discounts vary by insurer and state and aren’t guaranteed. A designation lasts 3 years, with a yearly photo review to keep it active.
Ready to proceed. It applies to insurers in your state. Keep the record of the work.
- Work it may recognize
- Vents, gutters and gutter guards, and the first 5 ft around the house
- You’ll need
- A fee and a yearly review
Details and how to use it
- Details
- Essential, the ember level, also asks for a Class A roof and 6 in of noncombustible wall base. Enhanced adds gutter guards, enclosed eaves, tempered windows, and noncombustible siding and decks. Garage doors aren’t named.
- How
- Do the work with the How-To Prepare checklist, then apply online with photos of every side of the house and the 0 to 5 ft zone. An evaluator visits; if something falls short, you have 60 days to fix it and send photos.
- We prepare
- Certification checklist and Mitigation record
Grants, rebates, and tax breaks
Money back for work on your house. Read what each one needs before you buy.
Cost shareOpenApply before buying
Wildfire Ready Missoula County cost-share program
Missoula County. Missoula County Office of Emergency Management with United Way of Missoula County (USDA grant)
The county pays most of the cost of contractor defensible space and access-route vegetation work for eligible homeowners after a free home assessment.
75 percent of eligible costs, up to $1,900 per acre, paid directly to the contractor after inspection.
Apply before buying. It wants an assessment and approval before you buy parts or start work.
- Work it may recognize
- The first 5 ft around the house
- You’ll need
- An assessment before the work
Details and how to claim
- Details
- Defensible space around the home and outbuildings and driveway vegetation; home hardening is not mentioned. Tree removal needing ropes or lifts, stump work, and prescribed burning are excluded. You must hire a contractor from the county list; your own labor is not reimbursed. 2026 funding level not stated.
- How
- Request a free home assessment, get estimates from approved contractors, and sign the treatment plan and contracts before work starts. Finish within one year, including disposal.
- We prepare
- Grant or rebate packet
Cost shareOpenApply before buying
BLM fuels mitigation cost share through conservation districts
Montana. Bureau of Land Management with local conservation districts
BLM-funded cost share for clearing dense vegetation where homes meet forest, offered through conservation districts; a forester visits and gives a free estimate.
BLM covers about 75 percent of mitigation costs and the landowner pays about 25 percent (April 2026 report).
Apply before buying. It wants an assessment before you buy parts or start work.
- You’ll need
- An assessment before the work
Details and how to claim
- Details
- Vegetation clearing by contractors or hand crews in the wildland-urban interface; home hardening is not mentioned. Availability varies by conservation district.
- How
- Call your local conservation district; applications are taken year-round and a forester visits for a free estimate.
- We prepare
- Grant or rebate packet
Free help
Assessments and services you don’t pay for.
Free assessmentIn effect
Missoula County free wildfire home assessment
Missoula County. Missoula County Office of Emergency Management
A county wildfire mitigation specialist visits at no cost, writes a customized treatment plan, and checks eligibility for the cost-share program.
Free on-site assessment and treatment plan.
- Covers
- The first 5 ft around the house
- You’ll need
- A home inside the program’s boundary
Details and how to use it
- Details
- Focused on defensible space treatment; home hardening content not described on the page.
- How
- Submit the home assessment request form or call the Wildfire Program at 406-880-8090.
- We prepare
- Mitigation record
Neighborhood programOpen
Firewise USA
Nationwide. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
A neighborhood program. Residents form a small board, get a risk assessment, write an action plan, and log the work they do each year to stay recognized. Some state insurance rules and some insurers count a recognized neighborhood.
Details and how to use it
- Details
- Community work: clearing, chipping days, and education. Your own retrofit work counts toward the neighborhood’s yearly total.
- How
- Look up recognized sites near you, or start one with your neighbors through NFPA’s Firewise USA portal. Your state forestry agency usually helps with the assessment.
In progress in Montana
HB 533 (2025, Ch. 485) created MCA 33-16-117, wildfire risk score disclosure on request. HB 136 (2025) lets insurers offer premium reductions for fire, wind, and hail mitigation without violating the anti-rebate law and requires written notice to policyholders; it does not require discounts. HJ 61 (2025) interim study of hazard mitigation insurance discounts is before the Economic Affairs Interim Committee (background paper March 10, 2026); bills may follow in the 2027 session.
General information, not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Rules and funding change, so open the official page before you apply or buy for a program.