Finding a cemetery in Montana usually means dealing with a small local office, not a state agency. Most grounds belong to a city, a county cemetery district, a nonprofit association, a church, or a private company. Each one sets its own rules for plots, burials and headstones. This page lists 56 cemetery offices across the state, from Holy Cross in Billings to Roanwood Cemetery in Opheim. Montana covers more than 147,000 square miles and has about 1.1 million residents. The nearest office may be a few blocks away or an hour down a two-lane highway. The sections below explain who runs what and how to get a burial or a records request moving.

Who Runs Cemeteries in Montana: Cities, Districts and Associations

Montana has no single agency that operates cemeteries. Several layers share the work instead. State law lets families form nonprofit cemetery associations, and it lets counties create cemetery districts that fund upkeep through a local levy. Both models are common here, especially outside the big cities.

The Hill County listing simply called Cemetery District, at 4040 9th Street West in Havre (406-265-9311), shows how a district office can handle plot sales and records for a whole area. Larger grounds such as Missoula Cemetery, at 2000 Cemetery Road (406-552-6070), keep their own office and phone line for plot questions. Names like Holy Cross and Saint Anthony usually point to church-affiliated grounds, so the parish or diocese may hold the older records.

The state does get involved at the edges. The Montana Board of Funeral Service, part of the Department of Labor and Industry, licenses funeral directors and funeral homes. The Department of Public Health and Human Services keeps vital records in Helena, and a death certificate is needed before a burial can go ahead. A permit for disposition is also typically required, and the funeral home normally handles it for you. If you are arranging a burial without a funeral home, ask the county health office which paperwork applies.

Veterans have a separate path. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs runs Fort Harrison National Cemetery near Helena and Yellowstone National Cemetery near Laurel, close to Billings. Custer National Cemetery sits beside the Little Bighorn battlefield near Crow Agency. Eligible veterans receive a gravesite, opening and closing, and a government marker at no charge. Montana also operates state veterans cemeteries, and the Department of Military Affairs can point you to them. Check eligibility first, because a call to the VA National Cemetery Scheduling Office or a funeral director can save days.

Cemetery Offices in Billings, Helena, Butte and Great Falls

Montana's biggest cities hold the densest clusters of cemetery offices. Billings leads with eight listings in Yellowstone County. Holy Cross Cemetery, at 1601 Mullowney Lane (406-839-8387), is one of them. Billings is the state's largest city, so expect busier schedules and more formal paperwork than in a small town.

Helena, the state capital, has six listings in Lewis and Clark County. Helena Sunset Memorial Cemetery sits at 1080 John G Mine Road (406-458-5732). Families with a veteran in the household also have Fort Harrison National Cemetery close by.

Butte's five listings fall in Silver Bow County. Butte Mountain View Cemetery, at 3910 Harrison Avenue (406-494-2504), serves a city whose mining past left a crowded landscape of older graveyards. If you are tracing an ancestor who worked the mines, call before you drive. Older sections may have incomplete or handwritten records.

Great Falls has four listings in Cascade County. Mount Olivet Cemetery is at 2101 26th Street South (406-453-8251). Two smaller cities show what mid-size service looks like. Anaconda Mount Carmel Cemetery, on West 7th Street (406-563-4071), is in Deer Lodge County. Livingston Park View Memorial Gardens Cemetery, at 519 West Park Street (406-222-5373), is in Park County.

Farther west and north, Conrad Memorial Cemetery at 641 Conrad Drive in Kalispell (406-257-5303) serves Flathead County. Central Montana Memorial Gardens Cemetery at 809 6th Avenue South in Lewistown (406-535-7345) serves Fergus County. Both are good examples of regional hubs that draw families from surrounding small towns.

Rural and Reservation Cemeteries in Eastern and Northern Montana

Outside the cities, a cemetery office may be a part-time caretaker, a volunteer board, or a county employee with other duties. Dawson County Cemetery in Glendive (808 North Merrill Avenue, 406-377-7792) and Glasgow Highland Cemetery in Valley County (406-228-2476) each serve wide, thinly populated areas. So do Roanwood Cemetery in Opheim (406-724-3242) and Plevna Saint Anthony Cemetery in Fallon County (406-778-2297). Phones may ring at a private home, so leave a clear message with your name, your number and the name of the person you are asking about.

Several listings sit inside reservation boundaries. Willow Creek Cemetery in Browning (406-338-2582) is in Glacier County, home to the Blackfeet Reservation. Poplar Cemetery in Poplar (406-768-3483) is in Roosevelt County, on the Fort Peck Reservation. Polson Lake View Cemetery (406-883-4777) and Ronan Cemetery Association (406-676-8650) are in Lake County, part of the Flathead Reservation. Tribal governments may have their own rules for burial on tribal land. Ask who owns the specific ground before you buy or schedule anything.

The western valleys and the Gallatin area have their own small grounds. Hamilton Riverview Cemetery (406-363-1519) serves Ravalli County, and Madison Valley Cemetery in Ennis (406-682-6862) serves the Madison Valley. Belgrade Morgan Cemetery (406-388-4528) is in Gallatin County. So is At Home On The Range Pet Cemetery in Manhattan (406-282-7378), which by its name serves animals rather than people.

What to Have Ready Before You Contact a Montana Cemetery Office

A few details save repeat calls. Most offices ask for the same things:

Ask directly about the opening and closing fee, whether an outer burial container or vault is required, and what perpetual care covers. Fees are set locally and vary widely, so get them in writing.

Winter matters in Montana. Frozen ground and snow can slow grave opening from late fall into spring, and some offices schedule around the weather. If a service falls near a holiday or a cold snap, call earlier than you think you need to.

Weekday office hours are common, but many small cemeteries have no one on site at weekends. Visit in daylight, and stay on marked paths in older sections where stones can be unstable.

Government cemeteries in Montana include facilities administered by the VA's National Cemetery Administration, state veterans cemeteries funded through state and federal partnerships, and local municipal and county cemeteries operated by city and county governments throughout the state.

Cemetery locations are available in 26 cities across Montana. They are spread across 22 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Billings, Helena, Butte, where established municipal cemeteries have served their communities for generations and maintain extensive historical burial records.

Veterans in Montana may be eligible for burial in a state veterans cemetery at little or no cost. Contact the Montana Department of Veterans Affairs or Veterans Services to confirm eligibility requirements and available state-operated facilities.

Cemetery by Counties

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Families and genealogists in Montana can often request burial records from municipal cemetery offices or search online databases maintained by state archives and historical societies. Many Montana counties have digitized older cemetery records that are available through county clerk or public library genealogy collections.

Browse Cemetery by county across Montana to find the nearest location.

Montana Cemetery Records, Genealogy and Local Rules

Montana's cemetery records are scattered, which surprises many families. A city or district office may hold the burial register for its own grounds, while older church cemeteries keep books at the parish. County clerks and recorders hold land deeds. The Montana Historical Society Research Center in Helena holds archives and local history collections that help when a cemetery has no staff. Local genealogy groups and county museums often hold headstone transcriptions as well.

Local practice differs even within one county. In Glacier County, Willow Creek Cemetery in Browning and Cut Bank Crown Hill Cemetery (107 Montana 213, 406-873-2109) have separate offices and phone lines. Confirm which one holds the space you need. In Valley County, Glasgow Highland Cemetery and Opheim's Roanwood Cemetery are many miles apart, which affects how fast a caretaker can meet you at the site. Verify hours by phone before you travel with a grieving family.

Montana Cemetery Questions Answered

Montana does not have one agency that oversees every cemetery. Cities, cemetery districts, nonprofit associations, churches and private owners each run their own grounds under state law and their own bylaws. At the state level, the Montana Board of Funeral Service, within the Department of Labor and Industry, licenses funeral directors and funeral homes. The Department of Public Health and Human Services handles death certificates through its vital records office in Helena. For questions about a specific plot, fee or maintenance issue, start with the cemetery's own board or, for a district, the county commissioners who often appoint its trustees.

Montana has no blanket ban on burial on private land, but you cannot simply start digging. County zoning, local health rules, and the distance from wells or streams can all limit a family burial site. Start with the county planning office and the county health department, then ask the sheriff or coroner what must be reported. Record the grave location in the property deed so later owners know it exists. A death certificate and a permit for disposition are still needed, and a funeral director can advise you even if the family plans to lead the burial.

Start with the town where the person died, then call the cemetery office listed there. Offices in Billings, Helena, Butte, Great Falls, Missoula and Havre may keep burial registers and plot maps, though older sections can have gaps. If nobody answers, try the county clerk, the local historical museum, and the Montana Historical Society Research Center in Helena. Local newspaper obituaries help pin down the burial date. Have the full name, approximate dates and any known church or fraternal lodge ready, since those groups often ran their own burial grounds.

Eligible veterans can be buried in a VA national cemetery with no charge for the gravesite, the opening and closing, or a government headstone or marker. Montana's national cemeteries include Fort Harrison near Helena, Yellowstone National Cemetery near Laurel, and Custer National Cemetery near Crow Agency. Spouses and certain dependents may also qualify. Eligibility depends on service and discharge status, so gather the DD-214 and call the VA National Cemetery Scheduling Office, or ask a funeral director to start the request. A private cemetery still charges its normal fees, though a free marker may be available.

Yes, though they are rare. At Home On The Range Pet Cemetery, at 8400 Amsterdam Road in Manhattan (406-282-7378), is the one in our listings, and it is in Gallatin County. Most human cemeteries do not accept animal remains, although a few allow a pet's ashes in a family plot. Call to ask about plot sizes, cremation options, memorial markers, and whether you can transfer a plot later. If you want to bury a pet on your own land, check county rules on distance from water, roads and neighbors first.

Frozen ground and heavy snow are routine problems across much of the state. Some cemeteries can open a grave in winter with thawing equipment or heavy machinery. Others hold remains at a funeral home or in a receiving vault until spring. Ask each cemetery what it does, because policies differ and winter openings can cost more. Families often hold a memorial service right away and schedule the graveside committal for later. Cremated remains are easier to inter in cold months, although snow can still limit access to some rural grounds.

Stop work and do not disturb the site. Montana law protects unmarked human burial sites, so report the find to local law enforcement or the county coroner. They can judge whether the remains are recent or historic. Historic or Native American burials may then involve the State Historic Preservation Office in Helena and tribal governments. If you planned construction or digging, pause the project until officials confirm the next steps. Photographing the area without moving anything helps them assess it.