How Utilities Are Organized Across Montana

Montana covers more than 147,000 square miles and is home to roughly 1.1 million people, so no single company serves the whole state. Electricity, natural gas, water and sewer come from a patchwork of investor-owned companies, member-owned cooperatives, city departments and special districts. The office you deal with depends on where your address sits, not on a statewide system.

The 88 listings in our database cover 57 cities and 38 counties. That spread shows how local the work is. Small towns such as Chinook, Conrad and Chester each keep their own counter, while Billings and Great Falls have several. This page explains who runs what, so you can reach the right office before you drive across a county line.

The Public Service Commission and Investor-Owned Utilities

The Montana Public Service Commission, based in Helena, regulates the rates and service of investor-owned utilities. Five commissioners, elected from districts, hear rate cases and set rules on billing, deposits and disconnection notices. A separate state office, the Office of Consumer Counsel, represents customers in those proceedings.

The largest name is NorthWestern Energy, which supplies electricity and natural gas across much of the state. Our listings show its customer offices at 405 South 20th Street West in Billings (406-655-2543), 400 Oxford Street in Butte (406-497-2660) and 313 Indiana Street in Chinook (406-357-2179). The Butte entry is spelled North Western Energy, so try both spellings when you search.

In Great Falls, Energy West at 1 1st Avenue South (406-791-7500) is the local natural gas provider. In the east, Montana-Dakota Utilities serves communities such as Glendive and Sidney. Because the commission regulates these companies, you have a place to take a complaint if a billing dispute stalls.

Go to the company first. Write down the date, the name of the person you spoke with and what was promised. The commission expects you to have tried the utility before it steps in, and a paper trail speeds things up.

Electric Cooperatives, Water Districts and City Departments

Outside the larger towns, many Montanans buy power from a cooperative. Co-ops are owned by their customers and run by a board those members elect, so the annual meeting is where you have a vote. Our listings include Sun River Electric Co-Op in Conrad, Hill County Electric Cooperative in Havre and Big Horn County Electric Cooperative in Hardin. Tongue River Electric Cooperative appears twice, with offices in Ashland and Broadus.

Water and sewer service is even more local. Cities run their own departments, such as the Anaconda Water Department at 50 Main Street, the City of Glendive Water Department at 300 South Merrill Avenue and the Chester Water Department at 22 West Madison Avenue. Livingston Public Works and Utilities, at 330 Bennett Street, handles several services from one office.

Many Montana towns bundle water, sewer and trash on one municipal bill, so a single office may handle three services. Ask what the deposit is and when disconnection notices go out.

Unincorporated areas often depend on special districts. County commissioners can create water and sewer districts, and each one has its own board and rate schedule. Examples in our database include the Absarokee Water & Sewer District, the Bigfork Water & Sewer District, the Lockwood Water & Sewer District near Billings and the Black Eagle Cascade County Water District. District boards meet in public, and their agendas are open to anyone.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality sets the framework above all of these. It oversees public drinking water systems and issues discharge permits for wastewater. A plant such as Kalispell Wastewater Treatment at 2001 Airport Road operates inside that permit system, which is why quality complaints can end up at the state level.

Billings, Great Falls and Butte: Where the Offices Cluster

Billings is the state's largest city and anchors the eight listings in Yellowstone County. Besides the NorthWestern Energy office, the county includes the Lockwood Water & Sewer District at 1644 Old Hardin Road (406-259-4120), which serves the Lockwood area east of the city under its own board.

Great Falls sits in Cascade County, which has seven listings. Energy West handles gas service in the city, and the Black Eagle Cascade County Water District at 1729 Colorado Avenue Northeast (406-452-5951) serves the Black Eagle community. Great Falls grew around the Missouri River falls and dams, so water and power have shaped it from the start.

Butte has three listings, including NorthWestern Energy on Oxford Street. The city's long mining history means older infrastructure, so call 811 before you dig.

Eastern Oil Country and the Western Valleys

Eastern Montana runs on a different energy economy. In Richland County, Sidney has four listings, including XTO Energy Inc at 2320 South Central Avenue (406-482-4000). Oil and gas operators in the Williston Basin are producers, not home-service utilities, so call them about leases, pipelines or royalties, not your electric bill. In Baker, Oneok Rockies Midstream at 81 Shell Oil Road (406-778-2466) works in gas gathering and processing.

Colstrip, in Rosebud County, is known for its coal-fired power plants. Its listing, Colstrip Utility Billing at 550 Willow Avenue (406-748-2303), is a billing office for the local community, not the plant itself.

The western valleys lean on private wells as well as public systems. Gregory's Well Pump & Irrigation at 410 Spring Prairie Road in Whitefish (406-862-2952) is a reminder that rural households around the Flathead Valley often manage their own water. Winter matters here: know where your shutoff valve is and insulate outdoor pipes before the first hard freeze.

Distance is the real difference between metro and rural service. In a county with one small office, the nearest counter may be an hour away. Call first, and ask whether you can pay by phone, by mail or online.

Starting Service, Paying Bills and Getting Help in Montana

Starting service is similar everywhere. A few items usually settle it in a single call or visit:

Renters should ask the landlord which services are included. Some Montana leases bundle water, sewer and garbage into rent, while others put every account in the tenant's name. Get that in writing, and ask for the last meter reading so your first bill starts clean.

Always call 811, the Montana one-call center, before digging a fence post, garden bed or trench, and allow a couple of working days. Locators mark buried gas, power and water lines at no charge.

Help with winter bills exists. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services runs the Low Income Energy Assistance Program through local community action agencies, and Energy Share of Montana, a nonprofit, offers emergency aid. Ask your provider about budget billing and payment plans before you fall behind.

Municipal utility departments throughout Montana provide electricity, water, sewer, and related services to millions of residents and businesses. Utility governance in Montana is shaped by the state's public utility commission, which regulates investor-owned utilities, while municipally owned systems operate under local authority.

Utilities locations are available in 57 cities across Montana. They are spread across 38 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of utility offices include Billings, Great Falls, Sidney, reflecting their larger populations and service area demands.

Montana residents should contact their local utility provider directly for account setup, billing questions, and outage reporting. State-level utility assistance programs may also be available through the state's health and human services agency.

Utilities by Counties

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Montana residents who need help paying utility bills may qualify for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered through the state's community services offices. Contact your local utility provider to inquire about budget billing, shut-off protection, and additional assistance programs available in your area.

Browse Utilities by county across Montana to find your local utility department's contact information and service office locations.

Planning a Utilities Visit Around Montana Distances and Seasons

Montana's size and weather shape every errand. A trip from one end of a county to the town office can take an hour, and winter storms close roads without much warning. Call ahead to confirm hours, ask whether the counter accepts card payments and find out if staff can handle your request by phone. Many small-town offices close for lunch or keep shorter hours than city branches.

Bring a printed copy of your lease or closing statement and your photo ID even when you plan to apply online. Keep your account number handy, because it is the fastest way for a clerk in Chinook, Conrad or Chester to find your record. After any in-person visit, ask for a receipt or a confirmation email so you have proof of payment and of the date service began.

Frequently Asked Questions About Utilities in Montana

The Montana Public Service Commission regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas and some water utilities, including NorthWestern Energy and Energy West. Its five elected commissioners decide rate cases, and the Office of Consumer Counsel speaks for customers in those cases. Electric cooperatives and city water departments are generally not rate-regulated by the commission in the same way. Their member boards or city councils set rates. If you have a dispute, start with the provider, put your complaint in writing and keep a log of each call. If that fails, you can take a complaint about a regulated company to the commission.

Cooperatives treat customers as members. To start service with a cooperative such as Sun River Electric Co-Op in Conrad (406-271-3006) or Hill County Electric Cooperative in Havre (406-394-7804), call or visit with your service address and photo ID. Expect to sign a membership application, and ask whether a membership fee or deposit applies, because policies differ between cooperatives. Rural properties may need a line extension or a new meter, which can take weeks and cost real money. Ask for an estimate before you close on land. Members also vote for the board, so attend the annual meeting if you want a say in rates.

Call the provider named on your bill first. In a city such as Glendive, that is the water department at 300 South Merrill Avenue (406-377-3318). In an unincorporated area it is usually a district, such as the Bigfork Water & Sewer District (406-837-4566) in Flathead County. Kalispell Wastewater Treatment at 2001 Airport Road (406-758-7817) handles sewage treatment for the Kalispell area. Contamination and drinking water standards fall under the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, which oversees public water systems. Boil-water notices come from the system operator, so check mailed notices, the operator's website or call the office.

Heating costs are a serious issue in Montana winters. The Low Income Energy Assistance Program, run by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, helps eligible households with heating bills. Applications go through local community action agencies, and the program generally operates during the heating season. Energy Share of Montana, a nonprofit, offers emergency help to households in crisis. Ask your utility about budget billing, which spreads costs across the year, and about payment arrangements before you fall behind. Eligibility depends on household size and income, so confirm current limits with the agency before you apply.

Many rural homes rely on private wells rather than a public system, and no utility will maintain them for you. Hire a licensed well driller. Gregory's Well Pump & Irrigation at 410 Spring Prairie Road in Whitefish (406-862-2952) is one listed business that works on pumps and irrigation. Water rights are administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Small domestic wells can be exempt from a full permit but generally require a notice of completion, so ask your driller to confirm. In places like Big Sky in Gallatin County, a district such as Big Sky County Water & Sewer District No. 363 (406-995-2660) may serve you instead.

Business records often spell a name several ways, so NorthWestern Energy also shows up as North Western Energy. Treat these as one company with local offices in places like Billings, Butte and Chinook. Hours and walk-in services change, and some offices favor phone or online accounts over a counter. Call the number listed before you drive. This matters most in remote spots, such as Colstrip in Rosebud County, where Colstrip Utility Billing is at 550 Willow Avenue (406-748-2303), or Ashland, where Tongue River Electric Cooperative is at 2435 Main Street (406-784-2341). Confirm the address and what the staff can do in person.