Missoula County Comprehensive Plan Update

Project Description

Missoula County is in the beginning stages of developing a countywide comprehensive plan for the unincorporated parts of Missoula County. Unincorporated areas include anywhere outside Missoula city limits but within Missoula County. The County originally adopted a comprehensive plan in 1975, and the comprehensive planning document currently in use was adopted in 2016, with a substantial amendment in 2019. The process of updating the plan will be a two-year process that will likely continue into 2027.

What is a comprehensive plan?

A comprehensive plan (or growth policy, as it is referred to in state law) outlines policies and projects intended to guide future change in the County across a range of topics: land use, housing, transportation, economic development and natural resource conservation, to name a few.

One of the most important topics of the new comprehensive plan is land use and development. The new plan will outline the benefits and impacts of development on communities, environment, water and sewer, as well as identify locations that are appropriate for development and locations that are not.

The comprehensive plan is not a regulatory tool, and under Montana state law, subdivisions and development can’t be denied based on the plan alone. However, the plan provides a path and legal basis for adopting or updating future zoning and subdivision regulations.

Why should residents care about the comprehensive plan?

A comprehensive plan provides a legal foundation necessary for the development of responsible policy and regulations. It will address a number of community concerns:

• What do people love about their communities? What about it do they want to maintain? What do they want to see changed?
• Does the community need affordable housing?
• Should zoning be a tool to manage growth and development in your community? If so, what should it regulate and what shouldn’t it?
• What services – community centers, parks and trails, for example – would you like to see provided?
• Are there service providers such as rural fire districts or emergency medical services that need more support?

What work has been done so far?

In 2025, a consultant helped County planning staff develop a series of existing conditions reports. These existing conditions reports are required by Montana state law. These reports both describe the current conditions and forecast population changes for 20 years. The consultant prepared reports on housing, economic development and industrial lands and are available to download on the right-hand side of this page. Other reports will focus on local services, facilities, natural resources, environment and hazards.

What is the Comprehensive Plan’s Land-Use Map?

One of the most important topics in creating a new comprehensive plan is land use and development. The comprehensive plan will consider the impacts of development on nearby properties, the natural environment and public services. The comprehensive plan has a land-use map, which establishes land-use designations that identify locations found to be appropriate for a range of land uses and development densities. These designations are not regulatory, but they establish a vision and parameters that future regulations, such as zoning, must adhere to. The land-use map that the County currently uses consists of a patchwork of land-use maps. Some of these maps were created when neighborhood or areas plans developed; other maps date all the way back to the County’s first comprehensive plan in 1975.

How do I get involved in the process?

The update to the comprehensive plan means residents can weigh in on what they want their communities to look like through the plan’s engagement period. This will include multiple opportunities for public comment: open-houses, workshops, surveys and meetings with civic organizations, such as community councils. This public engagement phase is planned to begin the in fall, 2026.