What it costs to dump in Montana: 2026 fees by place
In much of Montana the dump is already paid for through a solid waste assessment on your property taxes. Where you pay at the scale, it runs $27 to $104.94 a ton, and furniture, appliances, tires and construction debris usually cost extra.
2026 cost to dump in Montana, place by place
| Place | Small load | Bigger loads | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland County (Sidney) | Household garbage, tires and appliances free | $55 a ton for C&D | Out-of-county permit $85 a year |
| Beaverhead County (Dillon) | Household waste free for residents | Big loads weighed, paid at the courthouse | County residents only |
| Deer Lodge | Garbage no cost | $10 a yard for construction materials | Couch or mattress $5 |
| Sanders County (Thompson Falls) | Household garbage free for residents | $20 a yard for construction waste | County residents only |
| Lincoln County (Libby) | Household waste no charge (assessment) | $12 a cubic yard for sorted C&D | Uncovered load $48 |
| Flathead County (Kalispell) | Bagged trash covered by the assessment | $36.78 a ton | Four tires free for residents |
| Miles City | Free in district with a hang tag | $75 a ton for demolition | Out of district $150 a ton |
| Billings | Up to 3 cubic yards free from the city | $35.15 a ton ($52.73 from elsewhere in Montana) | Refrigerator $47.35 |
| Helena | Permit: 3,000 lbs a year free | $64.75 a ton ($7 minimum) | Show the actual permit |
| Jefferson County | Covered by the $193 assessment | $20 a cubic yard for C&D | Permit required; out of county $50 a yard |
| Stillwater County (Columbus) | Household garbage free in the district | $17 a cubic yard for C&D | Columbus town needs a $255.30 permit |
| Lake County (Polson) | Permit tag, or $10 minimum | $10 a cubic yard for sorted C&D | Unsorted loads $50 a yard |
| Laurel | Container site for residents' trash | $10 a cubic yard for contractors and non-residents | Closed 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. |
| Butte | Charged only over 1,000 lbs | $27 a ton | No refrigerators |
| Bozeman | $10 minimum at the convenience site | $27 a ton at Logan ($5 minimum) | No refrigerators in town |
| Glendive | $10 minimum; yard waste free | $55 a ton | Freon appliance $30 plus weight |
| Livingston | $7 minimum | $104.94 a ton | Highest per-ton rate we've checked in Montana |
| Missoula | Yard waste $3 a car at Garden City Compost | Private landfill; rates not posted | No city trash service |
| Great Falls | Rural sites with a punch card | Private landfill; rates not posted | City refrigerator pickup $85 |
Rates verified from each operator's own published pages, October 2026. Appliances, tires and construction debris cost extra almost everywhere. Confirm with the site before a big load.
Find a landfill near you
Enter your city or ZIP for the nearest disposal sites across Montana, then open your city's page for its exact hours, fees and what it accepts.
Why prices vary so much in Montana
Montana counties and solid waste districts run their own landfills and set their own rules. Many pay for them with a yearly assessment on property taxes: in Lincoln County it's $200 a unit and covers most household waste at the gate, and Flathead County's covers bagged household trash at the landfill and its container sites. Helena gives permit holders 3,000 pounds a year, Lake County mails permit tags, and Miles City uses a hang tag. Gallatin Solid Waste is the opposite: it runs on tipping fees, not taxes, so everyone pays at the scale.
At the scale, household trash runs $27 a ton at Logan and in Butte, $35.15 in Billings, $36.78 in Flathead County, $55 in Glendive, $64.75 in Helena and $104.94 in Livingston. Construction debris is often priced by the yard instead: $10 in Lake County and $12 sorted in Lincoln County, with unsorted loads costing several times as much. In Missoula and Great Falls the landfills are privately run, and their gate rates aren't published.
Free and nearly free options
- Richland and Beaverhead counties take residents' household garbage free (Richland adds tires and appliances), and the Deer Lodge landfill takes garbage free and charges just $5 for a couch or mattress.
- Lincoln County takes most household waste free at its Libby, Eureka and Troy landfills, and Flathead County takes residents' bagged trash free, plus four passenger tires.
- Billings takes loads up to 3 cubic yards or 1,500 pounds free from inside the city.
- Helena permit holders pay nothing for their first 3,000 pounds a year, including mattresses, tires and refrigerators.
- Miles City takes in-district household trash, yard waste, batteries, metal and cardboard free with a hang tag.
- The Bozeman Convenience Site takes cardboard, paper, cans, plastic bottles and household hazardous waste free.
- In Missoula, Garden City Compost takes a carload of brush or yard waste for $3 and sawdust free.
The catches that cost people money
- Cover your load. Lincoln County charges $48 for an uncovered or unsecured load, and Billings $45 from the city (more from elsewhere).
- Sort it. Lake County charges $50 a yard for unsorted debris instead of $10, and Lincoln County $45 instead of $12.
- Check the site takes it. The Bozeman Convenience Site won't take refrigerators, large TVs or concrete; Laurel's container site won't take refrigerators, batteries or big branches; county container sites and green boxes take bagged household trash only.
- Check the hours. Laurel closes from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m., the Bozeman Convenience Site is closed Sunday and Monday, and many rural sites open only a few days a week.
What Montana law keeps out of the trash
Less than most states. Montana's solid waste law (MCA Title 75, chapter 10) licenses landfills and sets what each class may take, but it doesn't ban car batteries, tires, TVs and computers, appliances or mattresses from landfills, and Montana has no paint stewardship (PaintCare) or mattress recycling law. The state treats waste tires as solid waste, and its rules bar burning them in the open or stockpiling them.
That leaves the rules to each landfill. Federal law still requires the refrigerant to be removed from refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners, which is why Billings, Logan and Lincoln County charge extra for them. Liquid paint is the usual problem: Helena and Great Falls ask you to dry it out with sand or kitty litter and bag it before it goes in the trash, and Miles City requires paint to be solidified.