FAQs

The City of Bozeman conducts land use planning and regulations as authorized by the State of Montana in Title 76, MCA. The State of Montana revised the requirements for Bozeman's local land use planning with the adoption of the Montana Land Use Planning Act in Title 76, Chapter 25, MCA. A fixed deadline has been given to complete the work of May 17, 2026. The project needs to be completed in time to also adopt implementing regulations by the same deadline.

Land use planning, which overall includes planning for many types of infrastructure and services, enables greater effectiveness and efficiency in delivery of service, identifies key information about the community into a single location, and provides a foundation for adoption of policies and regulations to implement state requirements and community priorities.

A variety of laws set requirements and limits. The primary law is Title 76 Chapter 25 of the Montana Code Annotated. The laws change each legislative session. Those changes may allow more or less local control over how to approach issues. Decisions from the courts and federal law also influence the process and outcomes.

The City adopted its first land use plan in 1958 and its most recent plan in 2020. The Bozeman Community Plan and other planning documents are available through the Community Development website. 

A land use plan includes information on current conditions, expected trends, and desired outcomes. A land use plan covers many different topics required by the state and the community can add more if they choose. Due to the large scope of subjects, the state authorizes communities to have "issue plans" where a specific topic is explored in detail in an independent document and supports the land use plan. 

The City has dozens of issue plans and updates several every year. Examples include the Parks, Recreation, and Active Transportation Plan, Climate Action Plan, and Community Housing Action Plan.