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County · code 30111

Yellowstone CountyMontana

Yellowstone County is a county in Montana, with its seat in Billings. It was created on February 26, 1883, from Custer and Gallatin counties and named after the Yellowstone River.

  • Founded1883
  • County seatBillings
  • Named forYellowstone River
  • Land area2,633 sq mi + 15 sq mi water
  • Population164,731 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped83,703 checked 15 October 2026
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Updated

MusselshellBig HornGolden ValleyCarbonTreasureStillwaterRosebud Billings Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Yellowstone on the map of Montana

Montana has 56 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Beaverhead CountyBig Horn CountyBlaine CountyBroadwater CountyCarbon CountyCarter CountyCascade CountyChouteau CountyCuster CountyDaniels CountyDawson CountyDeer Lodge CountyFallon CountyFergus CountyFlathead CountyGallatin CountyGarfield CountyGlacier CountyGolden Valley CountyGranite CountyHill CountyJefferson CountyJudith Basin CountyLake CountyLewis and Clark CountyLiberty CountyLincoln CountyMcCone CountyMadison CountyMeagher CountyMineral CountyMissoula CountyMusselshell CountyPark CountyPetroleum CountyPhillips CountyPondera CountyPowder River CountyPowell CountyPrairie CountyRavalli CountyRichland CountyRoosevelt CountyRosebud CountySanders CountySheridan CountySilver Bow CountyStillwater CountySweet Grass CountyTeton CountyToole CountyTreasure CountyValley CountyWheatland CountyWibaux CountyYellowstone County Yellowstone
Counties of Montana · Yellowstone highlighted

History

Formed in 1883 from Custer County and Gallatin County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Yellowstone County was created from Custer and Gallatin counties on February 26, 1883, but was not initially fully organized and was attached to Custer for judicial purposes. The county was fully organized on May 1, 1883, and gained territory from the Crow Indian reservation in 1891 and 1897 as tribal lands were ceded to the United States. Yellowstone lost territory to the creation of several neighboring counties between 1895 and 1913, including Sweet Grass, Carbon, Musselshell, Big Horn, and Stillwater.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

  1. 1883
    Yellowstone County created Yellowstone created by Montana Territory from Custer and Gallatin; Yellowstone not fully organized, attached to Custer "for judicial purposes."
    from Custerfrom Gallatin
    · Mont. Terr. Laws 1883, 13th leg., pp. 119-122
  2. 1885
    Lost territory Custer lost part of the Crow Indian reservation, which was attached as a non-county area (2) to Yellowstone "for judicial purposes."
    to Custer
    · Mont. Terr. Laws 1885, 14th leg., p. 74
  3. 1889
    Became part of Montana Yellowstone became a county in the state of Montana. · U.S. Stat., vol. 26, pp. 1551-1552 and vol. 25, ch. 180 [1889]/pp. 676-684; Swindler, 6:82-83
  4. 1891
    Gained territory Crow Indians ceded territory to the United States; Yellowstone gained the ceded area. The unceded part of the Crow Indian Reservation west of the Big Horn River remained attached to Yellowstone as a non-county area (2). · Royce, 942-943, pl. 40; U.S. Stat., vol. 26, ch. 543, art. 6, secs. 31-38/pp. 1039-1044
  5. 1895
    Lost territory Yellowstone lost to creation of Sweet Grass and gained from Meagher.
    to Sweet Grassto Meagher
    · Mont. Laws 1895, 4th leg., pp. 54-58
Show all 16 changes (11 more)
  1. 1883
    Yellowstone County created Yellowstone created by Montana Territory from Custer and Gallatin; Yellowstone not fully organized, attached to Custer "for judicial purposes."
    from Custerfrom Gallatin
    · Mont. Terr. Laws 1883, 13th leg., pp. 119-122
  2. 1883
    Changed Yellowstone fully organized, detached from Custer.
    Custer
    · Mont. Terr. Laws 1883, 13th leg., sec. 11/p. 122
  3. 1885
    Lost territory Custer lost part of the Crow Indian reservation, which was attached as a non-county area (2) to Yellowstone "for judicial purposes."
    to Custer
    · Mont. Terr. Laws 1885, 14th leg., p. 74
  4. 1887
    Boundary clarified Yellowstone boundaries redefined (no change).
    no change
    · Mont. Terr. Laws 1887, 15th leg., sec. 742/pp. 839-840
  5. 1889
    Became part of Montana Yellowstone became a county in the state of Montana. · U.S. Stat., vol. 26, pp. 1551-1552 and vol. 25, ch. 180 [1889]/pp. 676-684; Swindler, 6:82-83
  6. 1891
    Gained territory Crow Indians ceded territory to the United States; Yellowstone gained the ceded area. The unceded part of the Crow Indian Reservation west of the Big Horn River remained attached to Yellowstone as a non-county area (2). · Royce, 942-943, pl. 40; U.S. Stat., vol. 26, ch. 543, art. 6, secs. 31-38/pp. 1039-1044
  7. 1891
    Changed The Legislature confirmed that the right of ways of the Northern Pacific Railroad and the Rocky Fork and Cooke City Railway within the Crow Indian reservation were attached to Yellowstone "for purposes of taxation and for judicial and other purposes". · Mont. Laws 1891, 2d leg., p. 223
  8. 1895
    Lost territory Yellowstone lost to creation of Sweet Grass and gained from Meagher.
    to Sweet Grassto Meagher
    · Mont. Laws 1895, 4th leg., pp. 54-58
  9. 1895
    Lost territory Yellowstone lost to creation of Carbon. Act passed 4 March 1895, took effect 1 May 1895.
    to Carbon
    · Mont. Laws 1895, 4th leg., pp. 49-54
  10. 1897
    Gained territory Yellowstone gained all that part of the Crow Indian reservation lying west of the Big Horn River, which had been attached to Yellowstone as non-county area (2). · Mont. Laws 1897, 5th leg., p. 55
  11. 1911
    Lost territory Yellowstone lost to creation of Musselshell. Act passed 11 February 1911; took effect 1 March 1911.
    to Musselshell
    · Mont. Laws 1911, 12th leg., ch. 25/pp. 29-38
  12. 1913
    Lost territory Yellowstone lost to creation of Big Horn.
    to Big Horn
    · Mont. Rev. Code 1921, sec. 4306/pp. 1556-1557; Burlingame, 17-18
  13. 1913
    Lost territory Yellowstone lost to creation of Stillwater.
    to Stillwater
    · Mont. Rev. Code 1921, sec. 4350/pp. 1612-1614; Mont. Laws 1915, 14th leg., ch. 74/pp. 100-102; Burlingame, 17-18
  14. 1917
    Exchanged territory Yellowstone exchanged with Rosebud.
    with Rosebud
    · Mont. Laws 1917, 15th leg., ch. 159/pp. 404-405
  15. 1919
    Exchanged territory Yellowstone exchanged with Carbon.
    with Carbon
    · Mont. Laws 1919, 16th leg., chs. 75, 83/pp. 149-151, 157-158
  16. 1925
    Lost territory Yellowstone lost to Carbon.
    to Carbon
    · Mont. Laws 1925, 19th leg., ch. 30/pp. 34-35

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Yellowstone

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Yellowstone by the Census

Population
164,731 2020 Census count
Housing units
71,804 2020 Census count
Land area
2,633 square miles
Water area
15 square miles
People per sq mi
63 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Yellowstone County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Yellowstone County

When was Yellowstone County founded?
Yellowstone County was founded in 1883, formed from Custer County and Gallatin County, and named after Yellowstone River.
What is the county seat of Yellowstone County?
The county seat of Yellowstone County is Billings.
Is there an online parcel map for Yellowstone County?
Yes. Yellowstone County publishes a parcel map of 83,703 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Yellowstone County's boundary or name changed?
Yellowstone County was created in 1883 from Custer County and Gallatin County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, chiefly involving Carbon County, Custer County and Big Horn County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Yellowstone County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door