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Mont. Code Ann. § 72-3-801(1) · checked 2026-10-20
How long probate takes in Montana
The longest fixed wait in a Montana probate is usually the creditor claim period: 4 months from first publication of the notice under Mont. Code Ann. § 72-3-801(1). An estate cannot be closed safely before that window shuts.
- 1Claim period 4 months
- 2Counted from Notice / letters
- 3Outer limit None stated
- 4Statute Mont. Code Ann. § 72-3-801(1)
The statute
“within 4 months after the date of the first publication of the notice”
Source: Mont. Code Ann. § 72-3-801(1). Last checked 2026-10-20.
Worked example: a death on January 15, 2026
| Checkpoint | Date |
|---|---|
| Date of death | January 15, 2026 |
| Earliest affidavit for collection of personal property (30 days, Mont. Code Ann. § 72-3-1101) | February 14, 2026 |
| Trigger: first publication of the notice | March 1, 2026 |
| Creditor claim period ends (4 months, Mont. Code Ann. § 72-3-801(1)) | July 1, 2026 |
Montana starts the clock at first publication of the notice, so the end date moves with the court. The example assumes that event comes 45 days after the death (March 1, 2026); a later filing pushes July 1, 2026 back day for day. By comparison the small-estate route — when the estate fits — opens on February 14, 2026.
15 jurisdictions on this site give creditors longer and 8 give them less; the median is 122 days.
Steps that add time
- Getting appointed. Nothing runs until first publication of the notice; the time between the death and the petition is outside the statutory period.
- Notice. Published notice and notice mailed to known creditors start or shorten the claim period; a creditor who should have been mailed notice may get extra time.
- Real estate. Montana's small-estate route does not take real property, so an estate with a house in the state generally goes through administration or another court step.
- Accounting and closing. The final account, receipts from heirs and any tax filings come after the claim period ends.
Nearby Mountain timelines
Arizona: 4 months; Colorado: 4 months; Idaho: 4 months; Nevada: 90 days; New Mexico: 4 months.
Related: Montana small estate limit · creditor claim periods compared · executor timeline.
General information from the statute as written on 2026-10-20; not legal advice. Dates are worked examples of the statutory periods, not deadlines for any real estate. The Montana probate court and its clerk can confirm how the periods run in a given case.