Zoning Reform Discussion

Zoning Reform Listening Sessions

In February-March of 2025, the County Commission, Planning and Zoning Commission, and Planning Board held three Community Listening Sessions on Zoning Reform (recordings and resources below) to kick-off conversations about re-evaluating the County's zoning framework and how it could improve. Then, the Commissions/Board held a public meeting to debrief what was learned in the listening sessions.

Direction to Planning Department

On May 13th, the Commission gave direction to staff about which zoning reform options are off the table and which they are interested in investigating further. The Commission requested more information on options 3-5 from the Zoning Reform Spectrum handout, eliminating options 1 and 6-8 from further consideration at this time.

Stay Informed about Next Steps

More information on the next steps for zoning reform will be advertised on this website once available, and distributed to folks on the Envision Gallatin email list, social media, and a variety of other formats.

To sign up for the email list, send a message to envision@gallatin.mt.gov. This conversation is just beginning- stay tuned for more opportunities to participate!

Stay informed about Gallatin County initiatives and engagement opportunities, sign up for the County Bulletin

Resources

Planning staff has published a video series to help residents understand zoning and potential reform options. Each link below leads to a video in the four-part series, except for Part 1, each video includes chapter links in the description to allow you to skip around to different parts at your discretion.

Part 1: Introduction to Series on Gallatin County Planning Framework

Part 2: Gallatin County Planning 101

Part 3: Why Talk about Zoning Reform as a Community?

Part 4: Zoning Reform, What Does it Mean and What Could it Look Like?

ZONING REFORM SPECTRUM HANDOUT

Background on Zoning Reform Listening Sessions:

The County has a complex zoning framework consisting of 22 independently operating zoning districts that were created over the course of several decades. Though a tremendous amount of citizen participation has gone into the creation and updates of the 22 districts over the years, their independent nature makes it difficult to update them in response to community needs, new information about wildlife and water, or to reduce confusion or errors to better serve the public. For example, changing a simple typo across all districts requires at least 22 public hearings and 22 individual public notice procedures to make the same change, which can be confusing and costly for the public.

Additionally, about 74% of private land in the County is not zoned, which means that there are few local review mechanisms available in these areas to ensure that any impacts of development on water quality and quantity, agriculture, wildlife, roads, and more are mitigated. With increases in new and innovative land use types across the County, as well as tremendous growth pressures, the County Commission, boards, and staff are investigating what, if any, reforms to our zoning framework are needed to better serve residents and protect the County's most loved attributes.

Past Events

Commission Direction to Staff on Next Steps for Zoning Reform

May 13th, 2024, at 9:00 AM - County Commission, Recording: AV Capture All

Listening Sessions on Zoning Reform Debrief

April 15th, 2025, from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM - County Commission, Planning and Zoning Commission, Planning Board, and Planning staff present, Partial Recording: AV Capture All

Community Listening Sessions on Zoning Reform

March 25th, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM - County Commission, Planning Board, and Planning staff present
Recording: AV Capture All

March 13th, 2025, from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM -County Commission, Planning and Zoning Commission, and Planning staff present
Recording: AV Capture All

February 18th, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM - County Commission & Planning staff present
Recording: AV Capture All