Home Repair Grants in Montana (2026 Guide)

Quick-reference table

Where Montana homeowners should start

Choose the first call by repair type. Search terms such as weatherization, housing rehabilitation, minor repair, home modification, and energy emergency—not only “grant.”

• Heat or energy problem: Contact the local or tribal LIHEAP and weatherization office.
• Rural health or safety repair: Ask USDA to check your exact address and county income limit.
• Older or disabled homeowner: Call the Area Agency on Aging or Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC).
• City resident: Search the city housing or community-development office for an open owner-occupied rehabilitation program.
• No clear starting point: Dial 211 and ask for home repair, weatherization, senior repair, and disability modification programs in your county.

Montana 211 is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day. It is a referral service, not a repair fund. A trained specialist can identify the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC), nonprofit, or local office serving your address.

Main Montana home repair programs

Montana LIHEAP and Weatherization

Montana’s LIHEAP helps eligible households with heating costs and energy emergencies. The Weatherization Assistance Program sends an energy auditor to identify cost-effective work. It may include insulation, air sealing, heating-system work, ventilation, and energy-related health and safety measures. This is a direct service, not cash for a general remodel.

The state accepts weatherization requests year-round. The regular 2025–2026 LIHEAP heating season ran from October 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026. The next regular season begins October 1, 2026. As of this update, the state page still displays 2025–2026 financial limits, so applicants should confirm the 2026–2027 figures with the local office before relying on them.

The latest published Montana energy limits are shown below.

These are 2025–2026 annual limits, not guaranteed 2026–2027 limits. The resource limit reaches a household maximum of $29,290. The local office makes the final eligibility decision.

Montana uses a combined LIHEAP and weatherization application. Complete it online, then print and mail or deliver it to the local or tribal office. Older adults and disabled people receive priority. Reapply if approved but not served within a year.

Energy Share of Montana

Energy Share is a private nonprofit. It helps with energy emergencies and certain appliance, furnace, water-heater, and weatherization needs. Decisions are situational rather than tied to one statewide income chart.

Apply through the HRDC that serves your county. Do not mail an application to the Helena statewide office because Energy Share says that can slow the case. The Energy Share application map lists the correct local intake office. For statewide questions, call 1-888-779-7589 or 406-442-4900.

Certain Energy West and Montana-Dakota Utilities customers in covered counties may qualify for furnace or water-heater inspection, repair, or replacement. The utility repair page also describes refrigerator and limited water-heater replacement for some income-qualified senior or disabled owner-occupants.

Type of help: Nonprofit assistance or direct repair/replacement service. It is not a yearly entitlement. Available money, utility territory, emergency level, and local committee review affect approval.

USDA Section 504 rural repair help

USDA Section 504 is a strong option for larger rural repairs. Applicants must own and occupy the home, have very low income, live at an eligible rural address, and be unable to obtain affordable credit elsewhere. Grants are limited to eligible owners age 62 or older.

The USDA Montana program is open and accepts applications year-round through local Rural Development offices.

• Loan: Up to $40,000, fixed at 1% for 20 years.
• Grant: Up to $10,000 to remove health and safety hazards.
• Combined help: Up to $50,000.
• Declared-disaster maximum: Grant up to $15,000 and combined help up to $55,000 for qualifying disaster repairs.

Grants have a lifetime cap and must be repaid if the property is sold within three years. Full title service is required when the outstanding Section 504 loan balance exceeds $25,000. Approval time depends on available funding.

Call 406-585-2580 or the nearest USDA office and ask for informal prequalification. Be ready with ownership, income, asset, debt, repair, and title information. Our USDA Section 504 guide explains the process.

Local and regional Montana programs

Great Falls 0% rehabilitation loans

The Great Falls loan program accepts applications year-round for homes inside city limits. Mobile homes need a permanent foundation. Eligible work addresses code problems, systems likely to fail within two years, or emergencies involving water, sewer, or heat.

Residential improvement loans are generally $5,000 to $25,000. Emergency loans have no minimum and generally have a $25,000 maximum. The city may review larger requests, but extra requirements can apply.

Type of help: A 0% loan secured by at least a second mortgage and a promissory note. Monthly payments may apply. The balance becomes due when title transfers. Taxes and utilities must be current, insurance must remain in place, and pre-1978 homes are subject to lead rules.

Northwest Montana senior home repair

The CAPNM senior program serves Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, and Sanders Counties. It targets safety, habitability, and accessibility work such as handrails, roof repairs, septic work, and water-heater repairs.

The public screening questions require the applicant to own and live in the home, have current property taxes and homeowners insurance, and have household income at or below 30% of the county median. The home must be stick-built or a mobile home attached to a foundation. The page asks whether the homeowner is “over 62,” so a person who is exactly 62 should confirm the age rule before applying.

Type of help: Not always a free grant. CAPNM says small repairs may use grant funds, but many seniors repay through a silent mortgage. Repairs over $4,000 use a second mortgage that is recaptured when the home is sold or refinanced. Call 406-752-6565 and ask for a written explanation of the lien and repayment terms.

Billings and Yellowstone County

The City of Billings has discontinued its old Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program. Its current repair page directs residents to HRDC 7 for energy assistance and weatherization and to Allies in Aging for minor repair help.

The Allies Resource Center lists a Minor Home Repair Program and helps older adults, families, and caregivers connect with services. Call 406-259-5212. Ask what repairs are covered, whether the service is limited to Yellowstone County, the current age and income rules, the job limit, and whether there is a waitlist. Public program pages do not provide one complete current set of repair limits, so confirm before counting on the help.

Programs funded through cities and counties

CDBG and HOME funds can support repairs, but homeowners usually apply through a city, county, tribe, or nonprofit. Local programs may cover only certain areas and may close when funds are committed.

Ask the city or county housing office: “Do you have an owner-occupied rehabilitation, emergency repair, accessibility, CDBG, or HOME-funded program open now?” Our CDBG and HOME guide explains why these programs change from place to place.

Tribal, senior, disability, veteran, and disaster help

Tribal and reservation households

Montana DPHHS lists separate local eligibility offices and tribal LIHEAP offices. If you live on or near a reservation, ask the tribal energy or housing office whether it handles your address. A county HRDC may serve some locations while a tribal office serves others.

Also ask tribal housing about weatherization, housing-block-grant repairs, BIA Housing Improvement Program screening, emergency repairs, and waitlists. A county denial does not close the tribal route.

Older adults and disabled homeowners

Montana has 10 Area Agencies on Aging. The aging agency directory gives a statewide help line at 1-800-551-3191 during normal business hours. Local agencies may know about minor repair, fall-prevention, ramp, chore, caregiver, or volunteer programs. They are often referral hubs, not guaranteed repair funds.

Eight regional agencies also operate as ADRCs. The Montana ADRC directory lists contacts by region and serves older adults, disabled adults, and caregivers.

For a disability-related modification that does not fit a grant, the MonTECH loan program can finance home and building access work. Published terms are 0% for loans up to $1,500 and 3.5% for loans up to $50,000. This is a loan, not a grant. Call 406-243-5449 for application help.

Veterans with qualifying disabilities may have separate federal modification benefits. Review our VA modification grants overview before paying for a ramp, bathroom change, or medically needed alteration.

Repairs after a declared disaster

Montana does not keep a standing state individual-assistance repair fund. After a presidential disaster declaration, FEMA assistance may help with limited essential home repairs, but it cannot duplicate insurance or other federal help. The Montana disaster page explains the state and FEMA process. FEMA’s current main number is 1-800-621-3362.

Photograph damage when safe, report the loss to insurance, keep receipts, and follow declaration instructions. USDA’s higher disaster caps apply only when all Section 504 rules are met.

How to apply without losing time

Documents commonly requested

• Photo identification and Social Security numbers or other identity records requested by the program
• Deed, title, mortgage statement, tax record, or other ownership proof
• Utility bill or other proof that the home is your primary residence
• Income proof for every household member, including Social Security, pensions, pay, benefits, and self-employment records
• Bank statements or asset records when the program has a resource test
• Property-tax and homeowners-insurance records
• Photos, utility notices, code notices, inspection reports, or contractor estimates showing the repair need
• Age, disability, veteran, or tribal documents when they affect eligibility or priority

What can delay or stop a repair

Liens and repayment are common

A program can use the word “grant” but still record a lien or silent mortgage. Another program may offer a deferred loan that requires no monthly payment but becomes due when the home is sold or refinanced. Great Falls uses a mortgage and promissory note. CAPNM may use a silent or second mortgage. USDA has a three-year grant repayment rule after a sale.

Before signing, ask about the amount, rate, payment, due-on-sale rule, forgiveness, lien, fees, and refinancing. A housing counselor or legal-aid office can review difficult terms.

If the first office says no

• Ask for the reason in writing and whether you may correct or appeal it.
• Ask whether the problem is income, service area, ownership, repair type, funding, or missing documents.
• Request a referral to the next office instead of ending the call.
• Call 211 and the Area Agency on Aging if the household includes an older or disabled person.
• For a rural home, call USDA even when a local program has no money.
• Ask utilities about payment plans, energy audits, emergency funds, and appliance-safety programs.
• Use our repair assistance overview to check other federal, nonprofit, veteran, and financing paths.

Closed programs and dated notices

The Montana Homeowner Assistance Fund Home Repairs Program stopped taking new repair applications after October 24, 2024, and Commerce announced on January 24, 2025, that it would not reopen. The official closure notice confirms the decision.

As of July 27, 2026, the remaining Montana HAF mortgage-reinstatement and lien-prevention categories are scheduled to stop accepting applications on Friday, July 31, 2026, at 5 p.m., subject to eligibility and available funds. They are not repair programs, but they may help an eligible homeowner avoid displacement. The current HAF status gives the application details. Utility assistance stopped accepting applications on March 31, 2026.