Ravalli County commissioners on June 24 approved the final plat submission and revoked an agricultural covenant recorded against the Johnson property (CS #795634AG, tract A3, 1-lot minor subdivision), subject to a $900 fire mitigation payment consistent with the earlier preliminary-plat conditions.

Planning staff presented the request on behalf of landowners Rosalie, Ralph J. Jr., Barbara and Julia Johnson and noted the parcel is encumbered by a declaration of covenant recorded in Book 157 of Deeds, page 622, document number 483,025. Staff said the preliminary plat had been conditionally approved March 24, 2025, and that the final plat submission met the planning department’s conditions and the applicable Ravalli County Subdivision Regulations (RCSR) chapters cited in the preliminary decision.

During final-plat review a Stevensville-area fire district submitted minutes indicating a revised mitigation cash-in-lieu amount of $1,500 per new lot in 2024. The landowners said they were told at payment time that the required mitigation had increased to $1,500, contrary to the preliminary-plat condition specifying $900 per new lot. Planning staff confirmed the board’s preliminary-plat approval listed $900 and recommended the final plat be approved subject to that $900 mitigation figure.

A commissioner moved to approve the final plat, revoke the recorded covenant, and record the $900 fire mitigation requirement as approved in the preliminary-plat decision. The board approved the motion by voice vote.

Commissioners and staff agreed on a practical payment process: landowners may provide a $900 check and Stevensville Fire District minutes showing its 2024 action; planning staff will accept the payment and, if necessary, forward a county check to the fire district. Planning staff advised landowners to bring the $900 check and the fire-district minutes to the planning office so county staff can process payment and avoid delays in recording the final plat.

The planning department recommended recordation upon receipt of payment evidence. The county’s action revokes the agricultural covenant recorded under Book 157, page 622, document number 483,025 and approves the final plat for subdivision number 202410 (tax ID 381600).