Commissioners approve Petty Creek Mountain Ranch boundary-line relocation exemption

Missoula County commissioners on June 4 approved a subdivision exemption (boundary-line relocation) requested by Petty Creek Mountain Ranch LLC to rearrange the common boundaries of 10 parcels recorded in certificate of survey 70-52.

Planning staff presented the application and explained the exemption — authorized under the county subdivision regulations and Montana law — would redesign parcel boundaries without increasing the total number of lots. The property encompasses approximately 708.35 acres east of Petty Creek Road, about 6.5 miles south‑southeast of Alberton. Proposed new parcels would range from about 7.8 acres to just over 302 acres; none would exceed 320 acres, which staff noted affects future division thresholds.

Kevin Dantic (Missoula County Department of Planning, Development & Sustainability) said the application was circulated for agency comment; Missoula County Environmental Health recommended sanitation review where parcels provide two or more permanent spaces for recreational vehicles or mobile homes and said any parcel with an existing cesspool may require upgrades. The county voice page received no public comments during the posted period.

Applicant representative Joshua Phillips (Eli and Associates) said the retracement survey memorialized existing tracks that appeared in the chain of title and that the application seeks a more logical organization of parcels. Owner Wayne Williams described the property's history, prior easement issues and the intent to align parcel boundaries along natural features such as ridge lines and Petty Creek to better manage the property and keep pastureland consolidated.

Commissioner (S2) moved to approve the request; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Staff stressed that sanitation review and any required upgrades would be handled through environmental-health processes where they apply.