Gallatin County Certificate of Trust Form (Montana)

All Gallatin County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Certificate of Trust Form

Gallatin County Certificate of Trust Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Gallatin County compliant document last validated/updated 1/28/2025

Certificate of Trust Guide

Gallatin County Certificate of Trust Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Gallatin County compliant document last validated/updated 5/19/2025

Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Gallatin County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Gallatin County compliant document last validated/updated 3/6/2025

When using these Certificate of Trust forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Gallatin County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Gallatin County Clerk / Recorder

311 West Main St, Rm 203, Bozeman, Montana 59715

Hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm M-F

Phone: (406) 582-3050

Local jurisdictions located in Gallatin County include:

  • Belgrade
  • Big Sky
  • Bozeman
  • Gallatin Gateway
  • Manhattan
  • Three Forks
  • West Yellowstone
  • Willow Creek

How long does it take to get my forms?

Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.

How do I get my forms, are they emailed?

Immediately after you submit payment, the Gallatin County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.

What does "validated/updated" mean?

This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:

  • Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
  • Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Gallatin County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Gallatin County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Gallatin County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Certificate of Trust forms be re-used?

Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Gallatin County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Gallatin County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Montana or Gallatin County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.

What type of files are the forms?

All of our Gallatin County Certificate of Trust forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I need any special software to use these forms?

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I have to enter all of my property information online?

No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.

Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?

Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.

Are there any recurring fees involved?

No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

The certification of trust in Montana is an affidavit containing sworn statements made by the trustee or trustees of a trust.

In a trust arrangement, a settlor entrusts property to a trustee for the benefit of a beneficiary. The trustee is the administrator of the trust's assets.

Instead of furnishing the trust instrument (an unrecorded document containing the trust's provisions, including the designation of the trust's beneficiary) the certificate is an abstract supplying only the relevant information required of the trustee in order to prove his authority to enter into a transaction on the trust's behalf.

Codified under the Montana Uniform Trust Code at 72-38-1013, the certification of trust contains basic information, such as the trust's name, date, settlor, and each trustee's name and address. The certificate verifies that the trust exists and that the trustee is authorized to act by providing a description of the trustee's powers relating to the pending action.

For example, a trustee may furnish a certificate when conveying real property held in a living trust. When used in real property transactions, a recorded certificate fulfills the requirements under Mont. Code Ann. 72-38-1111 for a valid transfer of real property by a trustee. When used for transactions involving real property, the certificate should also include the legal description of the parcel subject to the transaction.

The certificate must also designate whether or not the trust is revocable, and who, if any, has authority to revoke the trust. For trusts with multiple trustees, the document also specifies which trustees have signing authority, and how many are required in order to execute the trustee's powers. The certificate also cites the governing law under which the trust was formed.

Mont. Code Ann. 72-38-1013 provides that the certificate can be signed by any trustee, and signatures must be acknowledged if the document is recorded. When used in real property transfers under 72-38-1111, each acting trustee must sign before the document is recorded, and the certificate should meet all requirements of form and content for recording documents in Montana under 7-4-2636.

Recipients of the certificate can request, in addition, excerpts and/or later amendments from the trust instrument which name the trustee and confer the relevant powers upon the trustee. Requesting the entire trust document exposes the person making the request to certain liabilities ( 72-38-1013(8)).

Finally, the certificate contains a statement confirming that the trust has not been modified in any way that would cause the statements made within to be inaccurate, and the recipient "may assume without inquiry the existence of the facts contained" within ( 72-38-1013(6)).

Consult a lawyer with any questions and for professional guidance regarding certifications of trust in Montana, as each situation is unique.

(Montana COT Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Gallatin County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

Save Time and Money

Get your Gallatin County Certificate of Trust form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

4.8 out of 5 - ( 4557 Reviews )

Nigel S.

June 24th, 2025

Very simple to use. The 'completed examples' are very helpful.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Robert H.

June 23rd, 2025

Great service, easy way to get accurate documents

Reply from Staff

Thanks, Robert! We're glad you found the service easy to use and the documents accurate—just what we aim for. Appreciate you taking the time to share your experience!

Andre H.

June 19th, 2025

World class forms, great for someone like me that has no clue what I'm doing! Always better to let the pros do it than think one knows it all and gets themselves in trouble!

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

John E.

November 14th, 2020

This process exceeded my expectations. A great customer experience!

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Greg F.

October 14th, 2022

Sorry that this a little late. I'm VERY HAPPY with everything. The deeds paperwork was just what I was looking for. It was very to fill out, it was different than n the folks used years ago. I called the county clerk, and they were very helpful. Thank you for the paperwork it was easy to use and understand.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Niranjan C.

August 24th, 2021

Whole process was very easy and quick. Forms were easy to fill, examples were quite appropriate. Recommended.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

LEVELL H.

April 20th, 2021

I was very pleased with the ease in use of the forms. I suggest making sure the sample copy is totally aligned with the exact same parts. I was a little confused about the portion "Subject to.."
It was easy to make corrections, additions, etc because the page remained open, and I didn't have to re=open the forms continuously.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Salvatore R.

January 18th, 2023

It was fast and easy to find.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Mary G.

November 24th, 2020

Very easy process, handled quickly without complications. Excellent communication about status.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Lori A.

February 2nd, 2024

My county accessors office recommended this site. My Uncle passed away and did not leave a will and I needed to have his deed transferred into my name. I was able to do it using the sample Deeds.com provided. I used it as a guide to fill out the paperwork that I printed off of the Deeds.com site. I had no problem when I went to the county and turned in the paperwork and the clerk said everything looked great.

Reply from Staff

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience Lori. We are deeply sorry for your loss and understand how challenging managing affairs can be during such a difficult time. It's heartening to hear that our resources were helpful to you in transferring your uncle's deed into your name.

We strive to make complex processes more accessible and manageable, and your feedback affirms the value of our work. Knowing that the county assessor's office recommended us and that the clerk found everything in order with your paperwork is incredibly gratifying.

William Q.

September 30th, 2020

The website and information is fine. The proof in the pudding, of course, is whether the forms I used now will provide the results I want if the changes are challenged at some future date.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Charlotte B.

August 2nd, 2021

I was very impressed with this service. It's a very important tool to be able to get the documents filed properly.

I was not able to understand how to fill in the blanks on line.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Ginger L.

May 29th, 2022

Excellent full set of documents with example and guidelines on how to do it ourselves without paying a lawyer. Or, we save legal fees by completing it ourselves and having a lawyer review it. Love that I can save the pdf and fill it out whenever I want. Thank you for having this available!

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Ruthea M.

March 18th, 2025

It was easy to download, but you need to open an account before doing so. That was not clear.

Reply from Staff

Your insights are invaluable to us and help us strive for better service. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

DAVID H.

March 13th, 2020

perfect.
follow examples.
no problem at court house.
good deed layout.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!