Water Rights & Land Ownership
Custer County is anchored at Miles City — the historic cow-town and the main livestock auction in eastern Montana, sitting at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Tongue rivers. The Powder River joins the Yellowstone just east of the county line. Pumpkin Creek drains the southern county. Most of the 9,600 active rights are stock rights and Yellowstone-bench irrigation; ranches in the south and east depend heavily on small creeks and ranch wells.
Combine the DNRC WRQS water-rights record with the Montana Cadastral using the 17-digit geocode that links them.
Active rights pulled live from DNRC WRQS on 2026-06-01. Custer spans six basins: 42K (Yellowstone main), 42KJ (Yellowstone tribs), 42C (Tongue R.), 42J (Powder R. edge), 42L (Pumpkin Cr.), 40D on the N margin.
Custer County Watershed Map
The Yellowstone River cuts WNW-ESE across the county through Miles City; the Tongue River joins from the south at Miles City; the Powder River enters from the SE near Terry. Pumpkin Creek drains the south county north into the Tongue.
Search Custer County water rights
- Water right format:
- 42K 12345 00 (Yellowstone) · 42C (Tongue) · 42J (Powder).
- Primary basins:
- 42K/42KJ Yellowstone main & tribs · 42C Tongue R · 42J Powder R · 42L Pumpkin Cr · 40D N margin.
- Tongue River compact:
- Northern Cheyenne Tribal compact upstream affects Tongue R. flow allocation in dry years.
- DNRC regional office:
- Miles City Regional Office, 406-234-0241.
- Clerk & Recorder:
- Custer County, 406-874-3340.
Irrigated Acres — USDA Census
Custer County reported 28,865 irrigated acres in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, down from 37,223 in 2017 — a change of −8,358 acres (−22.5%). These are acres that actually received irrigation in the census year, not all land equipped for irrigation.
Source: USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture, Table 10 (irrigated land, acres). See the Measuring Montana Moisture overview →
Quick links
Data sources: Montana DNRC, MSL/DOR Cadastral, MBMG GWIC. Active rights pulled live from DNRC WRQS on 2026-06-01. Informational only.