Call before you drive
Montana utility phone lines
For outages and gas emergencies, always call the central 24/7 lines, faster than any local office.
MDU (Montana-Dakota Utilities)
Customer service for eastern MT electric and gas footprint.
Fergus Electric Cooperative
Member-owned co-op, ~3,900 members across 14 central MT counties.
NorthWestern outage · 24/7
Downed wires, lights out, restoration ETA. Never call a co-op office for an outage on NorthWestern wires.
Co-op outage · 24/7
Call your specific co-op
Fergus Electric Coop: (406) 538-2000. Southeast Electric Coop: (406) 487-2741.
Gas emergency · 24/7
NorthWestern gas: 1-888-867-5253
Smell gas? Leave the building first, then call from outside. MDU gas: 1-800-292-3019.
Office finder
Find your nearest walk-in office
Filter by utility, search by ZIP or town. Montana publishes only a thin slice of all utility offices, the deep co-op network operates from member-elected boards rather than retail counters.
Conrad
ZIP 59425
NorthWestern Energy local office
Hi-Line · North-central MT office, also serves: Conrad, Brady, Valier, Pondera County.
Hours: Mon to Fri, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m..
Roundup
ZIP 59072
102 Railroad Ave E
Central MT · Musselshell County office, also serves: Roundup, southern Fergus / Musselshell territory.
Hours: Mon to Fri, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..
Before you go
What an MT utility office actually handles
In a regulated state, the office is for billing, member services and connection paperwork. Outages and emergencies move on the central 24/7 lines instead.
What you can do at the counter
- ✓Pay a bill in cash or with a check, useful in rural pockets where bank branches are scarce.
- ✓Set up a payment plan or budget billing if you have fallen behind on NorthWestern, MDU or a co-op account.
- ✓Open a service connection on a new build or after a long vacancy (paperwork the utility usually wants on paper).
- ✓Apply for the LIEAP / Bonneville Power weatherization assistance programs at the local office.
- ✓Vote in your co-op board election if you are a member — the office is also the annual meeting venue in many towns.
What the office is not for
- ✗Reporting a power outage. Call your utility's 24/7 outage line. Office staff cannot dispatch crews.
- ✗Reporting a gas leak. Leave the building first, then call NorthWestern gas 1-888-867-5253 or MDU gas 1-800-292-3019 from outside.
- ✗Shopping a competitive supplier. Montana has no residential retail choice — your utility is also your supplier.
- ✗Scheduling a meter install or move. Field crews are dispatched by phone, not from the counter.
- ✗Walk-in service outside hours. Both published MT offices keep weekday-only hours.
Montana is a regulated state — your utility is also your supplier
Unlike Texas or New York, Montana households cannot pick a competitive supplier. The Public Service Commission (PSC) approves a single bundled rate, and that's it.
Major IOUs in MT
NorthWestern Energy and Montana-Dakota Utilities cover roughly two-thirds of Montana meters.
Rural electric co-ops
Member-owned, board-set rates, no PSC rate jurisdiction. Includes Fergus, Southeast, Flathead Electric and others.
Large-commercial choice threshold
Only customers with peak demand above 5 MW (industrial) can shop alternate suppliers in MT.
Insider tip
Co-op rates often beat IOU rates — but you have to be a member
The 26 Montana rural electric co-ops are member-owned, with rates set by an elected board rather than the PSC. Across the state, co-op rates tend to run 10 to 25 percent below NorthWestern Energy's rate-zone equivalent. But you can't pick a co-op — its service territory is set by the 1937 territorial law, and you're either inside it or you aren't.
For the broader Montana utility map, see our MT utility directory.
Quick answers
Before you make the trip, the most common questions about MT utility offices.
Usually no. Almost everything (start service, stop service, set up auto-pay, request a payment plan) can be done by phone or online. NorthWestern Energy: 1-888-225-4570. MDU: 1-800-638-3278. The local office is most useful for cash payments, LIEAP applications and the annual co-op meeting if you are a member.
NorthWestern Energy Conrad office: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT. Fergus Electric Cooperative Roundup satellite: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MT. Both close weekends, federal holidays and Montana Heritage Day.
Always your delivery utility, 24/7. NorthWestern Energy: 1-888-467-2669. MDU: 1-800-638-3278. Fergus Electric Coop: (406) 538-2000. Southeast Electric Coop: (406) 487-2741. Never call your supplier — Montana doesn't have suppliers in the retail-choice sense.
Leave the building first. Once outside, call your gas utility. NorthWestern gas: 1-888-867-5253. MDU gas: 1-800-292-3019. Service at the meter is free.
No, not as a residential customer. Montana's 1997 deregulation was rolled back after the 2000-2001 western US energy crisis. Today only customers with peak demand above 5 MW (large industrial) can shop. Residential and small commercial buy bundled supply from their utility, whether NorthWestern Energy, MDU or a rural electric cooperative.
The Montana Public Service Commission (PSC), a five-member elected body, regulates the investor-owned utilities (NorthWestern Energy, MDU). The 26 rural electric co-ops set their own rates through member-elected boards and are exempt from PSC rate-setting jurisdiction. The Montana Consumer Counsel advocates for residential customers in PSC rate cases.
Keep exploring MT energy
More U.S. states with energy choice
Same playbook, different utility. Pick another deregulated state to compare utilities, suppliers and switching rules.
