Government Liaison & Permit Support · Northwest Montana

We handle the government.You focus on your project.

Spotted Bear Consulting prepares, submits, and manages every government application your lakeshore, floodplain, or water resource project requires — acting as your single point of contact with every agency, so you never have to deal with them directly.

Call or text 406-210-0876 Email Kaitlin

Expert · Local · On your side

5 yearsLocal regulatory experience, working for local government

Water Resources SpecialistWrote lakeshore & floodplain permits for local government

Every agencyCounty, state, federal & tribal relationships

Now offering

Land Inspection Reports

Identify violations and floodplain/lakeshore regulatory limitations on a property — documentation suitable for property records and, if desired, attachment to a deed. Due diligence for buyers, sellers, and realtors.

Request one

What we do

If it involves an application to the government, it's handled.

County, state, federal, or tribal — the paperwork, the plans, the meetings, the narrative. You describe the project; the rest stops being your problem.

Government liaison

Your advocate and single point of contact with any agency, so you don't have to be.

All agencies

Permit packet submittals

Complete, accurate lakeshore and floodplain permit packets prepared and submitted to the right desk.

Lakeshore · Floodplain

COSA rewrites & DEQ filings

Certificate of Subdivision Approval and 401 Water Quality Certification rewrites to clear DEQ comments and keep your project moving.

MT DEQ

Water rights

Permits, changes, transfers, point-of-diversion issues, and historic use evaluations.

MT DNRC

Army Corps permits

Section 404 and related federal permit applications for work in waters and wetlands.

USACE

Conservation District permits

310 permit applications for projects on perennial streams and rivers.

Conservation District

Dock & bank stabilization plans

Drawn dock plans and riprap, seawall, and stabilization plan sets built to lakeshore protection standards.

Plans & drawings

Wetland delineation reports

Field delineation of wetland boundaries and reporting to support permitting and site planning.

Reports · USACE

Environmental & flood impact reports

Site-specific assessment and flood impact reports prepared to agency standards.

Reports

Land inspection reports

Violations and regulatory limitations documented for property records and, if desired, attachment to a deed.

Reports

Permit narratives

Clear, compelling narratives tailored to your project to address concerns and gain approval.

Complex projects

Development consultations

Site-specific guidance on what you can do, how to apply, and how to avoid costly mistakes.

Strategy

Not listed? Anything that involves an application to the government, Spotted Bear Consulting does — including attending every required hearing, site visit, and agency meeting on your behalf.

Property ownersBuild & improve with confidence

Buyers & sellersKnow before you close

RealtorsDue diligence for client records

ContractorsPermits handled, schedule kept

Where we work

One desk for every jurisdiction on the lake.

Based in Flathead County and serving all adjacent counties, including projects under tribal jurisdiction on the Flathead Reservation.

Flathead County

Floodplain development permits, lakeshore permits, conditional use permits, and more — the process handled start to finish.

Lake County

Permit guidance and submittals for lakeshore, floodplain, and land development projects.

III

CSKT

Liaison and permit support for projects on Tribal lands and under Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes jurisdiction, including the south half of Flathead Lake.

Agencies worked with regularly

MT DEQ MT DNRC Army Corps of Engineers Conservation Districts County Floodplain Administration County Planning & Zoning CSKT Natural Resources

Who you're working with

Five years of local regulatory experience — now working for you instead of the county.

Kaitlin Messerly spent five years in local regulatory work, serving as a Water Resources Specialist for local government and writing the same lakeshore and floodplain permits she now prepares for clients. She knows what reviewers look for, where applications stall, and which details get a permit approved the first time.

Government permitting can be slow and frustrating. Incomplete applications can be difficult to solve, and hold your project up. Spotted Bear Consulting exists so property owners, contractors, and real estate professionals don't have to learn the system — you hand off the paperwork and get a permit back.

01Five years of local regulatory experience working for local government
02Water Resources Specialist for local government — wrote lakeshore & floodplain permits
03Working relationships across county, state, federal & tribal agencies
04Applications built the way reviewers expect to see them
05Problem-solving directly with the people who decide your permit

How it works

A clean handoff, start to permit.

You describe the project. The paperwork is no longer your problem.

STEP 01

Consultation

Describe the project. Every permit and agency involved is identified up front.

STEP 02

Preparation

Plans drawn, applications and narratives written, supporting reports assembled.

STEP 03

Submittal

Applications filed; all hearings, site visits, and agency questions handled.

STEP 04

Permit in hand

Approvals delivered, with any conditions explained in plain terms.

Let's work together

Start with a phone call.

Call, text, or email with a short description of what you're building and where. Most permitting questions can be answered on the first call.

Phone — call or text406-210-0876 Emailkmesserly@spottedbearconsulting.org

Serving Flathead County, Lake County, CSKT, and surrounding areas.