City
Montague
Montague is an incorporated city in Siskiyou County with an estimated 2025 population of 1,157. It handles many rules and services inside its limits. The county still handles property records, taxes, courts, elections, public health, and many household programs.
Starting point
Confirm the address is inside local limits first.
If the address is inside Montague, city or town offices may handle local permits, code, and services. If it is outside limits, county routing may be the better first stop.
What changes the answer: A mailing city is not always the same as city government jurisdiction.
How local government works here
The city line changes some rules, but not every public office.
The mailing address can say Montague even when the property sits outside local limits. Check the city line before relying on a local rule or permit page.
City limits choose the local counter
Inside Montague, the city usually handles permits, zoning, parking, business licenses, and local code. Outside the city line, start with county planning or building.
The county still handles county work
Siskiyou County handles property value and tax bills. It also handles deeds, court, elections, health, and many aid programs. Living inside Montague does not move those jobs to the city.
A provider can have its own boundary
Water, sewer, fire, schools, transit, trash, and power may belong to a special district or other provider. Use the address, parcel, or service bill to find the right agency.
Place story
Montague has a rail-town story under Mount Shasta
Montague began as a Shasta Valley rail hub, kept a redwood depot memory, and now adds color with its hot air balloon fair.
Read the full explanation2025 population
1,157
Land area
1.778 sq mi
Water area
0.015 sq mi
Local front desk
Start with the task in front of you.
Montague is incorporated. Start with the city for work inside its limits, while Siskiyou County still handles property records, taxes, courts, elections, many benefits, and county alerts. Siskiyou County is the public-health layer.
- Property Open the property-tax path
Assessed value, exemptions, tax bills, and appeals
Siskiyou County assessor handles value and exemptions. The clerk of the board handles a formal value appeal. The tax collector handles the bill, payment, and penalties.
- Records Open the records path
Deeds, birth and death records, marriage records, and name changes
Siskiyou County recorder is the usual deed and public-record door. Vital-record access depends on the record and year. A legal name change or divorce decree can involve Superior Court.
- Property work Open the local-office path
Building permits, ADUs, zoning, code, water, and septic
Start with the city planning or building office for an address inside Montague. Start with the county for an address outside local limits.
- Housing Open the housing path
Rent rules, repairs, notices, and eviction papers
Start with a local rent, housing, or code office if one serves the address. Court papers go to the Superior Court self-help path, and the deadline on the papers keeps running.
- Household help Open the benefits path
CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, General Assistance, and IHSS
Siskiyou County social-services agency is the main local door. Coverage, food, cash aid, and in-home support remain separate programs with separate notices.
- Public health Open the health path
Vaccines, disease reporting, health records, and local health programs
Siskiyou County public health is the local health jurisdiction. Health coverage and benefits still use separate program doors.
- Business Open the business path
Business setup, seller's permits, local licenses, and regulated work
State filings and tax accounts do not replace Montague zoning, licensing, building, fire, or health approvals for the address.
- Neighborhood services Open the local-office path
Potholes, streetlights, graffiti, trash, and service requests
For a city-owned street or service inside Montague, start with the local request system. County roads, Caltrans routes, utilities, private property, and separate service providers use different doors.
- School and care Open the school and care path
School enrollment, student records, and child-care checks
The school district handles assignment and records. County offices can help with some family services, while the state licenses child-care facilities.
- Parking Open the parking path
Residential, guest, overnight, and local parking permits
A local parking permit is separate from a citation, moving ticket, and toll notice. Match the permit to the address, vehicle, district, or parking facility.
- Tickets Open the ticket path
Traffic court, parking citations, and toll notices
Siskiyou County Superior Court handles traffic court matters. A city or issuing agency handles parking. The toll operator handles toll notices.
- Safety Open the emergency path
Emergency alerts, evacuations, smoke, roads, and power
Use the county or city alert system for local warnings. Follow the local emergency office for evacuation wording, then use the state fire, smoke, road, and utility sources for the matching layer.
Official city doors
Start local when the address is inside Montague.
The official website is always here. Direct service links appear only when the California Porch source trail supports them; an unlisted service has not been guessed.
County handoff
Keep the county layer close.
Montague does not replace the county for records, property taxes, courts, elections, benefits, public health, or county alerts. The official doors stay together below.
Siskiyou County
Practical notes
Office, map, permit, and paperwork notes for Montague
Start with the responsible office
The local rules still have a clear first stop.
Start with Montague for work inside local limits and Siskiyou County for property records, taxes, courts, elections, public health, and county programs.
Stories & Notes
Stories and local context in Siskiyou County
Countywide story · Outdoors
Castle Crags gives Siskiyou County a granite-and-river stop
Castle Crags State Park gives Siskiyou County a clear I-5 landmark, with granite spires, Sacramento River access, forest, campsites, and Mount Shasta views.
County place story · History and culture
Mount Shasta carries the Sisson story below the mountain
Mount Shasta's town story runs through Strawberry Valley, Justin Sisson, a historic fish hatchery, the Sisson Museum, and a mountain that drew John Muir.
County place story · History and culture
Dunsmuir is a railroad town with waterfalls close to the tracks
Dunsmuir sits on the Upper Sacramento River near Mount Shasta, with railroad history, an Amtrak stop, botanical gardens, and a careful plan for Mossbrae Falls access.
County place story · History and culture
Lava Beds tells a Tulelake-area story written into rough ground
Lava Beds National Monument near Tulelake combines lava tube caves, high desert, Modoc homeland, and Captain Jack's Stronghold, where the land itself shaped history.
County place story · History and culture
Dorris greets Highway 97 with railroad roots and a tall flag
Dorris grew where the Southern Pacific Railroad crossed Butte Valley, then became known to travelers for its Highway 97 setting and 200-foot flagpole.
County place story · History and culture
Etna grew from mills, creek trouble, and a small Main Street
Etna's story starts with Rough and Ready, Aetna Mills, Etna Creek, and a small Scott Valley town center that still keeps local history close.
County place story · History and culture
Fort Jones keeps a Scott Valley army post in memory
Fort Jones takes its name from an 1850s military post near town, and the local museum helps connect that short-lived fort to Scott Valley life.
County place story · History and culture
Weed's name comes from lumber, wind, and one founder
Weed has a name people notice from the highway, but the local story starts with Abner Weed, strong mountain winds, and a lumber town below Mount Shasta.