Concrete Leveling in Shepherd, Montana
Shepherd is a small unincorporated community northeast of Billings — 507 people in 2020, 2.22 square miles of land at 3,110 feet, with its own K–12 school district. What it is not is a subdivision.
What the numbers say about the housing
There are 183 housing units in Shepherd, essentially all owner-occupied. The median home value is $114,400 while median household income is $80,125. Those two numbers rarely sit that far apart.
The honest reading is that this is rural acreage with older or manufactured housing rather than modern tract stock. Households earn well and the structures are modest, which is what land-heavy, building-light ownership looks like in a table.
We are not going to guess at mileage from Billings, name subdivisions, or quote growth figures for Shepherd. None of that could be verified, so none of it appears here.
What that changes about the work
More pads, fewer tract driveways
Outbuilding pads, shop floors and equipment slabs make up a lot of the calls out here. They carry point loads that a two-car driveway never sees, and they are often poured on fill that was placed by the owner rather than by a developer.
Long approaches, no curb
An approach that runs a few hundred feet from a county road has no curb and gutter to control runoff. Water leaves the surface wherever the crown fails, which is usually the first place the concrete drops.
Well and septic, not city utilities
On acreage the water sources near a slab are a wellhead, a stock tank, a frost-free hydrant or a drain field — not a municipal service line. We look at those first.
Older concrete, thinner sections
Older rural flatwork tends to be thinner and unreinforced. That favours a gentle, staged lift with more ports and lower pressure over a fast one.
County authority, including floodplain
Because Shepherd is unincorporated, Yellowstone County is the permit authority. The county approach permit is $75.00 residential and $150.00 commercial through County Public Works at (406) 256-2735.
The county also regulates the 100-year floodplain of the Yellowstone River, Dry Creek, Cove Creek, Five Mile Creek and Unnamed Creek. Construction within those areas requires a floodplain permit. On acreage with a creek crossing it, that is worth a phone call before anything changes grade.
Where else we work
- Concrete leveling in Billings
City ordinance and right-of-way permits
- Concrete leveling in Laurel
Separate incorporated city, own public works
- Concrete leveling in Lockwood
Unincorporated — county approach permits
Questions about this work
- Do you level shop and outbuilding floors, not just house slabs?
- Yes, and around Shepherd that is a large share of the work. A shop floor that has dropped at a door threshold or under a hoist pad is lifted the same way a driveway is, through small ports, with the slab staying in place.
- What permit do I need out here?
- Shepherd is unincorporated, so Yellowstone County is the authority. The county approach permit is $75.00 residential and $150.00 commercial, through County Public Works at (406) 256-2735. Montana requires no state building permit for a single-family residence unless a local jurisdiction requires one by ordinance.
- Is my property in a regulated floodplain?
- It may be. Yellowstone County regulates the 100-year floodplain of the Yellowstone River, Dry Creek, Cove Creek, Five Mile Creek and Unnamed Creek, and construction in those areas requires a floodplain permit. Check with the county before any work that changes grade or adds structure.
- Is a long gravel approach a problem for the equipment?
- No. The work is done from the slab itself, and the material is pumped through hose, so a long drive or a pad set well back from the road does not change the method.