Montana DPHHS Tick Surveillance

Please complete the survey below to submit a tick for identification or report a tick encounter. 

Tick identification can only be confirmed by mailing the tick to us. A partial identification might be possible from photographs; however, the tick type cannot be confirmed from photos alone.

Instructions for mailing a tick will be sent by email after this form is completed.

The information that you provide in this form will be handled and stored according to MT DPHHS privacy policies, and will be used to share information with you about the tick that you submit. 

For more information, please visit

 https://dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/cdepi/diseases/ticks 

Please note that photos might only provide a partial identification of the tick. To confirm the type of tick, it will need to be mailed in.

Review this guidance for taking a photo in a way that will maximize our ability to identify the tick.

Please note that tick identification is available through the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Public Health and Safety Division only. We do not provide testing of the tick for disease pathogens. Once received, tick submissions will not be returned to the submitter. Identifying the tick species might help a healthcare provider diagnose an illness that could be associated with a tick bite.

If a fever, rash, or flu-like illness occurs within a month of a bite, contact your healthcare provider. Let them know you were bitten by a tick and that you submitted the tick for identification. 

For information about tickborne disease and prevention, visit https://dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/cdepi/diseases/ticks. 

For questions about this submission form, email us at ticks@mt.gov.