| Statewide case search | Montana District Court Public Access Portal |
|---|---|
| Criminal history check | Montana DOJ Criminal History Online Public Record Search (CHOPRS) |
| Appellate opinions | Montana Supreme Court Public View Docket |
| Federal cases | PACER (1 district) |
| Plain copy fee | $1.00 per page for the first 10 pages, $0.50 per page thereafter (Clerk of District Court, Mont. Code Ann. 25-1-201) |
| Certified copy fee | Same per-page copy fee plus $2.00 for certification with the court seal (Mont. Code Ann. 25-1-201) |
| Who keeps trial records | Clerk of the Supreme Court; Clerk of District Court of the county |
Montana keeps trial-court records with the Clerk of District Court in each of its 56 counties — the office that files felonies, civil suits, divorces, custody cases, and probate matters for that county's judicial district. Misdemeanors, small claims, evictions, and city ordinance violations instead go to one of Montana's Courts of Limited Jurisdiction: a Justice Court (county-level, for areas outside city limits) or a City Court (for offenses within a city). There is no single county-level office that holds everything, so knowing which court heard the case matters before you start searching.
Montana's judiciary is still rolling out a statewide case management system, so online case access is more limited than in many states. The District Court Public Access Portal and the Courts of Limited Jurisdiction Public Access Portal let the public search cases by name or case number, but only for courts that have converted to the new system — coverage is expanding county by county, not statewide yet. Where a county's court has not converted, records are searchable only in person at the clerk's office. The Montana Department of Justice separately runs a name-based Criminal History Online Public Record Search for statewide conviction records, for a per-search fee.
The most common mistake is assuming one portal covers every court. A search on the District Court portal will miss a case that is actually in Justice or City Court, and a court that has not yet converted to the new statewide system will not appear in either public-access portal at all — you have to call or visit that clerk's office directly.
How Montana courts are organized
Which court heard a case decides who keeps the file. Use this table to pick the right clerk before you search, and see the guides to criminal, civil, family, and probate records for what each court's file contains.
| Court | Handles | Who holds the records |
|---|---|---|
| Montana Supreme Court |
| Clerk of the Supreme Court Montana has no intermediate court of appeals; nearly all appeals from district court go directly to the Supreme Court. |
| District Courts (22 judicial districts, one Clerk of District Court per county) |
| Clerk of District Court of the county Some judicial districts cover more than one county; each county still has its own Clerk of District Court and case file. |
| Justice Courts |
| Justice of the Peace / Justice Court clerk for the county precinct 65 Justice Courts statewide, one or more per county; not all have converted to the statewide public-access portal. |
| City Courts and Municipal Courts |
| City Court clerk or Municipal Court clerk for that city 89 City Courts and 13 Municipal Courts statewide. Municipal Court judges must be attorneys; City Court judges are not required to be. Each keeps its own records. |
Search Montana court records online
Statewide case search
Montana District Court Public Access Portal
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Case index, register of actions, and hearing information for District Courts that have converted to Montana's centralized case management system (Full Court Enterprise). Not every county's district court is on the system yet.
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate
Offered as a courtesy by the Montana Judicial Branch, not a statutory requirement. Check whether your county's district court has converted before assuming an empty result means no case exists.
Statewide case search
Montana Courts of Limited Jurisdiction Public Access Portal
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Case index for Justice Courts, City Courts, and Municipal Courts that have converted to the statewide case management system
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Traffic
Same rolling conversion as the district court portal; many Justice and City Courts are not yet on the system and must be searched in person or by phone.
Criminal history (convictions)
Montana DOJ Criminal History Online Public Record Search (CHOPRS)
- Cost
- $20.00 per name search; $100/year for a registered account with unlimited searches
- Coverage
- Montana's public criminal history record database under Mont. Code Ann. 44-5-301 — felony and misdemeanor arrest and court disposition information reported to the Department of Justice
- Records
- Criminal
Search by full name and date of birth (Social Security number optional). Deferred prosecutions that were later dismissed, and other non-public criminal justice information, are not released through this search.
Appellate courts
Montana Supreme Court Public View Docket
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Active Supreme Court cases, closed cases since 2006, and closed cases from 1979–2005; searchable by case number, party, or attorney
- Records
- Appeals
Opinions and daily orders are posted separately on the Montana Judicial Branch website.
Federal court records in Montana
Federal cases (bankruptcy, federal crimes, lawsuits under federal law) are not in state portals. They live in PACER, organized by district. Montana has 1 federal judicial district.
| District | Main courthouse | Court website |
|---|---|---|
| District of Montana | Great Falls (clerk's office headquarters; divisional offices also in Billings, Missoula, Butte, Helena, and Havre) | www.mtd.uscourts.gov |
Read our PACER guide for registration, the per-page fee, and the quarterly fee waiver.
Montana county court records
Trial-court records are kept by the clerk in the county where the case was filed. These are the largest counties in Montana; each guide covers the clerk of district court and other court offices, their addresses, and what is searchable online.
- Yellowstone County court records County seat: Billings Online search Free
- Gallatin County court records County seat: Bozeman Online search Free
- Missoula County court records County seat: Missoula Online search Free
- Flathead County court records County seat: Kalispell Online search Free
- Cascade County court records County seat: Great Falls Online search Free
- Lewis and Clark County court records County seat: Helena Online search Free
- Ravalli County court records County seat: Hamilton Online search
- Silver Bow County court records County seat: Butte Online search
- Lake County court records County seat: Polson Online search
- Lincoln County court records County seat: Libby Online search
Request records in person or by mail
In person. Go to the Clerk of District Court for the county where the case was filed, or to the Justice Court or City Court that heard a misdemeanor, small-claims, or ordinance case. Most clerk's offices have a public terminal or paper index for searching by name, and staff can pull the physical file. Bring the case number if you have it, or the party names and an approximate filing year.
By mail or email. Most clerks accept written record requests by mail, fax, or email; check the individual county's clerk page (linked from each county page on this site) for the correct address or email address. Include the case number or party names and year, exactly which document you need (for example a judgment, decree of dissolution, or order of protection), whether you need a plain or certified copy, and payment or a request for a fee quote.
Online. If the court has converted to the statewide Full Court Enterprise system, you can search the case index and register of actions for free on the District Court Public Access Portal or the Courts of Limited Jurisdiction Public Access Portal. Neither portal provides document images for download in most counties — you still request copies from the clerk. For statewide criminal-history checks (not the same as a court case file), use the Department of Justice's Criminal History Online Public Record Search.
Copy fees. Under Mont. Code Ann. 25-1-201, a Clerk of District Court charges $1.00 per page for the first 10 pages of a document and $0.50 per page after that, plus $2.00 for certification with the court seal. Justice Courts and City Courts set their own copy fees by local schedule; confirm with that court before sending payment.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | $1.00 per page for the first 10 pages, $0.50 per page thereafter (Clerk of District Court, Mont. Code Ann. 25-1-201) |
| Certified copy | Same per-page copy fee plus $2.00 for certification with the court seal (Mont. Code Ann. 25-1-201) |
This is the statutory Clerk of District Court fee schedule; individual District Courts publish the same figures on their fee schedules. Justice Courts, City Courts, and Municipal Courts set their own copy fees locally and are not bound by this schedule, so confirm the amount with that specific court before mailing payment.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed, expunged, and restricted records
Montana court records are generally open to the public, but several categories are restricted or removed from public search entirely:
- Expunged misdemeanor records. Under Title 46, chapter 18, part 11 of the Montana Code Annotated (the Misdemeanor Expungement Act), a person who completed a misdemeanor sentence and has had no new conviction for five years may petition the district court to expunge — permanently destroy or erase — the record of the arrest, investigation, and court proceeding. A person may use this remedy only once in their lifetime, though the single order can cover multiple misdemeanors.
- Sealed criminal history records. Once a district court seals a record under Mont. Code Ann. 46-18-204, the public cannot access it without a further court order showing good cause; certain criminal justice agencies retain access.
- Confidential criminal justice information. Mont. Code Ann. 44-5-103 defines categories such as investigative and intelligence information, fingerprints, and other records made confidential by law, which are never released through the public criminal-history search.
- Juvenile, adoption, paternity, and involuntary-commitment records. These case types are confidential under Montana law and are excluded from the public-access portals and from a Clerk of District Court's public index.
- Non-conviction records. The Montana DOJ removes or seals records of arrests and charges that did not result in a conviction (dismissals, acquittals, and deferred prosecutions successfully completed) from the criminal-history database on request.
Misuse of confidential criminal justice information — obtaining it by misrepresenting the purpose of the request, or passing it to someone not authorized to receive it — is itself a misdemeanor under Montana law.
To remove your own record from public view, read how to expunge or seal a criminal record.
Frequently asked questions
Is there one statewide website to search Montana court records?
Not yet for every court. The District Court Public Access Portal and the Courts of Limited Jurisdiction Public Access Portal cover courts that have converted to Montana's centralized case management system, but many counties' courts have not converted and must be searched by contacting the clerk directly.
Who keeps Montana district court records?
The Clerk of District Court in the county where the case was filed. Montana has 56 counties and 22 judicial districts, and each county keeps its own felony, civil, family, and probate files even when it shares a judicial district with a neighboring county.
How do I check someone's criminal record in Montana?
The Montana Department of Justice's Criminal History Online Public Record Search provides a statewide, name-based search of public criminal history for $20 per search. It reflects arrests and court dispositions reported to the department and does not include sealed, expunged, or non-public information.
Where are misdemeanor and traffic cases handled in Montana?
Misdemeanors and traffic tickets outside city limits go to the county Justice Court; those within a city go to that city's City Court or Municipal Court. Neither is the same office as the Clerk of District Court, and each keeps its own separate case file.
Can I get a Montana misdemeanor conviction expunged?
Under the Montana Misdemeanor Expungement Act (Title 46, chapter 18, part 11), a person who completed their sentence and has had no new conviction for five years may petition the district court once in their lifetime to expunge one or more misdemeanor records. Felony convictions are not eligible under this statute.
How much does a certified copy of a Montana court record cost?
A Clerk of District Court charges $1.00 per page for the first 10 pages, $0.50 per page after that, plus $2.00 for certification with the court seal, under Mont. Code Ann. 25-1-201. Justice and City Courts set their own fees, so confirm the amount with that specific court.
Sources
- Montana Judicial Branch — General Public — https://courts.mt.gov/GeneralPublic
- Montana Judicial Branch — Court Links (portals and docket search) — https://courts.mt.gov/courtlinks
- Montana Judicial Branch — Public Access Portals — https://courts.mt.gov/Courts/portals
- Montana Judicial Branch — Courts of Limited Jurisdiction — https://courts.mt.gov/Courts/lcourt/
- Montana Supreme Court Public View Docket — https://supremecourtdocket.mt.gov/
- Montana DOJ Criminal History Online Public Record Search — https://doj.egovmt.com/choprs/
- Montana DOJ — Conviction Expungement Process — https://dojmt.gov/dci-home/conviction-expungement-process/
- Montana DOJ — Non-Conviction Removal and Sealing — https://dojmt.gov/dci-home/non-conviction-removal-and-sealing/
- Mont. Code Ann. 25-1-201 — Fees of Clerk of District Court — https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0250/chapter_0010/part_0020/section_0010/0250-0010-0020-0010.html
- Mont. Code Ann. Title 46, Chapter 18, Part 11 — Expungement of Records — https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0460/chapter_0180/part_0110/sections_index.html
- Mont. Code Ann. 44-5-103 — Confidential Criminal Justice Information, Definitions — https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0440/chapter_0050/part_0010/section_0030/0440-0050-0010-0030.html
- United States District Court for the District of Montana — https://www.mtd.uscourts.gov/