| Clerk of District Court | Lincoln County Clerk of District Court |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | Lincoln County Courthouse, 512 California Ave, 2nd Floor, Libby, MT 59923 (Clerk of District Court) |
| Phone | (406) 283-2342 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., except legal holidays (county office hours set by Resolution 2023-09) |
| Earliest records noted | 1909 |
| 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) |
Lincoln County fills Montana's northwest corner, bordered by Idaho and British Columbia, and is the state's Nineteenth Judicial District on its own, with one district judge sitting in Libby. The Clerk of District Court on the second floor of the courthouse at 512 California Ave holds the county's adoption, civil, criminal, dependent-neglect, domestic-relations, guardianship, juvenile, paternity, probate, sanity, and statutory-lien cases, plus marriage licenses and child-support records. The office says its files date back to 1909, kept in index books until 1996 and on computer since then — useful to know before asking for a decades-old divorce or probate.
Misdemeanors, traffic and Fish and Game citations, felony initial appearances, small claims up to $7,000, civil claims up to $12,000, landlord-tenant cases, and orders of protection go to the Lincoln County Justice Court, which sits not in the courthouse but on the first floor of the county annex on Mineral Avenue. Tickets and ordinance violations inside the county's three incorporated towns are heard by Libby City Court, Troy City Court, and Eureka City Court, each a separate municipal office with its own file.
Lincoln County does not run an online case-search site. The Clerk of District Court offers public computer terminals and the old manual index books in the office, accepts search requests by email, and posts a fee schedule that mirrors the statutory Clerk of District Court rates. Whether the district court's index also appears on Montana's statewide portal depends on whether the Nineteenth District has converted to the centralized case system.
Search Lincoln County court records online
Clerk of District Court
Lincoln County Clerk of District Court
- Cost
- $1.00 per page for the first 10 pages, $0.50 per page after; $2.00 certification; $2.00 per name per year for searches (up to 7 years, then $1.00)
- Coverage
- District Court adoption, civil, criminal, dependent-neglect, domestic-relations, guardianship, juvenile, paternity, probate, sanity, and statutory-lien records for Lincoln County (Nineteenth Judicial District), dating to 1909
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate
Second floor of the courthouse at 512 California Ave, Libby; email 19thCOC@mt.gov. Public access is through computer terminals in the office (records computerized since 1996) and manual index books for older cases. The posted fee schedule also lists $0.25 per outgoing page for faxed or emailed copies and $6.00 for authentication or exemplification.
Other courts
Lincoln County Justice Court
- Coverage
- Misdemeanor criminal offenses, traffic and Fish and Game violations, felony initial appearances, civil suits up to $12,000, small claims up to $7,000, landlord-tenant disputes, and orders of protection in Lincoln County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Traffic
First floor of the Lincoln County Annex, 418 Mineral Ave, Libby, MT 59923; (406) 283-2411 for trials and restitution, (406) 283-2413 for civil and small claims, (406) 283-2412 for citations; open Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. No online case search is offered; contact the clerks.
Other courts
Libby City Court
- Coverage
- Offenses under state law or city ordinance committed within Libby city limits
- Records
- Criminal, Traffic
The Montana Judicial Branch lists the court at 952 E Spruce St, Libby, MT 59923, (406) 293-4440. The city's page says court is in session Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and that fines are paid at the county annex, 418 Mineral Ave. Troy City Court, (406) 295-4151, and Eureka City Court, (406) 297-2123, serve the other two towns.
What is available online
Lincoln County's website describes the Clerk of District Court's records, fees, and email contact but does not host a case-search database, and the Justice Court and city court pages likewise offer no online lookup. In-office access is good: the clerk provides public computer terminals covering cases filed since the office computerized in 1996 and keeps the manual index books for cases from 1909 to 1996. If the Nineteenth Judicial District has been converted to Montana's Full Court Enterprise system, the district court case index will also be searchable on the statewide District Court Public Access Portal; Justice Court and city court cases would appear on the Courts of Limited Jurisdiction portal. Neither portal supplies document images, so copies are ordered from the clerk, who will email them for $0.25 per page.
Which clerk has your record
In Montana, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the Montana page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| District Courts (22 judicial districts, one Clerk of District Court per county) | Felony criminal cases; Divorce, custody, and other family-law cases; Civil suits over $15,000 | Clerk of District Court of the county |
| Justice Courts | Misdemeanor criminal cases; Civil cases up to $15,000 and small claims up to $7,000; Landlord-tenant and eviction (forcible entry and detainer) | Justice of the Peace / Justice Court clerk for the county precinct |
| City Courts and Municipal Courts | City ordinance violations; Misdemeanors and traffic tickets within city limits; Small claims within some cities | City Court clerk or Municipal Court clerk for that city |
Request records in person or by mail
Lincoln County clerk offices
Lincoln County Courthouse, 512 California Ave, 2nd Floor, Libby, MT 59923 (Clerk of District Court)
Phone: (406) 283-2342
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., except legal holidays (county office hours set by Resolution 2023-09)
District Court records — by email or mail. Send your request to 19thCOC@mt.gov or to the Clerk of District Court, 512 California Ave, Libby, MT 59923, with the case number or the party names and years to search, the documents you need, and whether you want certified copies. Fees on the clerk's posted schedule: searches $2.00 per name per year for up to seven years and $1.00 per name per year after that; copies $1.00 per page for the first 10 pages and $0.50 per page thereafter; certification with seal $2.00; authentication or exemplification $6.00; a copy of a decree of dissolution $10.00; a copy of a marriage license $5.00; faxed or emailed copies $0.25 per outgoing page. The schedule notes fees are subject to change, so confirm the total before paying.
District Court records — in person. Visit the second floor of the courthouse on California Avenue in Libby, weekdays 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. You can search the public computer terminals for cases since 1996 or the index books for earlier cases, then ask staff to pull the file.
Justice Court records. Contact the Justice Court at the county annex, 418 Mineral Ave, Libby, by phone at (406) 283-2411 (trials), (406) 283-2413 (civil and small claims), or (406) 283-2412 (citations), or by fax at (406) 293-5948. The Justice Court sets its own copy fees.
City court records. Libby City Court, (406) 293-4440; Troy City Court, (406) 295-4151; Eureka City Court, (406) 297-2123. Each keeps only the tickets and ordinance cases from inside its own city.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in Montana |
|---|---|
| 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 and restricted records
Montana court records are generally open to the public, but several categories are restricted or removed from public search entirely:
The Montana guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
How far back do Lincoln County district court records go?
The Clerk of District Court says its records date to 1909. Cases were indexed in books until 1996 and have been on the office computer system since then, so older cases are searched in the index books at the courthouse rather than on a terminal.
Can I search Lincoln County court records online?
Not through a county website. The clerk offers in-office terminals and email requests instead. If the Nineteenth Judicial District has been converted to Montana's statewide case system, the district court index will also appear on the District Court Public Access Portal.
What does a name search cost at the Lincoln County clerk's office?
$2.00 per name per year searched for up to seven years, then $1.00 per name per year, plus copy fees of $1.00 per page for the first 10 pages and $0.50 per page after that. Certified copies add $2.00 per certification.
Where is the Lincoln County Justice Court?
Not in the courthouse. Justice Court is on the first floor of the Lincoln County Annex at 418 Mineral Ave in Libby, open 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. weekdays; the courthouse at 512 California Ave holds the district court and its clerk.
Sources
- Lincoln County Clerk of the District Court — https://lincolncountymt.us/clerk-of-the-district-court-homepage/
- Lincoln County Clerk of the District Court — Fee Schedule — https://lincolncountymt.us/clerk-of-the-district-court-homepage/fee-schedule-2/
- Lincoln County Justice Court — https://lincolncountymt.us/county-courts/justice-court/
- Lincoln County Justice Court — Contacts — https://lincolncountymt.us/county-courts/court-contacts/
- Lincoln County Resolution 2023-09 — County office hours — https://lincolncountymt.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Establish-Office-Hours.pdf
- City of Libby — Municipal Courts — https://cityoflibby.com/departments-services/municipal-courts/
- Montana Judicial Branch — 19th Judicial District court contacts — https://courts.mt.gov/CourtLocator/19thJudicialDistrict
- 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/
See also: all Montana counties.