| Clerk of District Court | Butte-Silver Bow Clerk of the District Court |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse, 155 W Granite St, Room 313, Butte, MT 59701 (Clerk of the District Court) |
| Phone | (406) 497-6350 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (passport applications 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.) |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| 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) |
Silver Bow County and the city of Butte merged decades ago into a single consolidated government, the City and County of Butte-Silver Bow, and the county is Montana's Second Judicial District on its own. That consolidation makes court records unusually easy to locate: the Clerk of the District Court, both Justice of the Peace departments, and Butte City Court all sit in the historic Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse at 155 W Granite St, on different floors of the same building.
The Clerk of the District Court (Room 313) is the custodian of the district court's physical and electronic records — felonies, civil disputes, divorces and other family cases, probate estates, guardianships, and conservatorships. Justice Court (Room 305) handles misdemeanors, small claims, and felony initial appearances from county and state officers, while Butte City Court (Room 401) takes traffic citations, misdemeanors, and ordinance violations written by Butte-Silver Bow law enforcement inside the urban area. Each court keeps its own case file and its own records-request process.
None of the three courts publishes a Butte-Silver Bow-specific case-search website. The district court's case index will be on the statewide District Court Public Access Portal only if the Second Judicial District has converted to Montana's centralized case system, so start there and then call the clerk. City Court has the most formal records process of the three, with a written request form and a $10.00 per-name search fee.
Search Silver Bow County court records online
Clerk of District Court
Butte-Silver Bow Clerk of the District Court
- Cost
- Statutory copy fee ($1.00 per page for the first 10 pages, $0.50 per page after; $2.00 certification)
- Coverage
- District Court civil, family, felony, estate, guardianship, and conservatorship case records for Silver Bow County (Second Judicial District), physical and electronic
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate
Room 313 of the Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse; general email clkofdistcourt@bsb.mt.gov, fax (406) 497-6358. The office also issues marriage licenses, manages jury service, and is a passport acceptance facility. Its web page lists no online case search; check the statewide portal, then contact the clerk.
Other courts
Butte-Silver Bow Justice Court
- Coverage
- Misdemeanor criminal cases, small civil claims, and felony initial appearances heard by Silver Bow County's two elected Justices of the Peace
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Traffic
Room 305 of the courthouse at 155 W Granite St, (406) 497-6390, fax (406) 497-6468; the Justice Court clerks can be reached at (406) 497-6391 and (406) 497-6393. The directory page does not list office hours or an online case search.
Other courts
Butte City Court
- Cost
- $10.00 search fee per name; $1.00 per page for copies, $2.00 per page certified
- Coverage
- Traffic citations, misdemeanor criminal cases, and city ordinance violations within Butte-Silver Bow
- Records
- Criminal, Traffic
Room 401 of the courthouse, (406) 497-6365, citycourt@bsb.mt.gov. Open Monday–Thursday 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Records are requested on the court's written form; the $10.00 per-name search fee is charged whether or not a record is found (waived for government agencies).
What is available online
Butte-Silver Bow's website describes each court's services and contact details but does not host a case-search database for any of them. The Clerk of the District Court page says the office keeps both physical and electronic records, yet the only online tools linked are the jury questionnaire and the statewide online fine-payment site. If the Second Judicial District has been converted to Montana's Full Court Enterprise system, district court cases will be searchable on the statewide District Court Public Access Portal, and Justice Court or City Court cases on the Courts of Limited Jurisdiction portal. Because conversion happens court by court, an empty portal search should be followed up with a call to the relevant clerk.
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
Silver Bow County clerk offices
Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse, 155 W Granite St, Room 313, Butte, MT 59701 (Clerk of the District Court)
Phone: (406) 497-6350
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (passport applications 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.)
District Court records. Contact the Clerk of the District Court in Room 313 of the courthouse at 155 W Granite St, Butte, MT 59701, by phone at (406) 497-6350, by email at clkofdistcourt@bsb.mt.gov, or in person between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. Provide the case number or the party names and approximate year, list the documents you need, and say whether copies should be certified. Copy fees follow the statewide Clerk of District Court schedule in Mont. Code Ann. 25-1-201: $1.00 per page for the first 10 pages, $0.50 per page thereafter, plus $2.00 per certification.
Justice Court records. Call the Justice Court clerks at (406) 497-6390 or visit Room 305. The Justice Court sets its own copy fees; confirm the amount before sending payment.
Butte City Court records. Submit the court's written records-request form, available from the City Court office in Room 401 or through the City Court Records Request page on the county website. A $10.00 search fee per name is due before the request is processed and is not refunded if nothing is found; copies are $1.00 per page and certified copies $2.00 per page. Government agencies are not charged. The court notes that most of its records are public, and fines can be paid online through CitePay USA.
Online. Try the Montana District Court Public Access Portal (district court) or the Courts of Limited Jurisdiction Public Access Portal (Justice and City Court) first; neither provides document images, so copies still come from the clerk.
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
Are Butte's courts all in the same building?
Yes. The Clerk of the District Court (Room 313), Justice Court (Room 305), and Butte City Court (Room 401) are all in the Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse at 155 W Granite St, but they are separate courts with separate files and request procedures.
How much does a Butte City Court records search cost?
City Court charges a $10.00 search fee per name, payable before the request is processed and non-refundable even if no record is found, plus $1.00 per page for copies or $2.00 per page for certified copies. Government agencies are exempt from the fees.
Can I search Silver Bow County district court cases online?
Butte-Silver Bow does not run its own case-search site. If the Second Judicial District has been converted to Montana's statewide case system, the case index will be on the District Court Public Access Portal; otherwise contact the Clerk of the District Court at (406) 497-6350.
Where did my Butte traffic ticket go?
Because Butte and Silver Bow County share one consolidated government, most traffic citations written by Butte-Silver Bow officers go to Butte City Court in Room 401 of the courthouse. Citations from the Highway Patrol or cases outside City Court's jurisdiction go to Justice Court in Room 305.
Sources
- Butte-Silver Bow — Clerk of the District Court — https://co.silverbow.mt.us/165/Clerk-of-the-District-Court
- Butte-Silver Bow — District Courts — https://co.silverbow.mt.us/168/District-Court
- Butte-Silver Bow — Justice Courts staff directory — https://co.silverbow.mt.us/directory.aspx?did=43
- Butte-Silver Bow — City Court — https://co.silverbow.mt.us/164/City-Court
- Butte-Silver Bow — City Court Records Request — https://co.silverbow.mt.us/3248/26124
- Montana Judicial Branch — 2nd Judicial District court contacts — https://courts.mt.gov/CourtLocator/2ndJudicialDistrict
- 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.