Montana Criminal Court Records

Montana Criminal Court Records are the official documentation generated during criminal court proceedings. They include case-related information such as case files and docket sheets. They may also detail the court’s final verdict regarding each case and jail terms, fines, and other penalties imposed on proven guilty offenders. Criminal court records may be preserved in physical or electronic form. Under state laws, Montana criminal court records fall under the umbrella of public records and may be viewed or inspected by members of the public, except where prevented by law or court order.

What’s included in a Montana Criminal Court Record?

Montana criminal court records provide an official summary of criminal prosecutions, from the initiation of the charges filed by the state, through the trial, to the court's final decision. While criminal court records typically vary with different cases, most criminal court records exclude inmate record information and feature the following:

• Information related to the offense
• Biodata of the offender and plaintiff, including full names and known contact details
• Issued Montana warrants
• Information on indictments
• Related criminal history, where available
• Witness statements, affidavits
• The testimony of expert witnesses
• Details of the court’s final judgment
• Information on penalties ascribed to the defendant
• Information on any revisions to the original judgment arising from appellate courts (if applicable)
• Related Montana arrest records

Understanding the Montana Criminal Court System

Montana has a hierarchical judicial system composed of the Supreme Court, the district court, the workers’ compensation court, and the water court. It also has several courts of limited jurisdiction, such as the city courts, municipal courts, and justice courts.

Supreme Court

The highest court in the state, the Montana Supreme Court, has original jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases except federal crimes committed within the state’s judicial district. It has supervisory control over state courts and hears appeals from the water, workers’ compensation, and district courts. The clerk of the Supreme Court maintains and manages all Supreme Court records, including court dockets, transcripts from lower court proceedings, final orders, and briefs on appeal.

District Court

Montana district courts, organized into 22 judicial districts, serve as the state's trial courts. They process felony cases, probate cases, and most civil law cases. Montana district courts may also hear appeals from lower courts. In 2020, Montana had 56 district courts organized across its districts.

Water Court

Established in 1979, the Montana Water Court presides over all water rights claims cases. In addition to settling water rights disputes, it oversees all water masters, water court staff, and water judges.

Workers’ Compensation Court

Montana’s Workers’ Compensation Court has exclusive jurisdiction over cases related to the Montana Occupational Disease Act and Montana’s Workers' Compensation Act. It also reviews orders from the Montana Department of Labor and adjudicates over cases involving violations of workers’ compensation laws.

Justice of the Peace Court

With at least one court per county, Justice of the Peace Courts preside over civil matters involving disputes that cost less than $5,000 but more than $3,000.

City Courts and Municipal Courts

Montana city and municipal courts have limited jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases, such as violations of town or city ordinances. City courts preside over cases involving amounts up to $5,000, while Municipal courts preside over disputes involving amounts up to $7,000.

How to Obtain Records in Person

Step 1. Identify the Right Court

To obtain records in person, interested parties must visit the courthouse where the case was filed, depending on whether the crime is a felony, misdemeanor, or infraction. Like other states, Montana’s criminal court system spreads criminal cases across different courts, depending on the nature of the crime. Some of these include:

• Felony cases: Most cases are heard at the District Courts
• Felony preliminary hearings: May be heard at district courts, justice courts, city courts, or municipal courts.
• Misdemeanors: Most cases are heard at district courts or justice courts
• Ordinance violations: Most cases are heard at city courts, municipal courts, or justice courts
• Juvenile cases: Most cases are filed at the district court
• Traffic and infraction cases may be filed at the municipal, justice, or city courts.

Step 2: Gather All Relevant Information

Once the location of the record has been confirmed, inquirers will need to gather case-specific information unique to the case. These include details such as the case number, names of the parties involved, the approximate filing date, the date the case was closed, the appellate case number (if applicable), and the name of the presiding judge.

Step 3: Request the Record

In-person requests must be made to the record custodian during official working hours. Most courthouses provide application forms to simplify the request process. Courthouses may also provide an E-lobby service where requesters can electronically sign in to self-serve, reducing wait time.

Step 4: Provide Identification and Fee Requirements

To obtain copies of a record, requestors may be required to pay a nominal fee to cover the printing costs. Interested parties may also be expected to present a government-issued photo ID in order to prove their eligibility to access a record. In cases where the record is confidential, requestors must present a court order authorizing their access as an authentication requirement.

How to Obtain Records Online

Online access to Montana criminal court records will depend on the type of case and court. For instance, interested parties can search for Supreme Court docket records using an online docket-search platform maintained by the Supreme Court clerk. The platform maintains closed dockets from 1979 to the present. Requesters can search through the platform by case party, case attorney, or case number.

Publicly available records may also be accessible from some third-party websites. Operating independently without ties to any state government body, such platforms offer the benefit of not being limited by geographical record availability and can often serve as a starting point when researching a specific or multiple records. To find a record using the search engines on these sites, interested parties must provide:

• The name of someone involved, provided it is not a juvenile
• The assumed location of the record in question, such as a city, county, or state name

Third-party sites are not government-sponsored websites. As a result, record results, accuracy, and availability may differ from official channels.

Are all of Montana’s Criminal Court Records Available to the Public?

Most criminal court records are open to the public. This means that anyone can have access to them whenever they want. There are, however, exceptions. Residents of Montana are prevented from viewing any criminal court record sealed by law or existing order. The court, at its discretion, may close a portion of the proceeding if it involves the testimony of a minor in a non-juvenile court, especially in cases where the demerits of disclosing outweigh the merits of disclosing or when the court believes disclosing will harm the mental health of the juvenile. Other records that may be blocked from public view include:

• Records related to involuntary commitment to psychological evaluation and mental health assessments.
• Selected information about legal actions in which public offices are involved
• Guardianships and conservatorships records, as well as documents related to children in need of supervision proceedings, and records from child abuse and neglect proceedings
• Details of the financial status of the parties involved, as well as their credit card numbers, bank account numbers, or social security numbers

Montana Crime Statistics

The Statistical Analysis Center of the Montana Board of Crime Control compiles the state’s crime data and statistics into Annual NIBRS Offense Summaries. According to the latest summary, law enforcement officers in the commonwealth recorded 72,156 offenses (Group A and B) in 2024, a 0.30% increase in crime volume from 2023.

Montana Crime Trends by Category

Crimes Against Persons

Crimes Against Property

Although the state received more incident reports in 2024, the table shows that Montana experienced a decrease in the incidence of certain offenses. These include statutory rape, forcible sodomy, and sexual assault. Nevertheless, offenses like embezzlement and human trafficking adopted an upward curve, probably resulting in the high volume of reports.

Montana Board of Crime Control
711 or MTAP
5 S. Last Chance Gulch
P.O. Box 201408
Helena, MT 59620-1408
Email: mbcc@mt.gov
Phone: (406) 444-3604
Fax: (406) 444-4722