Lewis and Clark County
Lewis and Clark County was established in 1865 as Edgerton County and later renamed Lewis and Clark County in 1868. It has an estimated population of 71,487 and a land area of about 3,458.4 square miles. The county seat is Helena.
Lewis and Clark County court structure consists of a District Court, a Justice Court, a City Court, and a Municipal Court. The District Court handles felony, probate, mental health, juvenile, domestic relations, and civil cases. It hears appeals from the lower courts and administrative appeals. The Justice Court conducts preliminary felony hearings and handles cases relating to misdemeanors, traffic infractions, and civil matters in which the amount in contention is less than $12,000. It has a Small Claims Division that addresses general civil claims of $7,000 or less. The East Helena City Court also conducts preliminary felony hearings and hears misdemeanors and ordinance violation cases. Helena Municipal Court deals with misdemeanors, preliminary felony hearings, traffic infractions, ordinance violations, and minor civil cases within Helena City limits.
Lewis and Clark County public court records consist of documents, dockets, exhibits, transcripts, and administrative records generated or received during court proceedings. The Lewis and Clark Clerk of District Court office is required by law to keep and, upon request, disseminate the following records to the public:
- Civil records
- Criminal records
- Traffic records
- Divorce records
- Probate records
Under Section 2-6-202 of the Montana Code Annotated, 2013, the public may access court records unless prohibited by the courts. To access District Court records, requests may be made by completing a Request for Copies form and submitting it through email or in-person to the clerk's office at:
222 Broadway, Room 104
Helena, MT 59601
Phone: (406) 447-8216
Fax: (406) 447-8275
The requesting party will need to pay a fee of $1 per document for less than 11 pages and $0.50 per page for more copies. Justice Court records may be accessed at $2 per record search, and anyone may request its court records by visiting the clerk's office at:
222 Broadway, Room 102
Helena, MT 59601
Phone: (406) 447-8201 (Civil/Small Claims)
Phone: (406) 447-8202 (Criminal)
Fax: (406) 447-8269
Copies of Justice Court records are charged at $0.25 per page. The Montana Supreme Court offers online access to District Court records and dockets through its Public Access Portal. The court dockets are also available on the District Court Calendars and Justice Court Calendar Portal. Interested persons may obtain City Court and Municipal Court records by contacting the courthouses.
