District Court

Public records held at the Clerk of District Court’s office include marriage licenses, probate, dissolution (divorce), civil, and criminal files. To request information on a person, you may come to the office or write a letter asking for the information. Please include payment in written requests; searches will not be conducted without receipt of the proper fee amount.

• Search Fee: $2.00 per name per year for the first 7 years then $1.00 for each additional year.
• Marriage License Fee: $5.00 for a copy of a marriage license, $7.00 for a certified copy (used for legal purposes).
• Dissolution Decree Fee: $10.00 for copy of divorce decree, $12.00 for a certified copy.
• Copy Charges: $1.00 per page for the first 10 pages, then $0.50 thereafter.

It is best to send two checks when requesting a marriage license or divorce decree; one check to cover the search costs, the other for the cost of the document you requested. If a record is not found, the check for the document fee will be returned to you.

If you know the exact year of the marriage/divorce, the search fee will not be required.

Information we require to conduct a search:

• Full name of person (please also identify maiden name or name used at the time)
• Date of the marriage/divorce – month, day, year to the best of your ability. If only a span of years is known, that will be acceptable.
• Type of search to conduct – marriage license, divorce decree, search of court records for a particular case type
• Type of document requested – a simple copy or a certified copy
• Payment for the search and for the document if on is found

When requesting court documents such as in a probate and the exact number of pages of a document is unknown, you may either request a search and wait for the reply before sending payment for the copy charges, or include a blank check not to exceed the amount you determine to receive the document as soon as the search is conducted.

Cost: $53.00 cash / Exact amount preferred (No personal checks or credit cards accepted)

Identification

Over 21 years of age:

• Present one of the following: 
  • Valid Driver’s License
  • State Issued ID Card
  • Military ID
  • Passport

Under 21 years of age:

• Present one of the above IDs AND Certified copy of Birth Certificate

Blood Test: NOT Required

Waiting Period: The license is effective immediately upon issuance and expires after 180 days.

Information needed:

• If divorced, date of dissolution, county and state in which it occurred
• Parties’ birthplace (City, County, State)
• Parents’ full names, including mother’s maiden name
• Parents’ birth state
• If widowed, date of death, county and state in which it occurred

Certified Copy: $7.00 each – Available upon request of parties.

Appointments: Appointments are required.

Fill out the below application and email it back to carbondcc@mt.gov. Once completed call 406-446-1225 to set up an appointment. Please DO NOT SEND in your application MORE THAN ONE MONTH BEFORE YOUR WEDDING!

Montana Marriage Application

The Clerk of District Court’s office is restricted from providing legal advice because we are not practicing attorneys. However, in a few instances, we do offer templates that you may use to file a divorce proceeding as Pro Se (without an attorney.)

The following packets are available for $10.00:

• Uncontested Dissolution of Marriage without children and no real property
• Summary Dissolution of Marriage without children
• Summary Dissolution of Marriage with children

If you choose to use one of these packets, the filing fee is $200.00 and the judgment entry fee is $45. Fees can be made in one payment to the Clerk of Court. If you are unable to pay the fees, you can file an Affidavit of Inability to Pay, which is available from our office. It must be approved by a District Court Judge before you will be allowed to file for dissolution.

Additional information is available from the State Bar Association at www.montanalawhelp.org and from the State Law Library at http://courts.mt.gov/library/default.asp.

SEC, 25-1-201, 25-1-202, 3-1-317, 50-15-301, 25-9-506, MCA

Effective October 1, 2005