A child support payment history may be obtained by sending an inquiry to the Clerk of Court or by calling 406-932-5154.  Payments are processed the day they are received. If you have recently changed your residence or mailing address, be sure to advise the court in writing so your future checks will be mailed accordingly. If you failed to notify us of your new address and you are concerned that a check may have been mailed to an old address, please contact us by phone 406-932-5154 or e-mail the Clerk of Court immediately.

The following two options should be considered:

Contact the Child Support Enforcement Division for the State of Montana (CSED) at 1-800-346-5437 to open a case. CSED will collect child support for you by means of a wage assignment, automatically deducting funds from each paycheck.

Seek advice from an attorney licensed to practice law in Montana.

Supervision fees and felony restitution fees are paid through State offices in Helena. Their contact information is 800-801-3478. The mailing address is: Dept. of Corrections, Collection Unit, PO Box 201350 Helena, MT 59620. The payment must include your name, your Department of Corrections (DOC) ID No. (AO#12345), and the name of your current Probation/Parole/ISP Officer.

Only criminal fines, public defender fees, and misdemeanor restitution payments are payable through the Clerk of Court.

This office can provide that information by phone at 406-932-5154 or email to the Clerk of Court. Please be able to provide full names and the approximate date of sentencing.

The Office of Public Defender office is in Bozeman and can be reached by calling (406) 582-2450 & Fax: (406) 582-2451

Yes. You may open a civil case for a name change. The fee is $120 (one-hundred twenty dollars) to file a petition for a name change and a $45 judgment fee payable upon the filing of the order granting a name change for adults.  A generic petition is available in our Forms Section. Adults must publish in a newspaper for the statutorily required time but there is no publication requirement for a minor name change if both parents file a signed consent.

If the names of multiple children in one family are being changed, a separate petition must be filed for each child.  However, there will be only one $120 fee charged per family. If both parents have not signed consent forms, please review the Montana Codes Annotated for rules on procedure or seek the advice of a licensed attorney.

Documentation is available on-line through the State Law Library at www.courts.mt.gov.  A completed petition may be filed with the Clerk of District Court along with the required $120 fee.  A hearing must be conducted.  The Montana Statue is 41-1-501, MCA.

Construction and Mechanic’s liens are filed with the Clerk & Recorder – 406-932-5152. 

You may file a petition with a limited court or the District Court; you must file with only the District Court if you have a dissolution matter pending. There is no fee and a Victim’s Witness Advocate is available most hours of the day to assist you. Please contact this office for more information.

Submit a signed letter or pleading to this office requesting the judge to remove the Order and your reason. You will need to provide proof of identification at the Office of the Clerk of Court upon submission of your request.

Yes, we can fax or email copies of any public record. A fee of $.25 per page must be paid in advance, however. 

You must contact your probation officer about this matter.

Traffic tickets and citations are all handled by the courts of limited jurisdiction – Justice Court, or Big Timber City Court. The ticket or citation will list the name of the court & Justice of the Peace/City Judge Connolly, Sweet Grass County.

Litigants and / or their legal representative must be present in court at or prior to the scheduled date and time. All jurors must check in at the Clerk of Court prior to Juror Orientation.

Any party to a case or one’s legal representative may only have audience with the court at a scheduled hearing or attorney’s conference.

You may appear at our office personally at 200 West First, 2^nd floor of the Sweet Grass County Courthouse or you can mail your written request to: Clerk of Court, PO Box 698, Big Timber, MT.

You must include a self-addressed stamped, return envelope, and a check or money order made payable to the Clerk of Court. Statutory fees vary depending upon the requested document; most photocopies are $1.00 per page for the first 10 pages and $.50 cents per page thereafter. A copy of a divorce decree is $10 (regardless of length), a copy of a marriage license is $5, and an additional $2 is required for certification of any document. 

You may send a blank (signed) check with a notation to not exceed a certain amount in the memo portion if you are unsure of the exact charges.  Your copy and a receipt for the exact charge will be returned. Note: Confidential records require court ordered approval to open and provide copies.  Please call to discuss procedure relative to requests for confidential documents (such as adoption matters).

Any person 18 years of age or older that is registered to vote,  that is licensed to drive, or holds a Montana ID card is eligible to serve on jury duty. 

You may be required to complete and submit a juror affidavit requesting an excuse as soon as possible prior to trial. The affidavit must be notarized so you must have current identification such as a driver’s license. The Court will consider your request to be excused and will notify you of the decision prior to trial.  Call Clerk of District Court with additional questions at – 406-932-5154.

Copies of Summons can be obtained by calling the Clerk of Court at 406-932-5154. 

Please review the Montana Codes Annotated, Title 40 – Family Law http://data.opi.state.mt.us/bills/mca_toc/index.htm 40-1-301, MCA. Solemnization and registration.   Only a judge of a court of record, a public official whose powers include solemnization of marriages, a mayor, city judge, or justice of the peace, or a tribal judge, in accordance with any mode of solemnization recognized by any religious denomination, Indian nation or tribe, or native group may solemnize a marriage. Either the person solemnizing the marriage or, if no individual acting alone solemnized the marriage, a party to the marriage shall complete the marriage certificate form and forward it to the clerk of the district court.

This section also explains that the solemnization of the marriage is not invalidated by the fact that the person solemnizing the marriage was not legally qualified to solemnize it if either party to the marriage believed that person to be qualified.

Please review the Montana Codes Annotated, Title 40 – Family Law http://data.opi.state.mt.us/bills/mca_toc/index.htm 40-1-213. Judicial approval. The underage party must seek Judicial approval prior to applying for a marriage license. Once approval has been obtained, the couple may appear before the Clerk of Court to obtain a marriage license. No persons under the age of 16 may be legally married in Montana.

No. Marriage Licenses in Montana expire 180 days from the issue date and are not valid beyond that date. The couple must begin the process again and reapply for another marriage license & pay the fee again.

Until the license is filed, no record of your marriage exists, so you would only be considered married by common law – no paper trail.  Please file the original license immediately.  If it has been lost or destroyed, you must file a Declaration of Marriage; a new application process and fee will be required.

We can issue marriage licenses from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The busiest time of day is from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. so we encourage couples to appear early in the day.

No.  Brides and grooms can sign a waiver of the rubella blood test requirement in Montana when applying for a license.  Paperwork can be obtained from the Clerk of Court when you appear at that office to obtain a marriage license.

Most questions regarding passports and travel abroad are addressed by the US Passport website http://travel.state.gov

A passport application, instructions, and information as to documentation requirements can be obtained through the US Department of State http://travel.state.gov

We can accommodate passport applicants from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Each application process can take anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour depending upon documentation available, proper fees, etc.

If the estate is worth less than $50K we have an affidavit form you may use. The opening of a probate may not be required if the estate does not exceed $50,000.00, but all assets must be held in joint tenancy. Should probating the estate be necessary, the filing fee is $100, and you must either consult a licensed attorney or represent yourself.  The Montana State Law Library has a list of probate forms for use by self-represented litigants.