Montana sorts cases by how serious they are and by where they happened:

• Justice Court hears misdemeanors from across the county. Most come from deputies, troopers and wardens. Its limit is crimes punishable by 6 months in jail or a $500 fine at most, and it shares larger misdemeanors with District Court (MCA 3-10-303). It also holds early hearings in felonies.
• Great Falls Municipal Court is a court of record. It hears violations of city ordinances and misdemeanors committed within the city. Felony complaints can be filed there too (MCA 3-6-103).
• Belt and Cascade city courts hear their own town's ordinance cases and may share misdemeanors with Justice Court (MCA 3-11-102).
• District Court handles all felonies, which are offenses punishable by over one year in a state prison (MCA 45-2-101). Its Youth Court hears cases for people under 18.

Because Municipal Court keeps a record, an appeal from it is decided on that record, not by a new trial (MCA 3-6-110). After a trial in a lower court, a notice of appeal is generally due within 10 days (MCA 46-17-311).

Here are the main buildings and offices. Hours are weekdays.

• Clerk of District Court, 415 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-604-7796, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Four district judges and a standing master hear cases in this building. The county posts a District Court calendars page, and the district's local rules are online.
• Justice Court, same courthouse, 406-604-7787 or 406-604-7788, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It also handles orders of protection and small claims up to $7,000.
• Juvenile Probation for Youth Court, Room 108 of the courthouse, 406-604-7771.
• Municipal Court, Civic Center, Second Floor, 2 Park Drive South, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-771-1380.
• Town courts in Belt and Cascade are covered in the next answers.

City officers' tickets and arrests within the city come here. The courtroom and payment window are upstairs in the Civic Center, 2 Park Drive South, Great Falls, MT 59401. Mail goes to P.O. Box 5021, Great Falls, MT 59403.

• The front window is open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
• Open court is on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. People check in from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m., and court starts at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday has no open court.
• The judge does not take phone calls or private meetings. Questions for the judge are raised in open court.
• Someone with a warrant from this court should come to court to see the judge right away.
• For TTY, dial 711 or 1-800-253-4091. The main line is 406-771-1380.

Belt and Cascade are small towns without their own police. Deputies patrol both under contracts with the Sheriff's Office. Each town still has a city court for its own laws:

• Belt City Court: send mail to P.O. Box 453, Belt, MT 59412. Its phone, 406-277-3621, is also the Town Hall line.
• Cascade City Court shares a number with Town Hall, 406-468-2808. Mail goes to P.O. Box 314, Cascade, MT 59421.

Neihart is a tiny town of about 41 people. For an arrest there or anywhere outside a town, call Justice Court at 406-604-7787 to ask where the case is filed. A felony from any town still ends up in District Court.

After an arrest, police must take the person to the nearest judge "without unnecessary delay" (MCA 46-7-101). The judge may appear in person or by video. The judge has a set list of things to explain at this hearing (MCA 46-7-102):

• what crimes they are accused of
• that they may have a lawyer, free if they can't pay
• the general ways to be released before trial
• that they do not have to make a statement, and any statement could be used as evidence
• that a conviction could affect their right to have guns
• if the charge is a felony complaint, their right to a judge's ruling on whether there is enough cause

Release is settled right away at this same hearing (MCA 46-9-109). Bring the person's job and family details if you attend, since the judge may ask about ties to the area.

Outside city limits, the County Attorney files misdemeanors in Justice Court. Inside Great Falls, city cases go to Municipal Court. At arraignment the person enters a plea. Pleading not guilty sets the case for trial. Six jurors hear it if either side wants a jury (MCA 46-17-201).

The law sets a deadline. If 6 months pass after the plea and the defense did not cause the wait, the court must throw the case out for good, unless the state shows good cause (MCA 46-13-401). Typical penalties:

• DUI, first offense: a fine of $600 to $1,000 and 24 hours to 6 months behind bars (MCA 61-8-1007)
• First or second theft of $1,500 or less: up to 6 months, a fine up to $1,500, or both (MCA 45-6-301)
• Partner or family member assault, first time: $100 to $1,000 and from 24 hours up to a year in jail (MCA 45-5-206)
• Any misdemeanor without its own penalty: as much as 6 months and $500 (MCA 46-18-212)

A misdemeanor sentence can be deferred for a year at most (MCA 46-18-201). If the person meets every term, the charge can later be dismissed, and its records become confidential (MCA 46-18-204).

Most felonies follow this path:

1. Initial appearance. Usually in Justice Court or Municipal Court, where release is decided.
2. Probable cause. A preliminary hearing may be held, unless it is waived (MCA 46-10-105). The County Attorney can also get District Court's permission to file a formal charging paper, called an information (MCA 46-11-201). A district judge may also call a grand jury.
3. Arraignment. In open court, the person receives a copy of the charge and then answers it (MCA 46-12-201).
4. Trial. A jury of 12 decides unless both sides waive it in writing (MCA 46-16-110). All 12 must agree.
5. Sentencing. It comes after a plea or verdict of guilty.

Felonies without their own penalty carry up to 10 years in prison, a $50,000 fine, or both (MCA 46-18-213). Theft over $1,500 has the same top limit. Possessing dangerous drugs carries a maximum of 5 years. For a first such conviction, the law leans toward a deferred sentence (MCA 45-9-102). A felony sentence may be deferred up to 3 years, but not for someone with an earlier felony (MCA 46-18-201).

Charges that involve violence face stricter steps from arrest to sentence:

• Arrest. In a partner violence call with an injury, a weapon or a broken order, the law prefers an arrest (MCA 46-6-311).
• No-contact order. A standing order may bar contact for 72 hours or until the first court date. The judge reviews it at that hearing (MCA 45-5-209).
• Bail. A judge must see anyone charged with partner assault, choking a partner, stalking or breaking a protection order before release (MCA 46-9-302).
• Monitoring. An ankle monitor is the starting point for felony stalking or a repeat partner assault, if monitors exist here (MCA 46-9-108).
• Penalty. A third partner or family member assault can mean 30 days to 5 years (MCA 45-5-206).

Outside capital cases with strong proof, bail can't be flatly denied. Yet holding a person until trial is allowed when no conditions would keep people safe (MCA 46-9-106).

The County Attorney's Office prosecutes every felony in the county, misdemeanors outside Great Falls city limits, and Youth Court cases. It also handles Highway Patrol and wildlife citations. The office is at 121 4th Street North, Suite 2A, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-454-6915. It is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and closes from noon to 1:00 p.m. If local prosecutors have a conflict of interest, the attorney general's Prosecution Services Bureau can take the case, 406-444-2026.

For the defense, Montana's Office of State Public Defender has a branch at 615 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59403, 406-770-3200. The state's conflict defender office for this region is at 600 Central Avenue, Suite 327, Great Falls, MT 59401, 406-604-7581. Anyone can apply through the public defender application site. The court makes the final call on who qualifies (MCA 47-1-111).

Montana runs two free court portals. Both can be searched with a name or a case number:

• Justice, Municipal and city court cases: the limited jurisdiction portal.
• Felonies: the District Court portal. Log in and open the scheduling tab to see public hearing calendars.

Cases about minors and sealed cases are left off both portals. Justice Court also links a records search on its county web page. For a felony date, call the clerk at 406-604-7796. For a city date, call Municipal Court at 406-771-1380. Clerks will want the legal name and birth date.

A copy of a police report goes through the County Attorney's Office. It uses a Confidential Criminal Justice Information request form. The fee is $15, paid by money order or cashier's check.

For county warrants, the Clerk of Court points people to the Sheriff's Office, so start with a call to 406-454-6820. City warrants come from Municipal Court. Its Warrants List page shows how to search its portal for an active warrant, and the clerks at 406-771-1380 can help when the portal is offline. Any pending case appears on the free portal for lower courts or the felony court portal. People who fled state supervision or escaped show as wanted on the DOC offender search. A city warrant means going to Municipal Court to see the judge. For any other warrant, get legal advice, then surrender or ask the court for a fresh date.

Yes. The Eighth Judicial District has run a Veterans Treatment Court since 2013. It is an outpatient program that lasts at least 16 months.

• It is for veterans 18 or older who have a DD-214 and live in or are moving to the county.
• The person must have a substance abuse, chemical dependency or mental health diagnosis.
• People enter through a deferred or suspended sentence, probation, parole or, at times, pretrial diversion.
• A guilty plea is required, except in diversion cases.

The program office is at 600 Central Avenue, Suite 211, Great Falls, MT 59401. The coordinator's number is 406-604-7602. A defense lawyer can ask whether a client might fit.

Federal crimes from this county are heard in the Great Falls Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. The court is in the Missouri River Federal Courthouse, 125 Central Avenue West, Suite 110, Great Falls, MT 59404. The clerk can be reached at 406-727-1922, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Public computers there show case information.

• The first federal court date includes a hearing on detention, where the judge decides between jail and release (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• The U.S. Marshals Service keeps federal defendants locked up and moves them to court. The county Detention Facility houses Marshals detainees. The district office line is 406-200-6004.
• Pretrial and probation officers for the federal court work in the same building, 406-453-4461.
• Look up filings on PACER. After sentencing, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator tracks the person.

The state case keeps moving, but a detainer changes the release. Using Form I-247A, ICE requests that the jail keep custody up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, giving agents time to pick them up (8 CFR 287.7(d)).

1. Montana requires the officer holding the detainer to take the person into custody on it and tell them the reason (MCA 27-16-801).
2. That rule doesn't apply to anyone who offers believable evidence of citizenship or legal immigration status.
3. Since 2025, an officer making a lawful stop may make a reasonable attempt to learn a person's immigration status (MCA 46-5-401).
4. The county jail also houses ICE detainees. After ICE takes custody, the case is managed by its Salt Lake City Field Office, 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
5. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator to find where they are.

When a judge sends someone to the Montana Department of Corrections, the person often waits at the county jail while state staff complete an assessment. After that comes a placement in prison, prerelease or treatment.

• See location and status on the state offender lookup.
• Our Montana state prisons guide has details on every facility.
• Parole hearings are held by the Board of Pardons and Parole, 1002 Hollenbeck Road, Deer Lodge, MT 59722, 406-846-1404.
• Local probation and parole officers work from 219 5th Street South, Suite A, Great Falls, MT 59405, 406-727-6061.

A district judge sits as the Youth Court judge (MCA 41-5-203). The County Attorney prosecutes these cases. Files for minors are left off the public court portals.

• Detained youths stay at the county's Juvenile Detention Center, 1600 26th Street South, Great Falls, MT 59405, 406-454-6930.
• A detained youth gets a probable cause hearing within 24 hours. Weekend days and holidays are not counted (MCA 41-5-332).
• If the crime is very serious, prosecutors can seek to move the case of a youth age 12 or up into adult court (MCA 41-5-206).
• State prisons can't hold anyone younger than 16.

Parents can call Juvenile Probation in Room 108 of the courthouse at 406-604-7771 to learn the next court date.

Victim-Witness Assistance Services is a Great Falls nonprofit that serves the city and the county. The County Attorney's Office lists it in the City Attorney's Office, 2 Park Drive South, Room 101, Great Falls, MT 59403. Call 406-455-8535, or leave a message any hour at 406-452-6256. For orders of protection, Municipal Court lists a victim witness line, 406-315-1111.

• In serious cases, plea deals, dismissals and releases come only after the prosecutor consults the victim (MCA 46-24-104).
• VINE sends free alerts about state felony offenders. Register on VINELink or call 800-456-3076.
• The state's crime victim compensation program pays up to $25,000 in costs. Call 800-498-6455.