Flathead County Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

A judge makes the call. Jail staff only follow the order. In Montana, police must bring an arrested person in front of the nearest available judge "without unnecessary delay" (MCA 46-7-101). The judge then settles release at that very first hearing (MCA 46-9-109).

For most arrests outside the cities, that hearing takes place at the county Justice Court, 935 1st Avenue West, Kalispell, MT 59901, 406-758-5643. It has three judges and keeps weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Your loved one might be brought to the courtroom, or they might appear on a live video hookup from the jail (MCA 46-9-206).

City arrests can be heard in Kalispell Municipal Court, Whitefish Municipal Court or Columbia Falls City Court. Felony cases later move to District Court. The bail travels with the case, though a district judge may change it (MCA 46-9-201).

Montana tells judges to start with the least strict choice that would still get the person to every hearing (MCA 46-9-108). These are the main choices:

• Recognizance. The person pays nothing and signs a pledge to return (MCA 46-9-111).
• Conditions. Release with rules attached. These might include a curfew, staying sober, no firearms, check-ins, or a no-contact order for the alleged victim.
• Cash. The court holds the whole amount until the case wraps up.
• Two co-signers. Along with the defendant, two qualified people put their names on a written undertaking for the full bail.
• Commercial bond. A licensed bail agent puts up the guarantee in exchange for a fee you can't get back.
• Real estate. Land in Montana that has enough equity, free of loans, can be put up (MCA 46-9-401).
• License in place of cash. On certain traffic tickets, an officer may keep the driver's license as the bail.

A county report from 2019 notes that some people freed on bond here are ordered into drug or alcohol testing. Certain cases, like a repeat partner assault or felony stalking, call for an ankle monitor whenever one is available.

A Recommended Bond Schedule from the state Supreme Court guides the lower courts. The current edition is dated January 2026. Judges use it as a starting point and can go higher or lower. State surcharges are already folded into every figure. Some figures from the list:

• Assault causing bodily injury (misdemeanor): $585, with a required court appearance
• Furnishing alcohol to a person under 21: $535, with a required court appearance
• Boating while impaired: $335
• Illegal gambling: $750 for a second offense in 5 years, and $1,500 for a third
• Felonies: left blank, so each amount is up to the judge

State law keeps a few charges off any schedule. Those are: hurting or strangling a partner or relative, stalking, and ignoring an order of protection or no-contact order (MCA 46-9-302). Anyone held on one of them must wait for the judge. To learn the actual figure for your loved one, see the roster or ask the court.

The city court has a bond schedule of its own, dated January 1, 2024. It covers misdemeanors that happen inside city limits. Some of the amounts:

• DUI, first offense: $850
• Disorderly conduct, first offense: $205
• Theft, first offense: $400
• Resisting arrest: $500
• Driving on a suspended license: $325
• Driving uninsured, first offense: $325
• Drug paraphernalia: $450
• Criminal trespass to property: $400

Partner assault (first and second offense), stalking, and a first or second protection order violation say "NO BOND" on the list. Those people see the judge first. The court clerk can tell you how and where a city bond gets paid. Call 406-758-7705 on a weekday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Open the online jail roster and choose Current Inmates. Every name comes with an age, a PIN, the total bail, the next court date and a list of charges with their Montana law numbers. Many charges also carry a status, such as Continued, Sentenced, Dismissed or NotFiled.

Look near the top for the date and time the list was refreshed. Amounts can change after a hearing, so phone the jail at 406-758-5617 and confirm the figure before you gather money. Jot down the PIN, which is the jail's own number for each inmate. It saves time on every call.

The jail sits at 920 South Main, Suite 100, Kalispell, MT 59901. Jail officers may accept bail for a judge only when the figure is on a court's schedule or listed on the warrant. Insist on a signed receipt, which the law requires (MCA 46-9-302). Detention officers look over every bond to be sure it is correct and legal before they release anyone. A simple plan:

1. Find your loved one on the roster. Note the PIN and the total bail.
2. Phone 406-758-5617. Say the full name and ask what is owed on each charge.
3. Ask what payment the jail takes right now, and how to fill in the payee line.
4. Find out if a judge must see the person first. That rule applies to partner assault.
5. On the way, have your photo ID and the precise sum with you. Keep the receipt until the case ends.

Staff are on duty around the clock, but a quick call first can save you a wasted trip.

Yes. Montana court rules allow schedule bail to be paid to the court itself on regular business days. You can read the schedule on the wall at each court's office. Before you go, call to check the amount, what forms of payment they take, and how fast the release will happen.

• Justice Court: 935 1st Avenue West, Kalispell, MT 59901, 406-758-5643. Weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Kalispell Municipal Court: 312 1st Ave. E., Kalispell, MT 59901, 406-758-7705. Clerk's office weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Whitefish Municipal Court: 275 Flathead Avenue, Whitefish, MT 59937, 406-863-2440. Office hours weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Columbia Falls City Court: 130 6th Street West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912, 406-892-4340. Phone for hours.
• Clerk of District Court (felonies): 920 South Main, Suite 300, Kalispell, MT 59901, 406-758-5870. Phone for hours.

Cash in the exact amount, or a money order, is the safest bet unless staff say otherwise. Checks and cards are a question to ask before you leave the house, since the jail and each court can have different rules.

A few local courts take ticket and fine payments on the web. Those sites are built around citation numbers, so they won't post bail for someone in a cell:

• Kalispell Municipal Court payments accepts Visa and MasterCard through CitePay, plus a 5% fee. In person, its clerk takes cash, personal checks, money orders and cashier's checks for small cases that don't require a court date.
• The Justice Court page takes card payments on fines if you have the case or citation number and a birth date. Fees may be added, and tickets marked as a required appearance can't be paid there.
• Whitefish has a city online payments page for its bills.

To post bail, phone the jail at 406-758-5617 or the court handling the case. Do not send cash by mail.

It is possible. The Whitefish Police Department keeps a small holding area at its station, 275 Flathead Avenue, Whitefish, MT 59937. It is only for short stays. Someone arrested by Whitefish officers may be bonded out right there. Anyone who is not bonded or released gets driven to the county jail in Kalispell.

To find out where the person is, call Whitefish police at 406-863-2420. Their lobby is staffed weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. After a Kalispell or Columbia Falls police arrest, ask that department, or the jail at 406-758-5617, where the person ended up.

In state law, bail agents carry the formal title "surety bail bond insurance producer." Their licenses come from the state Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (MCA 33-17-1601). Some points to keep in mind:

• The agent's fee is gone for good once you pay it, even if charges are later dropped.
• An agent may want collateral, such as the title to a vehicle. Get the return terms on paper.
• The bond is only a promise that the person will appear. It is never used for fines or restitution (MCA 46-9-503).
• A person who misses court can be picked up by the agent and handed over to the police. The agent usually has to warn local officers ahead of time (MCA 46-6-508).
• Lawyers, and officials with the power to grant bail, can't serve as a surety (MCA 46-9-402).
• Confirm an agent's license with the national insurance license lookup.

Bail is tied to a single case. Another order can still hold your loved one, so ask about each of these:

• A warrant from elsewhere. A 2025 change in the law stops a local judge from granting bail to a person who is held on another jurisdiction's warrant (MCA 46-9-201).
• Extradited back to Montana. Before any bail, they first appear in front of the judge who issued it (MCA 46-9-105).
• Probation or parole. Being on supervision weighs on the judge's decision (MCA 46-9-109). The state office in town is at 121 Financial Drive, Suite A, Kalispell, MT 59901, 406-752-2575.
• More than one case. City charges and county charges are bailed out one at a time.
• Tribal, federal or immigration holds. See those answers further down.

Before paying, call the jail at 406-758-5617 and ask for a full list of holds.

Montana's constitution says all people can be bailed out, except in a capital case when "the proof is evident or the presumption great" (Mont. Const. art. II, sec. 21). The same document bans excessive bail (Mont. Const. art. II, sec. 22).

A judge can still order pretrial detention when there is probable cause to think no set of conditions will make sure the person returns (MCA 46-9-106). The judge looks at what happened, the person's record, any earlier escapes or skipped dates, the risk to anyone else and how rooted they are locally. A scored risk tool may be part of it (MCA 46-9-109).

For county cases, prosecutors from the County Attorney's Office speak for the state at bail hearings. Their office is at 820 South Main, Kalispell, MT 59901, 406-758-5630. Its doors are open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Bail is not locked in. Either lawyer may file a request to raise it, cut it, swap it for another kind, or change the conditions (MCA 46-9-311). Whoever files must warn the opposing side in good time.

1. Your loved one's lawyer drafts the request and files it where the case is.
2. Gather pay stubs, rent or mortgage papers, the names of nearby family, and an honest budget. Montana says bail may not be oppressive and has to fit the person's means (MCA 46-9-301).
3. Offer conditions that ease the judge's concerns, such as testing for alcohol, a curfew or regular reporting.

On a Justice Court case, call 406-758-5643 and ask how to get a bail motion on the calendar. On a felony, call the District Court clerk at 406-758-5870.

Many can. At the opening hearing, the judge brings up the right to counsel (MCA 46-7-102). State public defenders take on felony charges, any misdemeanor that carries possible jail time, and cases in Youth Court.

Eligibility comes down to money. Families whose total income is 133% of the poverty guideline, or less, are covered. So does anyone who could not hire private counsel without substantial hardship. A job or a posted bail can't be the sole ground for saying no (MCA 47-1-111). The person fills out a financial form and swears it is true, and the court reviews the result.

• Local office: Office of State Public Defender, 723 5th Ave. E., Suite 100, Kalispell, MT 59901, 406-751-6080
• If the Kalispell office can't take the case: Conflict Defender, 111 N. Higgins, Suite 300, Missoula, MT 59802, 406-329-1300
• Online form: apply for a public defender

Kalispell holds most of the criminal courts. Whitefish and Columbia Falls each run a city court of their own.

• Eleventh Judicial District Court, for felonies. The clerk's office is at 920 South Main, Suite 300, Kalispell, MT 59901, 406-758-5870. Judges' chambers are in Suite 310, with a court office line of 406-758-6242. Five district judges sit here. The Eleventh District is made up of this county alone.
• Justice Court, for county misdemeanors and early felony hearings: 935 1st Avenue West, Kalispell, MT 59901, 406-758-5643.
• Kalispell Municipal Court: 312 1st Ave. E., Kalispell, MT 59901, 406-758-7705.
• Whitefish Municipal Court: inside the Emergency Services Center, 275 Flathead Avenue, Whitefish, MT 59937, 406-863-2440. Look for it off Baker Avenue, up the hill behind Safeway.
• Columbia Falls City Court: 130 6th Street West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912, 406-892-4340.
• Federal court: Russell Smith Federal Courthouse, 201 E. Broadway, Suite 310, Missoula, MT 59802, 406-542-7260.

If the person showed up for everything and the case is finished, the court hands the cash back (MCA 46-9-502). Under court rules, the refund is made out only to the person who put up the money, so keep that receipt. Kalispell Municipal Court sends its bond refunds by mail, usually two to four weeks after the judge approves them at the end of a case.

Missing court is different. Then the bail can be forfeited by the judge. The court has to mail word of the forfeiture to the defendant and each surety. When 10 working days pass with no notice sent, the bond is let go (MCA 46-9-503).

• The forfeiture can be undone if, inside 90 days, the person returns or offers a good reason for missing court.
• Forfeited misdemeanor cash goes to the local treasury, city or county, that took it. Felony cash is sent to the state (MCA 46-9-511).
• The court can choose to pay forfeited bail to a victim as restitution (MCA 46-9-512).

Call the court that received the payment to ask about a refund.

At booking, officers collect and log whatever the person had with them. Check on those items, and on any balance in their jail account, before release day. The jail line, 406-758-5617, can tell you when pickup is possible and what to bring.

You will need photo ID. When picking up on someone else's behalf, find out whether staff want written permission from them. This jail accepts only cash for inmate money. See our inmate money page and our commissary page for how accounts and store orders tend to work.

Federal crimes from this county are filed in the Missoula Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. Court meets at the Russell Smith Federal Courthouse, 201 E. Broadway, Suite 310, Missoula, MT 59802, 406-542-7260. The clerk keeps weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• The question of jail or release is decided at the first federal appearance. A short delay is allowed if either side asks: the defense can get up to five days and the prosecutor up to three, weekends and holidays not counted (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Until trial, a federal defendant is held by the U.S. Marshals Service. Its Missoula office is at 201 East Broadway, Suite 220, Missoula, MT 59802. Phone the district line at 406-200-6004 to learn where someone is housed.
• U.S. Pretrial Services writes a background report for the judge. Its Missoula office answers at 406-542-7100.
• Once sentenced, a person can be found on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

PACER has the federal case file, with a charge for each page.

No. The state charge and the immigration hold are two different things. This is what normally happens next:

1. The jail receives Form I-247A, an immigration detainer from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
2. That lets the jail keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. State law makes officers follow the detainer. They must also inform the person of it. A person who backs up a claim of U.S. citizenship or lawful status with credible proof can't be held on it (MCA 27-16-801).
4. ICE officers then take custody. Montana belongs to the Salt Lake City Field Office, 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
5. To find them later, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Enter the A-number when you know it. If not, enter the full name and the birth country.

About 28,296 acres of this county are inside the reservation of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). Since 1994, the tribes alone have handled misdemeanors by enrolled members of any federally recognized tribe within the reservation's borders. Felonies there are shared with the state, and sometimes with federal authorities.

Bail on a tribal charge is set by the tribal court, apart from the county courts. Flathead Tribal Police operate a jail that runs 24 hours a day. The department's office is at 42487 Complex Blvd, Pablo, MT 59855, and answers at 406-675-4700 in business hours. The tribal government's main number is 406-675-2700. If you don't know which agency made the arrest, also try the county jail at 406-758-5617.

Felony sentences of more than one year are served under the Montana Department of Corrections. Right after sentencing, the person normally stays at the county jail while state workers assess and classify them. After that, the state chooses a spot for them, such as prison, prerelease or treatment.

• Track them on the Montana offender search, which accepts a name or a DOC ID number.
• Our Montana state prisons guide describes every state facility.
• Local probation and parole officers work from 121 Financial Drive, Suite A, Kalispell, MT 59901, 406-752-2575.

Montana treats every person under 18 as a youth. Youth Court, which District Court judges run, hears most of their cases (MCA 41-5-203). The county jail houses adults only. An adult jail may hold a youth for a few hours to process or move them, but not overnight for that purpose (MCA 41-5-349).

• According to a 2019 county report, youths from here who need secure detention are held in Missoula or placed in local youth homes. The likely site is the Missoula County Juvenile Detention Facility, 2340 Mullan Road, Missoula, MT 59808. Visits are booked at 406-258-4054.
• If a youth is detained, the youth's probable cause hearing must take place in 24 hours or less, leaving out weekends and holidays (MCA 41-5-332).
• Youths can be released on bail. In setting it, the court weighs what the youth and the parents are able to pay (MCA 41-5-323).

Juvenile Probation, at 406-758-6277, can confirm where a youth is being held and the date of the hearing.