Each case is routed by how serious the charge is:

• Justice Court gets county misdemeanors such as traffic crimes, animal cases and fish and game tickets. It is also where almost every county felony begins, with a preliminary hearing set early. The two Justices of the Peace can sentence someone to as long as 6 months behind bars or a $500 fine, and they share larger misdemeanors with District Court (MCA 3-10-303).
• Helena Municipal Court takes city ordinance violations and misdemeanors committed inside city limits (MCA 3-6-103).
• East Helena City Court plays that role for the smaller town (MCA 3-11-103).
• District Court owns every felony. Montana defines a felony as a crime punishable by more than a year in a state prison (MCA 45-2-101).
• Youth Court, a part of District Court, deals with charges against people under 18.

Several courts share 228 Broadway, so check which room you need first:

• Clerk of District Court, 228 Broadway, Room 104, Helena, MT 59624, 406-447-8215. The four district judges have courtrooms upstairs: Departments 1, 3 and 4 on the second floor and Department 2 on the third. A standing master hears some matters in Room 108 on the ground floor. Jury questions go to 406-447-8225.
• Justice Court, 228 Broadway, Room 102, Helena, MT 59601, 406-447-8202, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. The civil and small claims desk is 406-447-8201.
• Helena Municipal Court, Law and Justice Center, 406 Fuller Ave., Helena, MT 59601, 406-447-8466. Its window keeps the same weekday hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• East Helena City Court, City Hall, 306 E. Main Street, Room 101, East Helena, MT 59635, 406-227-5321.

The county has two incorporated cities, and each runs a court. Both keep a formal record, so an appeal is decided from that record rather than by holding the trial again.

• Helena Municipal Court calls first appearances at 10:00 a.m., Monday to Friday. Anyone jailed overnight on a city charge appears on closed-circuit TV at 8:00 a.m. The city attorney's office handles the prosecution, 406-457-8595. The weekly calendar is on the state court web portal. A deferred sentence in this court is usually 90 days, and each person can have only one, ever.
• East Helena City Court holds open court Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Bring your citation and walk in. The judge may agree to a time-pay plan for a fine. Its clerk works weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Arrests in Lincoln, Augusta, Wolf Creek and other unincorporated places go to Justice Court instead.

Montana law sets the pace: "without unnecessary delay," a person under arrest must be seen by a judge (MCA 46-7-101). For someone in the jail, that is a video hearing: 1:00 p.m. on weekdays in Justice Court, or 8:00 a.m. on a city charge. At that hearing the judge tells the defendant (MCA 46-7-102):

• what they are charged with
• their right to counsel, at no cost when they can't afford it
• how pretrial release works in general
• that silence is their right, and their words could be evidence
• that being convicted can cost them firearm rights
• for a felony complaint, that a probable cause check by a judge is available on request

Bail or release is set during that same hearing (MCA 46-9-109). People who walk in on their own see a Justice of the Peace at 8:30 a.m. or in the early afternoon.

The County Attorney files the charge, and the defendant enters a plea. After a not guilty plea, Justice Court sets a bench trial about six to eight weeks away. A jury trial, with six jurors (MCA 46-17-201), is usually four to five months off, with an omnibus hearing first to settle motions.

From the day of the plea, the prosecution has 6 months to get the case in front of a jury or judge. Past that point the charge must be thrown out, unless the defense caused the wait or there is good cause (MCA 46-13-401). Typical penalties:

• First DUI: from 24 hours up to 6 months behind bars, plus $600 to $1,000 (MCA 61-8-1007)
• Theft worth $1,500 or less: a fine up to $1,500, jail up to 6 months, or both (MCA 45-6-301)
• Partner or family assault, first time: 24 hours to a year and $100 to $1,000 (MCA 45-5-206)
• Misdemeanors with no set penalty: 6 months and $500 at most (MCA 46-18-212)

Skipping a payment or a hearing in Justice Court can lead to a warrant and a suspended license.

Classes often come on top of the fine and jail. Justice Court orders the ACT program after a DUI conviction and the Montana Dangerous Drug program after a drug conviction. Ask the court which one applies to you.

To drive to work after a first DUI, you need a probationary license. Getting one takes the court's OK, proof of ACT enrollment and a $200 reinstatement fee to the state's driver records office, 303 North Roberts, Helena, MT 59601, 406-444-3275. A judge may also order the 24/7 Sobriety Program, which was first tried out in this county. In the municipal court, saying no to a breath test brings a six-month suspension and no work permit.

1. First appearance. A Justice of the Peace sets bail and a date for a preliminary hearing.
2. Probable cause. Justice Court may hold that preliminary hearing. The County Attorney can skip that by getting a district judge's leave to file an information, the formal felony charge (MCA 46-11-201).
3. Arraignment. In District Court the defendant answers the charge (MCA 46-12-201).
4. Trial. A 12-person jury hears it. Both sides can sign a waiver to have the judge decide alone (MCA 46-16-110). The verdict has to be unanimous.
5. Sentencing. It comes after a plea deal or a guilty verdict.

Unless a statute names its own penalty, a felony carries as much as 10 years and $50,000 (MCA 46-18-213). Stealing more than $1,500 has that same 10-year limit. Drug possession can bring 5 years. In a first possession case, the law leans toward deferring the sentence (MCA 45-9-102).

Cases about hurting or threatening someone carry tighter rules:

• No quick release. A judge must see anyone charged with stalking, choking a partner, partner or family assault, or breaking a protection order before they can leave.
• Third strike. A third partner assault is charged as a felony, punishable by up to 5 years (MCA 45-5-206).
• Ankle monitors. When one is available, the law favors a monitor for felony stalking or felony partner assault (MCA 46-9-108).
• Release alerts. Once the defendant is out, the alleged victim gets prompt word from the jail.
• Lethality reviews. In some of these cases, a judge setting bail may weigh a danger or lethality assessment.
• No second deferral. Someone with an earlier felony conviction is not eligible for a deferred felony sentence (MCA 46-18-201).

Yes. The First Judicial District runs an Adult Treatment Court for people whose crimes grow out of addiction. A team connects them with treatment and support while the judge keeps close tabs. Call the coordinator at 406-447-8810. The district has a Family Treatment Court as well.

Many defendants are released before trial under the county's Criminal Justice Services. Its pretrial and misdemeanor probation officers carry about 100 people each. Reach the team at 406-457-8845. This county is also part of the state's pretrial pilot, which gives judges a scored risk report for each person held in jail.

Felonies anywhere in the county are handled by the County Attorney's Office, 406-447-8221. So are misdemeanors from outside the capital, Youth Court cases and child abuse and neglect cases. Misdemeanors from inside the city go to the city attorney.

If your loved one can't afford counsel, the state public defender may step in. It handles felony charges, jailable misdemeanors and youth matters. Its local office is at 139 N. Last Chance Gulch, Helena, MT 59601, 406-444-0104. Conflict cases go to the Conflict Defender, 555 Fuller Ave, Helena, MT 59601, 406-604-7581. Fill out the online application. A judge checks whether the person qualifies (MCA 47-1-111), and the person may be billed a fee later.

The state's two free court websites search by name or case number:

• Lower court portal for Justice Court and both city courts
• District Court portal for felony cases

Juvenile and sealed cases are kept off both sites. If a search comes up empty, call. Justice Court answers at 406-447-8202, and the District Court clerk at 406-447-8215. Each district judge also has a scheduling line: Department 1 at 406-447-8217, Department 2 at 406-447-8218, Department 3 at 406-447-8214 and Department 4 at 406-447-8264. Have their full legal name and date of birth with you when you call.

Start with the official lists. County cases appear on the Justice Court warrant list, and city cases on the Helena Municipal Court arrest warrants list. Looking at a list won't get anyone arrested. A call about a Justice Court warrant that doesn't match the list is probably a scam. For a check on every county warrant, phone Helena Police Support Services at 406-447-8469 on a weekday. The Montana offender search flags people who fled probation or parole as absconders. To clear a warrant, get a lawyer's advice, then contact the issuing court: 406-447-8202 for Justice Court or 406-447-8466 for the city court.

The Helena Division of the federal court takes this county's federal crimes. Its courtroom is in the Paul G. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, 901 Front Street, Helena, MT 59626. Call the clerk at 406-441-1355, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.

• Home or a cell until trial? A federal judge answers that at the opening hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• For that ruling, U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services interviews the defendant. It works from Suite 1200 of the same courthouse, 406-441-1160.
• Federal prisoners stay in U.S. Marshals custody. The Marshals use their Helena space during court terms, and the main line is 406-200-6004.
• Read the docket on PACER. After a sentence, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator shows the prison.

Yes, but mostly at the end. The charges proceed. What changes is release day. An ICE request on Form I-247A tells the jail to hold the person for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).

1. In Montana, a detainer obliges the officer to arrest, and to tell the person about the hold (MCA 27-16-801).
2. Believable papers showing citizenship or legal presence cancel that duty.
3. Since 2025, officers who make a lawful stop may also try to find out someone's immigration status (MCA 46-5-401).
4. After the handoff, ICE runs the case out of its Salt Lake City Field Office, 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
5. The ICE Online Detainee Locator shows where they are held.

Tell the defense lawyer about immigration status early, since a plea can affect it.

A felony prison term is served under the Montana Department of Corrections. First the person waits in the Helena jail until the state finishes an intake assessment. Then Sheriff's transport officers drive them to a state prison, or to a prerelease or treatment program.

• Search the state's offender lookup to see a location and custody status.
• Each prison's visiting and mail rules: our Montana state prisons guide.
• The state parole board sits at 1002 Hollenbeck Road, Deer Lodge, MT 59722, 406-846-1404.

Youth Court is run by a district judge (MCA 41-5-203), and the County Attorney prosecutes. Juvenile files are kept off the public court sites. Teens who must be locked up are sent north to the Cascade County Juvenile Detention Center, 406-454-6930, which serves this region.

• A held youth sees a judge for a probable cause hearing inside 24 hours. That count skips weekend days and holidays (MCA 41-5-332).
• In the gravest cases, prosecutors can ask to move a youth 12 or older into adult court (MCA 41-5-206).
• Nobody under 16 can be sent to a state prison.

Call Juvenile Probation at 406-447-8228 for the court date and what to expect.

Victims can lean on the County Attorney's Office, which has a staff Victim/Witness Coordinator. The office helps people seek temporary orders of protection and apply for crime victim compensation. Phone 406-447-8221.

• Prosecutors have to talk with the victim of a felony first, before dropping the case, making a plea offer or letting the defendant out. Misdemeanors that involve injury or threats follow the same rule (MCA 46-24-104).
• Alerts on state felony offenders are free through VINE. Register at VINELink or call 800-456-3076.
• Montana's compensation fund covers up to $25,000 in costs from a crime. Report to police within 72 hours, then file a claim inside one year. Call 800-498-6455.