Ravalli County Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

A judge makes the call. By law, the trip from jail to a nearby judge must happen "without unnecessary delay" (MCA 46-7-101). At that first appearance, release or jail is decided right then (MCA 46-9-109). The county's Justice Court says its judge sets release conditions there, plus a dollar amount when bail applies.

Most county cases begin in one of two Justice Courts inside the courthouse. Each is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.:

• Justice Court 1: 205 Bedford Street, Suite E, Hamilton, MT 59840, 406-375-6755
• Justice Court 2: 205 Bedford Street, Suite F, Hamilton, MT 59840, 406-375-6765

A town officer's arrest may land in a city court instead. Either way, the hearing can be in the courtroom or on a video screen at the jail (MCA 46-9-206). Once a felony case climbs to District Court, the bail follows it, though that judge may adjust it (MCA 46-9-201).

State law steers the judge toward the mildest choice that still brings the person back for every hearing (MCA 46-9-108). Common outcomes:

• Own recognizance. No money. The defendant signs, swearing to return (MCA 46-9-111).
• Conditions only. Home again, but with rules. Examples are a curfew, no alcohol, handing over firearms or staying away from someone.
• Cash. You pay the full figure. The court holds that money for as long as the case lasts.
• Bondsman. A licensed agent covers the whole sum. You pay that agent a fee.
• Land. A paid-down home or lot in Montana can stand in for cash (MCA 46-9-401).
• Two personal sureties. A pair of people with assets each sign to back the bail.
• A driver's license. Some traffic stops let the officer hold onto the license instead of cash.

Every rule must appear in a written release order (MCA 46-9-110). Read each line, because breaking one can mean a new arrest.

Judges in Montana's smaller courts can lean on a Recommended Bond Schedule that Montana's highest court approves each cycle. It is advice, not a fixed price list. Our judges are free to go above or below it, so check with the court handling the charge. Figures from the 2026 edition, with state surcharges built in:

• Simple assault causing bodily injury: $585, and the defendant must appear in court
• Supplying alcohol to a minor under 21: $535, must appear
• Boating while impaired: $335
• First unlawful gambling offense within 5 years: $535
• Insurance fraud up to $1,500: $285, must appear
• Felonies such as deliberate homicide: marked "no bond" on the list, so a judge picks the number

A short list of charges has no schedule option at all. That list covers assault on a partner or family member, the crime of strangling one, stalking, and breaking a court's protection order or a no-contact order. Every one of these waits for a judge (MCA 46-9-302). For your case's real number, phone the Justice Court handling it: Justice Court 1 at 406-375-6755 or Justice Court 2 at 406-375-6765.

Yes, for a full cash bond. The jail's official county page links a card service named Point and Pay. Through it you can pay a whole cash bond with a debit or credit card. The page is Point and Pay for the Sheriff's Office.

• Only full cash bonds go through it. Partial payments and bondsman bonds do not.
• If the family can't cover the whole amount, the jail's page points you to a bondsman.
• Have the jailed person's full legal name and the exact bail figure ready. Read the final total on screen before you press pay, since a card service may add its own charge.

Once it goes through, phone the jail at 406-375-4080. Ask whether staff can see the payment and roughly when release will happen. Save the confirmation number.

Montana law lets jail staff take bail for the court when the dollar figure comes off a posted schedule or is typed on the warrant. Staff must give you a signed receipt (MCA 46-9-302). A simple plan:

1. Phone the jail at 406-375-4080. If no one answers after hours, try dispatch at 406-363-3033.
2. Spell the name slowly and share the birth date. Then ask the bail figure, the charge and any case number.
3. Ask if the person must see a judge before leaving. That rule covers partner assault and protection order arrests.
4. Ask which in-person payments the jail accepts today, and the exact payee name for a cashier's check or money order.
5. Come to the Madison entrance with photo ID, and hold on to all paperwork.

The detention office window is staffed from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. After it closes, the jail's page says to press the speaker buttons near the lobby doors. A quick call first may spare you a trip.

Often, yes. Montana's rules for limited courts allow schedule bail to be paid straight to the court on any regular workday. Each office must hang its schedule where the public can read it. Phone first and ask which payments the window takes:

• Justice Court 1: courthouse Suite E, 406-375-6755, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays
• Justice Court 2: courthouse Suite F, 406-375-6765, same weekday hours
• Clerk of District Court (felonies): 205 Bedford Street, Suite D, Hamilton, MT 59840, 406-375-6710, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays
• Hamilton City Court: 406-363-6823. Ask where the court is meeting before you drive over.

After paying, ask the clerk to let the jail know so release is not held up.

The answer changes with where you pay. From the county's own pages:

• Card, online: Point and Pay takes debit and credit cards for full cash bonds. The link is on the jail's county page.
• Bondsman: A licensed agent can post a surety bond when you can't raise the whole sum.
• Inmate account money: The lobby kiosk accepts cash or a card. The detention receptionist accepts cash, money orders and cashier's checks during business hours. Those deposits feed the person's jail account, not their bail, unless staff say otherwise.

Before you carry cash or a check in for bail, ask the jail at 406-375-4080 or the court that set it exactly what it accepts. Never put cash in the mail, and ask for a receipt each time money changes hands.

On paper, Montana calls a bondsman a "surety bail bond insurance producer." A license comes from the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (MCA 33-17-1601). For bond questions, the jail's own page sends families to a bondsman.

• You pay the agent a fee, and the agent stands behind the full bail. Expect to lose that fee.
• Expect many agents to want collateral, maybe a pickup title or jewelry. Ask for a written promise about returning it.
• A commercial bond guarantees court attendance and nothing more. It never pays a fine or a victim's losses (MCA 46-9-503).
• If the defendant vanishes, the agent may catch and surrender them. Except in an emergency, the agent first phones local dispatch (MCA 46-6-508).
• Check any agent's license first with the NAIC licensee lookup page.

Each bail covers one case. Something else on the books may still block the door:

• Someone else's warrant. A judge in this county has no power to bail someone out on a warrant from somewhere else (MCA 46-9-201).
• Extradition. A person brought back from another state sees the warrant's judge before any bail (MCA 46-9-105).
• Supervision. Probation or parole counts against quick release (MCA 46-9-109). The state's officers may also lodge a hold.
• Stacked cases. A town ticket and a county complaint each carry separate bail.
• Federal or ICE. Read the two answers near the bottom about federal cases and ICE.

Ring the jail at 406-375-4080 and have staff read every hold aloud before you pay anything.

Montana's Constitution promises bail for almost everyone. The only carve-out is a death-penalty case where "the proof is evident or the presumption great" (Mont. Const. art. II, sec. 21). The same document forbids bail that is excessive (Mont. Const. art. II, sec. 22).

Still, a judge may keep a defendant in jail when probable cause shows no safeguards would reliably bring them back (MCA 46-9-106). Big factors are the type of crime, earlier convictions, any past flight, possible harm to others, and family or work ties in the valley. A risk score sheet may also help (MCA 46-9-109).

If the state pushes for big bail or for no release, that push comes from the County Attorney's Office, 205 Bedford Street, Suite C, Hamilton, MT 59840, 406-375-6750. Its staff work weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a noon to 1:00 p.m. lunch closure.

Both sides have the right to ask for a higher or lower amount, a different type of bail, or new conditions. The opposing side gets reasonable notice first (MCA 46-9-311). Ways a family can pitch in:

1. Urge the defense attorney to file a request with the judge on the case.
2. Show the judge pay stubs, a lease or deed, notes from relatives, and an honest household budget. Under state law, bail can't be crushing and must fit the person's means, job and time in the community (MCA 46-9-301).
3. Offer the judge something in return, such as signing up for breath tests morning and night.

For a misdemeanor, the Justice Court with the file can explain how to get a bail hearing on its calendar. Felony scheduling runs through the district clerk, 406-375-6710.

Ravalli is on the list of counties using the 24/7 Sobriety Program from the Montana Department of Justice. A judge may require sober testing as a condition of bond (MCA 44-4-1205). It shows up in repeat DUI cases and in other cases where drinking or drugs helped cause the crime.

• Breath tests are the main tool, given in person twice a day roughly 12 hours apart (MCA 44-4-1203).
• Patches, urine or saliva tests and a worn alcohol monitor are also allowed.
• Participants pay. Enrollment can cost up to $30, and each test has its own fee.

For local testing times and the place, phone the Sheriff's Office at 406-375-4060.

The judge at the first hearing has to explain the right to counsel (MCA 46-7-102). The Justice Court notes that it appoints a lawyer when the defendant is poor and could be jailed.

State public defenders represent people facing felonies, youth court petitions or a misdemeanor with possible jail time. Income at or under 133% of the poverty guideline qualifies, and so does real hardship in paying for private counsel. The office may not turn a person down only because they posted bail or hold a job (MCA 47-1-111).

• Hamilton office: Office of State Public Defender, 300 South 2nd Street, Hamilton, MT 59840, 406-363-7999
• Missoula office, same region: 610 N Woody, Missoula, MT 59802, 406-523-5140
• Apply on the web at advopd.mt.gov, and upload recent pay records and a bank statement.

Most courts share the county courthouse on Bedford Street, each behind its own lettered suite:

• Twenty-First Judicial District Court (felonies) has two departments, in Suites A and B. Its clerk sits at 205 Bedford Street, Suite D, Hamilton, MT 59840, 406-375-6710. The district covers this one county.
• Justice Court 1 (misdemeanors and early felony steps), Suite E, 406-375-6755.
• Justice Court 2, Suite F, 406-375-6765.
• Youth Court, in its own building at 220 South 3rd Street, Hamilton, MT 59840, 406-802-7200, open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays.
• Federal court for this part of Montana: Russell Smith Federal Courthouse, 201 E. Broadway, Suite 310, Missoula, MT 59802, 406-542-7260.

Town courts come next.

All four incorporated towns run a city court for town ordinances and many misdemeanors (MCA 3-11-102). That court handles bail on its own cases.

• Hamilton City Court: 406-363-6823. Official listings disagree on its street address, so phone before heading out.
• Stevensville City Court: 206 Buck Street, Stevensville, MT 59870, 406-777-5271, extension 201. It sits Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. unless a notice says otherwise.
• Darby City Court: 101 E Tanner, Darby, MT 59829, 406-821-3748.
• Pinesdale City Court: P.O. Box 228, Pinesdale, MT 59841, 406-961-5660.

Ask the clerk for the amount and how to pay it. Arrests in Florence, Corvallis, Victor, Conner, Sula and the other unincorporated spots go to the Justice Courts.

When every hearing is attended and the case wraps up, the court hands back cash bail (MCA 46-9-502). Under the state's justice and city court rules, refunds go only to the name of the depositor. Bring your receipt and a photo ID.

Miss a date, and the judge may declare a forfeiture, which means the court keeps the bail. Mailed notice must reach the defendant and the sureties within 10 working days. A late notice voids the bond (MCA 46-9-503).

• Within 90 days, bringing the defendant in or explaining the absence can get the forfeiture lifted.
• Misdemeanor bail that is kept lands in the local treasury of the place it was posted. Kept felony money goes into the state general fund (MCA 46-9-511).
• Forfeited bail may also be steered to a crime victim (MCA 46-9-512).

To chase a refund, call the office that took your payment. For felony bail, that is the district clerk at 406-375-6710.

Settle leftover account money and stored items before your person walks out. Phone the jail at 406-375-4080 in office hours. Ask how the remaining balance is paid out, whether a relative may collect bags or clothing, and what ID or signed permission you need.

Questions can also go by email to detention@rc.mt.gov. Our inmate money guide walks through deposits and refunds in general.

Federal charges from this valley are heard in the Missoula Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. Call or visit the clerk at the Russell Smith Federal Courthouse, 201 E. Broadway, Suite 310, Missoula, MT 59802, 406-542-7260, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.

• Federal judges settle release or custody at the very first hearing. Either side can ask to wait a few days (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Pretrial officers look into the person's past for the judge. Their Missoula office line is 406-542-7100.
• The U.S. Marshals keep custody of federal defendants. Their Montana headquarters line is 406-200-6004 if you need to learn where someone is housed.
• After sentencing, check the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Court papers in federal cases are on PACER, which bills a small charge per page.

No. Paying the county bail leaves an immigration hold in place. Here is how it tends to go:

1. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issues a Form I-247A detainer to the jail.
2. Staff can keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Under MCA 27-16-801, officers must follow the detainer and let the person know why they are still held. Good proof of citizenship or legal status means the hold does not apply.
4. ICE officers then take the person into the Salt Lake City Field Office's care. That office oversees Montana from 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
5. Try the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Enter an A-number, or a name with the country where the person was born.

A felony sentence to the state hands the person to the Montana Department of Corrections. Most wait on Bedford Street until state staff sort out the right level of custody. Placement could be a state prison, a prerelease center or a program for addiction treatment, depending on the person.

• The Montana offender search shows a state prisoner's location by name or ID number.
• For each state facility, see our Montana state prisons guide.
• Ask about parole timing at the state parole board's office, the Board of Pardons and Parole: 1002 Hollenbeck Road, Deer Lodge, MT 59722, 406-846-1404.

Under 18 means youth status in Montana. Youth Court, run by a district judge, takes those cases (MCA 41-5-203). The law mostly bars holding a youth in an adult jail. Only brief holds for processing or awaiting a hearing are allowed, with full separation from grown inmates (MCA 41-5-349).

• Detained youths get a hearing within 24 hours, and weekend days and holidays are not counted (MCA 41-5-332).
• Bail is possible for a youth, set with the parents' money in mind (MCA 41-5-323).
• A teen cited for a crime typically has to meet a juvenile probation officer, with a parent along.

To find out where a young person has been taken, phone the Sheriff's Office at 406-375-4060 or Youth Court at 406-802-7200.