The type of charge decides the court. Think of it as three doors:

• Justice Court, county-wide. Misdemeanors, traffic tickets, fish and game cases and Motor Carrier Services violations from anywhere in the county land here. By law it hears crimes worth up to 6 months or a $500 fine. District Court shares the bigger misdemeanors with it (MCA 3-10-303).
• City Court, town only. Town ordinance violations and misdemeanors committed within Columbus limits are its business (MCA 3-11-103). It never tries felonies.
• District Court, felonies. A crime is a felony if the sentence can be more than a year in state prison (MCA 45-2-101). Only this court tries them.

The district judge also runs Youth Court. It hears most cases against people under 18. A felony often starts in Justice Court, where bail is set. Then it moves to District Court.

Check the floor and the hours before you make the trip:

• Clerk of District Court, 400 East 3rd Avenue North, Columbus, MT 59019, 406-322-8030, or by email at clerkofcourt.stillwater@mt.gov. Open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Letters go to PO Box 367, Columbus, MT 59019.
• Justice Court, 4th floor of the courthouse, 406-322-8040, clerk 406-322-8041. Letters go to PO Box 77, Columbus, MT 59019. New defendants are seen Mondays and Wednesdays at 9 a.m.
• Columbus City Court, City Hall's second floor, 408 East 1st Avenue North, Columbus, MT 59019, 406-322-5313, ext. 200. The clerk keeps office hours Monday through Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and is out of reach while court is in session.

This judicial district spans Big Horn, Carbon and this county. It tries felonies, hands down felony sentences and hears youth matters.

The Clerk of District Court is the record keeper. That office holds the case files, builds the court calendar and, as jury commissioner, sends out jury notices. Want the date of a felony hearing? Phone the clerk at 406-322-8030, and give the defendant's full legal name plus a birth date in case two people share a name.

Here is what the town's own court pages tell defendants:

• A trial can be in front of the judge alone or six jurors who live in town.
• Certain charges can't be paid off by mail or online. The defendant must come in for DUI, reckless driving, driving while suspended, a repeat no-insurance ticket, and town code counts such as assault, theft, minor in possession and drug or paraphernalia possession.
• When jail is possible and money is short, the court may appoint a lawyer.
• Defendants younger than 18 bring a parent or guardian along.
• The judge can order time on the Sheriff's Labor Detail in place of a jail sentence.
• If you live more than 150 miles off, email the court to request a Zoom hearing. The judge must approve it.

To pay, mail to PO Box 549, Columbus, MT 59019, or use the drop box by the main City Hall doors after hours. Payment plans are due on the 10th of every month.

The law, MCA 46-7-101, says an arrested person must see a judge with no needless delay. Most often that is the closest judge on duty. Video is allowed.

MCA 46-7-102 sets the judge's script. The defendant learns the charges and hears about the right to counsel. A defendant who can't pay gets an appointed lawyer. The judge explains how pretrial release works. The judge also warns that anything said can be used at trial, so keeping quiet is allowed. A conviction may cost gun rights, and the judge says so. On a felony complaint, the defendant learns they can ask for a probable cause ruling.

Release and bail are decided right then too (MCA 46-9-109).

In Justice Court, the County Attorney brings the county's misdemeanor charges. Charges written inside town limits are filed in City Court. At arraignment the defendant pleads. If the plea is not guilty, the judge picks a trial date, and six jurors can be requested (MCA 46-17-201).

A 6-month clock starts at the plea. When it runs out with no trial, the case is dismissed for good. The clock pauses only for a delay the defendant asked for, or for good cause the judge accepts (MCA 46-13-401). A few penalty ranges:

• First DUI conviction: jail from 24 hours to 6 months, with a $600 to $1,000 fine (MCA 61-8-1007)
• Theft of property worth $1,500 or less: as long as 6 months in the county jail and a fine as high as $1,500 (MCA 45-6-301)
• First-time assault of a partner or relative: at least 24 hours and at most 1 year, plus $100 to $1,000 (MCA 45-5-206)
• Any misdemeanor without a set penalty: no more than 6 months and $500 (MCA 46-18-212)

Judges can put off a misdemeanor sentence for a year. A defendant who keeps every condition may see the charge dismissed (MCA 46-18-204).

A felony usually travels this road:

1. Justice Court, first look. The defendant hears the charge and bail is set.
2. Getting to District Court. Either the Justice Court holds a preliminary hearing to test probable cause, or the district judge lets the prosecutor file an information (the written felony charge) directly (MCA 46-11-201).
3. Arraignment. The defendant answers the charge in District Court (MCA 46-12-201).
4. Trial. A 12-person jury decides, though both sides may agree in writing to a judge-only trial (MCA 46-16-110). All 12 have to agree.
5. Sentence. Once guilt is settled by plea or verdict, the judge picks the punishment.

When no special penalty applies, the felony limit is 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine (MCA 46-18-213). Stealing more than $1,500 can bring the full 10 years. Drug possession can mean as many as 5 years, and the law presumes a first offender will get a deferred sentence (MCA 45-9-102).

They do. Expect stricter handling in these ways:

• Bail. Only a capital charge backed by strong proof allows a flat denial of bail. Still, a judge may hold a defendant when no conditions would keep people safe (MCA 46-9-106).
• Home violence. Someone booked for assaulting or choking a partner or relative stays in until a judge has seen them. Partner assault number three is a felony, with a prison cap of 5 years (MCA 45-5-206).
• Tracking. If a monitor is available, felony stalking and repeat or felony partner assault cases are expected to get one (MCA 46-9-108).
• Warning the victim. In these cases, a release means a prompt notice from the jail to the alleged victim.
• Prior felons. A past felony rules out deferring a new felony sentence (MCA 46-18-201).

Prosecution is handled by the County Attorney at 544 North Diamond Street, Columbus, MT 59019, 406-322-4333. The county's mailing box is PO Box 970, Columbus, MT 59019.

For the defense, a person without money for a private attorney can apply to the state public defender. Its lawyers take felonies, youth petitions and misdemeanors that might end with a jail term. A judge reviews each approval (MCA 47-1-111).

• Billings public defender: 207 N. Broadway, Suite 201, Billings, MT 59101, 406-256-6861, the number given for criminal cases on the clerk's page
• Billings Conflict Defender, for cases the main office must pass on: 208 N. Broadway, Suite 414, Billings, MT 59101, 406-247-4857
• Application: advopd.mt.gov

The state hosts two free court websites. You can look up a defendant's name or a case number on either:

• Use the limited jurisdiction portal for anything filed in Justice Court or City Court.
• Use the District Court portal once a felony reaches the district judge.

Files on minors and sealed cases stay hidden. If you strike out, phone the clerk with the full name and birth date. Use 406-322-8040 for Justice Court, 406-322-8030 for felonies and 406-322-5313, ext. 200, for town cases.

For a warrant out of the county, phone the Sheriff's Office at 406-322-5326 and ask. In town, warrants usually follow a missed City Court date or an unpaid fine, and the clerk can check one at 406-322-5313, ext. 200. State escapees and absconders show on the Montana offender search with a "wanted" status. Open cases can be searched on two state portals, one for limited jurisdiction courts and one for District Court. Before you do anything else, speak with a lawyer. Then ask the issuing court to reschedule, or plan a surrender through the Sheriff's Office.

The U.S. District Court's Billings Division takes these cases. Its clerk's office (James F. Battin Federal Courthouse) is at 2601 2nd Avenue North, Suite 1200, Billings, MT 59101, 406-247-7000, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• Release or detention until trial is the first big ruling, made at the opening federal appearance (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Marshals: 2601 2nd Avenue North, Suite 2300, Billings, MT 59101, 406-200-6004. This federal agency has custody of the prisoner and handles every trip to court.
• The judge gets a pretrial report from federal probation officers, 2601 2nd Avenue North, Suite 1300, Billings, MT 59101, 406-657-6287.
• Filings are on PACER. The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator lists federal prisoners after sentencing.

The state case goes on. What changes is release day. Through a detainer form, I-247A, ICE may request a hold of up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).

1. Under MCA 27-16-801, a Montana officer holding someone with a detainer must arrest on that detainer and let the person know the reason.
2. If the person proves citizenship or legal presence with believable documents, the hold is over.
3. Since 2025, MCA 46-5-401 allows an officer to try to find out the immigration status of someone stopped lawfully.
4. After ICE takes custody, questions go to its field office near Salt Lake City: 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
5. The ICE Online Detainee Locator can show where they went.

Custody shifts to the Montana Department of Corrections. State staff assess and classify the new prisoner first. During that time the person usually remains at the contract jail in Billings. After that, they move to the placement the state chooses.

• The Montana offender search shows a DOC inmate's whereabouts and status.
• Parole hearings: Board of Pardons and Parole, 1002 Hollenbeck Road, Deer Lodge, MT 59722, 406-846-1404.
• Prisons and prerelease centers are profiled in our Montana state prisons guide.

A person under 18 who is charged usually faces Youth Court, with the district judge presiding (MCA 41-5-203). Juvenile Probation works for that court from the courthouse's first floor, 406-322-8045.

• Most referrals arrive as a ticket plus an officer's report, and the youth comes in with a parent or guardian.
• Most cases are handled informally. Roughly 20% move on to a petition from the County Attorney.
• A youth's traffic or fish and game ticket is heard in Justice, City or District Court. Minor in possession cases go to City or Justice Court.
• A detained youth's probable cause hearing has a tight deadline (MCA 41-5-332). It must happen within 24 hours, not counting a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday.
• The County Attorney can seek an adult-court transfer for some of the most serious charges, starting at age 12 (MCA 41-5-206).

Secure detention for youths is in Billings at the Ted Lechner Youth Services Center, 410 South 26th Street, Billings, MT 59101, 406-256-6825.

The county's Victim Witness Advocate works on behalf of crime victims. Reach the advocate at 406-322-4333, or by mail at PO Box 970, Columbus, MT 59019.

• Before a felony charge is dropped or pled down, the prosecutor must consult the victim. The same goes for pretrial release and diversion. Misdemeanors with real or threatened injury are covered too (MCA 46-24-104).
• Domestic and Sexual Violence Services covers Carbon and Stillwater counties with a free, confidential 24-hour line, 406-425-2222.
• To get custody updates on state felony offenders, register with VINE on VINELink or at 800-456-3076.
• Crime-related costs may be covered up to $25,000 by the state's compensation program, 800-498-6455.

Yes, but move quickly. Notice of appeal from a Justice Court or City Court trial is due within 10 days after the judgment (MCA 46-17-311). If the lower court does not keep a formal record, District Court hears the whole case over, and a six-person jury is possible.

Ten days goes by fast. Call the clerk of the court that decided the case to learn how to file, and ask a lawyer whether it is worth it. After a District Court conviction, bring up appeal choices with the defense lawyer on the day of sentencing.