Wheatland County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

Only a judge. Officers have to take anyone they arrest before a nearby judge "without unnecessary delay" (MCA 46-7-101). Right at that first hearing, the judge rules on release or jail (MCA 46-9-109).

In this county, people go before the closest judge during court hours. Usually that means the Justice Court, which doubles as Harlowton City Court. Find it upstairs, on the third floor of the courthouse at 201 A Avenue NW, Harlowton, MT 59036, or ring 406-632-4821. Court hours run Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Two-way video can stand in for a trip to the courtroom (MCA 46-9-206). Felony files that move up to District Court keep their bail, but the district judge may adjust it (MCA 46-9-201).

Judges are told to choose the gentlest terms that still make sure your person returns for court (MCA 46-9-108). Options include:

• Own recognizance. Zero dollars. Their signature on a promise to return does the job (MCA 46-9-111).
• Release with rules. Home again, but bound by terms. Sobriety, no firearms, a curfew and a no-contact order are typical.
• Cash. Somebody pays every dollar up front. The court keeps that money until a final ruling.
• Bail bond. You pay a licensed agent's fee, and that agent guarantees the full bail.
• Land. Montana acreage or a house with enough equity can be pledged (MCA 46-9-401).
• Two sureties. A pair of backers co-sign a written undertaking with the accused.
• Driver's license. Some traffic cases let a license take the place of money.

Judges are expected to order GPS or ankle monitoring, when available, in felony stalking cases and on a second partner assault.

Montana's justices publish a statewide Recommended Bond Schedule. Local judges may stray from it in either direction. Each listed figure already includes the surcharges. A few from the 2026 version:

• Assault that injures someone (misdemeanor): $585, and they must see the judge
• Getting alcohol for a person under 21: $535, and they must see the judge
• Boat operation while impaired: $335
• Illegal gambling, second time in 5 years: $750
• Any felony: left blank, so the judge chooses

Real bonds appear on the jail roster. One 2026 list showed $885 on a first DUI. Big charges carried "cash only" bonds a judge had set, ranging from $35,000 to $1,000,000. Several felonies read "No Bond" until court. Some arrests have no early exit: hurting a partner or relative, strangulation, stalking, and ignoring a protective or no-contact order. They wait for a judge (MCA 46-9-302).

You deal with the Sheriff's Office at 203 A Avenue NW, Harlowton, MT 59036, since it runs the jail. A deputy can take schedule bail, or the amount a judge wrote on a warrant, and pass it to the court (MCA 46-9-302). Ask for a signed receipt every time. Then go in this order:

1. Phone 406-632-5614 with their full name and date of birth.
2. Get the bond for every single charge. Roster entries list them one by one, so the total may be more than you think.
3. Check for any "cash only" bond, and whether a judge still has to see them.
4. Find out which payments staff accept today, and the right payee for a check or money order.
5. Arrive with photo ID and exact payment. Keep that receipt.

Dispatchers on this line handle emergencies for two counties. Keep the call short, and try again later if they ask you to.

Yes. Montana's rules for these lower courts allow schedule bail to be handed in at the clerk's desk on any open court day. Each court must post its bail schedule. Two offices in the A Avenue courthouse, 201 A Avenue NW, Harlowton, MT 59036, may take it:

• Justice Court, also Harlowton City Court: third floor, 406-632-4821, open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Its mail address is P.O. Box 524, Harlowton, MT 59036.
• Clerk of District Court for felonies: third floor, 406-632-4893, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mail: P.O. Box 227, Harlowton, MT 59036.

Justice Court keeps just two short days each week, so phone ahead. Confirm the figure, the payment types allowed and whether staff will tell the jail to release your loved one right after you pay.

Yes, on court cases. According to the Harlowton City Court, its fines and bonds may be paid online with CitePay. That same service shows up as a link on the county's Justice Court page.

• Use CitePay for court fines and bonds tied to tickets or court cases.
• Keep the ticket or case number handy.
• Look over the final total, fees included, before you hit pay.

For someone sitting in a cell, phone the jail at 406-632-5614 first. Ask whether paying through CitePay will free them, and how soon. Money sent to the wrong case number will not get anyone out.

Ring ahead, every time. Offices set their own rules, and those rules shift. Lots of roster bonds say "cash only," meaning the judge wants the whole sum in cash and won't accept a bail bond.

• Ask jail staff about cash, cashier's checks and money orders, plus the payee name.
• Planning to pay at the courthouse? Ask the clerk those same questions.
• Carry exact change if paying in bills.
• Cash never goes in an envelope. Never send money to an unknown caller or texter who claims to be handling bail.

Safe places to pay: the jail, the court, CitePay for a court case, or a licensed bail agent you found yourself.

In Montana law, a bail agent is called a "surety bail bond insurance producer." That's a long name. Licenses come through the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (MCA 33-17-1601). Key points:

• Expect a fee to the agent. It stays with them, even if charges get dropped.
• Agents often ask for collateral, like a pickup title. Get the agent to write down the date it comes home to you.
• Should your loved one miss court, an agent may arrest them, after warning local police in most cases (MCA 46-6-508).
• A surety bond answers for court dates only. It never pays fines or restitution (MCA 46-9-503).
• A "cash only" bond usually rules out using an agent.

Search the agent's name in the NAIC licensee lookup first. No license, no deal.

Bail only covers the case it was set on. So before paying, ask the jail at 406-632-5614 to list every hold. Common ones:

• Someone else's warrant. A warrant from another jurisdiction is off limits for bail from a judge here (MCA 46-9-201).
• Extradition. People sent back from out of state must first appear before whoever issued the warrant (MCA 46-9-105).
• Probation or parole. Roster entries have shown holds for state corrections and Probation and Parole. Judges also consider any current supervision (MCA 46-9-109).
• Several charges. Each charge carries its own bond on the roster, and all must be satisfied.
• Federal or ICE holds. Each gets its own answer lower on this page.

Not everyone in this jail was arrested by local deputies. Its 2026 rosters show holds for:

• Sweet Grass County, including state corrections and Probation and Parole holds
• Golden Valley County
• Meagher County
• The U.S. Marshals Service

For an outside agency's prisoner, the court where that case is filed sets bail. Jail staff can say whose hold it is. After that, contact that county for the amount: Sweet Grass at 406-932-5143, Meagher at 406-547-3397 or Golden Valley at 406-568-2321.

It does happen. This jail is small, so some people end up held elsewhere. Lewistown's Fergus County jail, for example, has kept a Wheatland District Court case on a courtesy hold.

Can't spot the name on the roster? Phone the Sheriff's Office at 406-632-5614 and ask where they are. For someone in Lewistown, reach the Fergus County Detention Center through its Sheriff's Office, 121 8th Avenue South, Lewistown, MT 59457, 406-535-3415. Since the case still belongs to the court here, ask both offices where the bail goes.

Bail is a right under the Montana Constitution for nearly every charge. A capital case is the lone exception, and only when "the proof is evident or the presumption great" (Mont. Const. art. II, sec. 21). Excessive bail is banned too (Mont. Const. art. II, sec. 22).

Still, MCA 46-9-106 lets a judge hold someone until trial when there's solid reason to believe no conditions would keep them coming to court. On the scale: the charge itself, any record, earlier flight, risk to the public and how rooted they are here. A scored risk report can play a part as well (MCA 46-9-109).

The County Attorney is the one who argues for strict bail. That office is on the second floor, 201 A Avenue NW, Harlowton, MT 59036, 406-632-5651.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers can both ask for a bail change, up or down, or for new terms (MCA 46-9-311). Whoever asks must warn the other side.

1. The defense files a motion, in writing, with the judge who has the file.
2. Gather pay stubs, a lease or deed, family letters and an honest budget. Montana bail can't be oppressive and must account for a defendant's means (MCA 46-9-301).
3. Propose safeguards. Wheatland is enrolled in Montana's 24/7 Sobriety Program. Participants take a breath test morning and night.

Justice Court cases: call 406-632-4821 on a Tuesday or Thursday. Felony cases: reach the district court clerk at 406-632-4893.

Right to counsel is one of the first things the judge explains (MCA 46-7-102). Courts assign attorneys from the Office of State Public Defender on felonies, jailable misdemeanors and youth matters.

Any household bringing in 133% or less of the poverty guideline qualifies. People above that line may still qualify when a private attorney would cost more than they can bear. Holding a job, or posting bail, can't be the sole ground for a denial (MCA 47-1-111). Applicants swear to a financial statement, and a judge signs off.

• Grab a paper application at Justice Court, 406-632-4821, or use the state's online form.
• One regional public defender office is at 505 W. Main St, Lewistown, MT 59457, 406-535-3703.

Nearly every court office sits inside the county courthouse at 201 A Avenue NW, Harlowton, MT 59036.

• Justice Court and Harlowton City Court (tickets, misdemeanors, early felony hearings): third floor, 406-632-4821, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Clerk of District Court (felony records): third floor, 406-632-4893.
• Fourteenth Judicial District Court (felonies): chambers at 506 Main Street, Roundup, MT 59072, 406-323-1701. Its judge also handles Golden Valley, Meagher and Musselshell.
• U.S. District Court (federal charges, Billings Division): 2601 2nd Avenue North, Suite 1200, Billings, MT 59101, 406-247-7000.

Showed up for everything? Then the court refunds the cash after the case is done (MCA 46-9-502). A bond is paid back only to the name on the deposit, per court rules, so save your receipt.

Miss a date, though, and the judge can declare a forfeit. Notice of that forfeit must reach the defendant and each surety by mail inside 10 working days (MCA 46-9-503). If the mailing is late, the bond is cancelled.

• Next, the clock runs 90 days. A return to court or a solid excuse within that time can undo the forfeit.
• Forfeits on misdemeanors go to the town or county treasury where paid. Forfeits on felonies go into the state's general fund (MCA 46-9-511).
• Judges may also send forfeited bail to a crime victim (MCA 46-9-512).

About a refund, ask the same court that collected your payment. For Justice Court, dial 406-632-4821.

Before your loved one leaves, sort out their cash and personal things. Phone the Sheriff's Office at 406-632-5614 to learn how any account balance gets refunded and when you may collect items at 203 A Avenue NW, Harlowton, MT 59036.

Have photo ID with you. Picking things up for them? Ask whether the jail wants written permission from the inmate. Account refunds and deposits are covered in our inmate money guide.

Cases brought by federal prosecutors go to the Billings Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. Its clerk's office is in Billings at 2601 2nd Avenue North, Suite 1200, Billings, MT 59101, 406-247-7000, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• The first federal hearing decides jail or release. Either lawyer may ask for a short delay, usually only days (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Federal prisoners stay under guard of the U.S. Marshals Service, 2601 2nd Avenue North, Suite 2300, Billings, MT 59101, 406-200-6004.
• Our local roster has listed someone held for the Marshals. To find a federal prisoner, ask the Marshals.
• Once sentenced, look them up with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

PACER holds federal case files for a per-page fee.

No. An ICE hold survives a paid state bail. Here's the usual order of events:

1. ICE delivers Form I-247A, its detainer, to the Sheriff's Office.
2. Staff may keep your loved one up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. MCA 27-16-801 requires officers to honor that detainer and explain the reason for holding. Believable proof of citizenship or legal status means release.
4. Federal officers then collect them. Montana cases run through the Salt Lake City Field Office, 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
5. Try the ICE Online Detainee Locator using their full name plus birth country.

State felony sentences fall under the Montana Department of Corrections. Typically the person sits in a county jail while state staff review them. Next comes a move to wherever fits them best, from a prison cell to a prerelease house or treatment bed.

• Search by name or state ID on the state offender search.
• Facility details are in our Montana prisons guide.
• General corrections questions: 406-444-3930, the department's main number.

Kids under 18 usually have their cases heard in Youth Court, part of the district court system (MCA 41-5-203). State law keeps youths out of adult cells except for very short stays (MCA 41-5-349). Secure detention for teens from this county happens at the Yellowstone County Youth Services Center, 410 South 26th Street, Billings, MT 59101, 406-256-6825.

• A detained youth gets a judge's review within 24 hours, skipping weekends and holidays (MCA 41-5-332).
• Youths can get bail too, set with the parents' finances in mind (MCA 41-5-323).
• Juvenile Probation, 406-323-1714, can tell you the teen's location and hearing date.