State Resources
Montana
Montana wrote a right to know into its constitution, which makes it one of the strongest records states in the country on paper. The courts are county by county, and in a state this size the clerk of court is your friend.
At a glance
| Record | Held by | Cost | Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business and entity search | Secretary of State | Free to search | Yes |
| UCC filings | Secretary of State — UCC | Fee for official searches | Yes |
| Property and land records | Department of Revenue (assessment); county clerk and recorder (documents) | Free | Yes |
| Court records | Clerks of district court, by county | Varies by county | By county |
| Criminal records | Department of Justice, Criminal Records | Fee | By request |
| Vital records | DPHHS, Office of Vital Records | Certified copies carry a fee | Yes |
| Unclaimed property | Department of Revenue | Free | Yes |
| Voter and resident records | Secretary of State — My Voter Page | Free | Yes |
Worth knowing about Montana
The right to know is in the constitution
Montana is one of very few states where public access to government documents is a constitutional right rather than just a statute. Article II, Section 9 says no person shall be deprived of the right to examine documents of any public body.
That matters in practice. An exemption has to be justified against a constitutional right rather than merely found in a list, and Montana courts apply a balancing test weighing individual privacy against the public right to know. The default leans open.
The weakness is that there’s no numeric deadline. Cite the article and section by name in a written request — it isn’t boilerplate here, and records officers know it.
Assessment is done by the state, not the counties
An unusual Montana arrangement worth knowing: property assessment is handled by the state Department of Revenue rather than county assessors.
The practical benefit is that Montana publishes a statewide property record lookup. You can confirm a parcel and its owner across county lines in one place, which isn’t something most states allow.
Recorded documents — deeds, mortgages, liens — are still with the county clerk and recorder, county by county. State for the assessment, county for the document.
Record by record
Business and entity search
Open business search →- Held by
- Secretary of State
- Cost
- Free to search
Free entity search returning status, formation date, registered agent and principals, with filed documents viewable.
An annual report is required, so an entity in good standing has been refreshed within the year.
UCC filings
Open Secretary of State →- Held by
- Secretary of State — UCC
- Cost
- Fee for official searches
UCC financing statements filed centrally. A UCC-1 names the debtor, the secured party and the collateral.
Montana filings are heavily agricultural. Note also that livestock brands are separately recorded with the Department of Livestock — a Montana asset record most people never think to check, and brands are valuable and traceable.
Property and land records
Open property lookup →- Held by
- Department of Revenue (assessment); county clerk and recorder (documents)
- Cost
- Free
Montana publishes a statewide property record lookup because assessment is a state function — see above. Confirm a parcel and owner across county lines in one search.
Deeds, mortgages and liens are still recorded county by county with the clerk and recorder.
Court records
Open Montana Courts →- Held by
- Clerks of district court, by county
- Cost
- Varies by county
No free statewide case search. District courts are grouped into judicial districts, several covering more than one county, and each clerk holds its own records.
Yellowstone, Missoula, Gallatin, Flathead and Cascade hold most of the population. Supreme Court opinions and dockets are published free.
Criminal records
Open Montana DOJ →- Held by
- Department of Justice, Criminal Records
- Cost
- Fee
Criminal history checks run through the Department of Justice. The public version returns conviction data.
Montana publishes a free sexual and violent offender registry.
Vital records
Open DPHHS →- Held by
- DPHHS, Office of Vital Records
- Cost
- Certified copies carry a fee
Births and deaths from the state office. Montana restricts certified copies to people with a direct interest.
Unclaimed property
Open unclaimed property →- Held by
- Department of Revenue
- Cost
- Free
Free name search. The holder named on a reported item is a confirmed bank, insurer or employer relationship with a last known address.
Voter and resident records
Open My Voter Page →- Held by
- Secretary of State — My Voter Page
- Cost
- Free
Individual registration lookup confirming status and county.
Public records requests in Montana
- Statute
- Mont. Const. art. II, § 9; Mont. Code §§ 2-6-1001 et seq.
- Response deadline
- No fixed deadline
- Appeal to
- District court
- Appeal window
- No fixed deadline
Public access is a constitutional right in Montana. Exemptions are balanced against it rather than applied automatically, and the balancing favors disclosure unless a genuine privacy interest clearly outweighs it.
There’s no numeric deadline and no ombudsman. The remedy is district court, and a prevailing requester may recover costs and attorney fees.
No residency requirement and no purpose requirement. Cite article II, section 9 by name — it carries weight here.
What Montana will not give you
- Individual privacy interests. Montana balances privacy against the right to know case by case, so some personal data is withheld from otherwise public records.
- Driver and vehicle records. Closed under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act.
- Youth court records. Not public.
- A statewide case search. Does not exist.
Course
The Ultimate FOIA and Public Records Course
Every state page here tells you what the law says. The course shows you how to write the request, what to do when it comes back gutted, and how to appeal without a lawyer — the part that decides whether you actually get the records.
See the FOIA courseRelated
- Idaho — free statewide portal next door
- Wyoming — the other big empty one
- North Dakota — free statewide case search
- A FOIA request letter that works
- UCC filings name the lender
Fees and procedures verified August 2026. Clerks change their counter rules more often than the statutes change — call before you drive.