SearchSystems Editorial

Reviewed and updated October 3, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.

About this guide

Carter County is a county in Montana with about 1,400 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are not in one place: court cases, jail bookings, deeds, property values, vital records and records requests each belong to a different office. This guide names the office that holds each kind of record, links to its own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 7 county office pages for Carter County, every one opened and checked, and lists 1 more whose site blocks automated checks.

In this guide: Where the records live, Jail and arrests, Court records, County Clerk, Deeds and property, Vital records, County Attorney, Records requests, Statewide sources, More directory links, Cities and towns, Other counties and Questions.

Where Carter County public records live

Each kind of Carter County record is kept by a different office. The list below names the office SearchSystems verified for each one; the sections that follow give its phone, address and hours where the office publishes them.

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Arrests, jail and inmate lookups in Carter County

A person arrested in Carter County is booked into the jail, and the booking record (name, charges, bond and the next court date) is public in most cases. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for jail and inmate information in Carter County.

  • Website: ekalaka.gov/police-department (page title: Police Department | Town of Ekalaka)
  • Phone: 406-775-8743
  • Checked: September 28, 2026, the page answered.

Jail rosters usually show the people in custody now. Once a person is released, the case continues in the court records below.

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Court records and case lookups in Carter County

Civil, criminal, family, probate and traffic cases filed in Carter County are kept by the clerk of the court that heard them. Many courts offer an online case search; the page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Carter County.

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County Clerk of Carter County

The county clerk is the county's record keeper. What the office holds differs by state: in some states it files marriage licenses and vital records, in others deeds, court papers or the meeting records of the governing board. Its own website below says what it holds in Carter County.

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Deeds, land records and property values in Carter County

Two offices share property records. The recording office files deeds, mortgages, liens and the other documents that affect title to land in Carter County. The assessment office sets the taxable value of each parcel and usually offers a free parcel search by address or owner name.

Recorded documents: Clerk and Recorder

Property values: Property Assessment Division

  • Website: propertyassessor.org/mt-carter-county
  • Checked: October 2, 2026, the site blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), and the page was found in a live search index on October 3, 2026; open it directly in a browser.

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Birth, death and marriage records in Carter County

Certified copies of birth and death certificates for events in Carter County are issued by the office below. The Montana state vital records office also issues certified copies for any event in the state.

  • Website: dphhs.mt.gov/vitalrecords (page title: Vital Records)
  • Phone: (406) 444-2685
  • Checked: September 24, 2026, the page answered.

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County Attorney for Carter County

The County Attorney is the office that prosecutes criminal cases in Carter County. The case files themselves are court records (above); the prosecutor's office handles victim services and questions about pending prosecutions.

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Public records requests to Carter County

Every state has a public records law that applies to county offices. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it. Many counties run one request page for every department; it is listed below when SearchSystems verified one for Carter County.

  • Website: sosmt.gov/public-records-request (page title: Public Records Request | Official Montana Secretary of State Website | Christi Jacobsen)
  • Checked: September 24, 2026, the page answered.

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Statewide Montana sources

Some records are kept by the state rather than the county. These are the Montana state offices SearchSystems verified; each link opens the state office's own page.

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These links come from the SearchSystems directory for Carter County and were opened again on October 2, 2026. Each one still answers.

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Cities and towns in Carter County

Carter County has 1 incorporated city or town (2024 Census Bureau count, population in parentheses). City records such as council minutes, permits, business licenses and police reports are kept by each city; the records on this page are county records whatever the city.

  • Ekalaka (405)

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Carter County Arrest Records

The Carter County arrest records guide names the agency that reports arrests to the FBI here. It also says where a person arrested here is held, how to find out about an arrest and how to get a copy of the report.

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Carter County Records Guides

SearchSystems has seven more guides to Carter County, each written from the county's own offices and figures: Carter County warrants (who issues and serves them, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one), Carter County criminal records (the court file, the Montana criminal history and the local arrest records), Carter County court records (which court hears what, the case search and who keeps the files), Carter County police reports (which agency holds a report and what the Montana Public Records Act requires), Carter County traffic tickets (which court takes the ticket, who writes them and the driving record), Carter County divorce records (which court holds the file and how a certified copy is had) and Carter County property records (deeds, assessed values, permits and evictions).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the official Carter County website?

No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official offices listed above; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.

How do I find out if someone is in jail in Carter County?

Use the jail or inmate page SearchSystems verified for Carter County at ekalaka.gov/police-department, or call 406-775-8743. Rosters usually show the people in custody now; after release, the case continues in the court records.

Where do I look up a court case in Carter County?

The court records page SearchSystems verified for Carter County is at courts.mt.gov/Courts/portals. A case number finds a case fastest; a name search returns every case with that name.

Who records deeds in Carter County?

The Clerk and Recorder, at cartercountymt.gov. Deeds, mortgages and liens on land in Carter County are filed there.

How do I get a birth or death certificate for Carter County?

From the office SearchSystems verified for Carter County vital records at dphhs.mt.gov/vitalrecords, phone (406) 444-2685, or from the Montana state vital records office.

How do I request a public record from Carter County?

Through the records request page at sosmt.gov/public-records-request. A record that is not covered there is requested from the office that holds it.