Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Carter County, Montana, has about 1,400 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Carter County District Court and the Justice Court, and the file of each case, kept by the Clerk of District Court, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, directory links, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Carter County public records, Carter County arrest records, Carter County warrants, Carter County criminal records, Carter County police reports, Montana arrest records and Montana inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Carter County
Court cases from Carter County are filed in the Carter County District Court, which hears felonies, civil cases, divorces, probate and juvenile matters.
The Justice Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases and small claims.
A city with a city and municipal court of its own tries the tickets written under its ordinances.
Divorces go to the District Court, and the file stays with the Clerk of District Court.
The Clerk of District Court keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Montana Public Records Act.
Looking Up a Case from Carter County
For Carter County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at courts.mt.gov/Courts/portals (page title: Montana Public Access Portal(s)), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Montana has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The Montana court page SearchSystems verified is at courts.mt.gov.
What Reaches the Court from Carter County
The Carter County Sheriff's Office reported 0 arrests to the FBI for 2025; the County Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Carter County District Court or the Justice Court.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Montana Motor Vehicle Division, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Carter County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Carter County criminal records, Carter County divorce records, Carter County traffic tickets and Carter County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Carter County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Carter County and Montana. These court pages from its Carter County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Court Administrators Office (courts.mt.gov)
- Montana District Courts (courts.mt.gov)
Cities in Carter County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Carter County District Court or the Justice Court; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its city and municipal court where it has one.
The one city in the county is Ekalaka.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Carter County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.mt.gov/Courts/portals.
Which court hears felonies in Carter County?
The Carter County District Court, which hears felonies, civil cases, divorces, probate and juvenile matters. The Justice Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases and small claims.
Who keeps the court records in Carter County?
The Clerk of District Court. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Montana?
No. Each court's records are looked up through that court.
Is this the official Carter County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.