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 on September 24, 2026.
Dawson County, Montana, has about 8,700 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Dawson 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: Dawson County public records, Dawson County arrest records, Dawson County warrants, Dawson County inmate search, Dawson County criminal records, Montana arrest records and Montana inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Dawson County
Court cases from Dawson County are filed in the Dawson 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 Dawson County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.mt.gov, 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.
What Reaches the Court from Dawson County
Together, the two agencies in Dawson County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 131 arrests to the FBI that year; the County Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Dawson County District Court or the Justice Court.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at dawsonmt.gov/departments/county_attorney/index.php (page title: Welcome to Dawson County, MT), phone (406) 377-2532, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
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 Dawson County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Dawson County criminal records, Dawson County divorce records, Dawson County traffic tickets, Dawson County DUI and Dawson County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Dawson County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Dawson County and Montana. These court pages from its Dawson County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Montana District Courts (courts.mt.gov)
Cities in Dawson County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Dawson 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 cities and towns in the county are Glendive and Richey.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Dawson County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.mt.gov.
Which court hears felonies in Dawson County?
The Dawson 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 Dawson 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 Dawson 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.