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Montana County
Broadwater County, Montana
Canyon Ferry Lake - Montana's largest reservoir and Missouri River birthplace - from Canyon Ferry Lake (the 35-mile-long Canyon Ferry Reservoir on the Missouri River - Montana's largest body of water by surface area - whose walleye, rainbow trout, and yellow perch fishery and its proximity to Helena make it the most heavily used recreational lake in Montana, drawing boaters, anglers, and campers from the Helena metro to the broad Missouri River valley) and the Missouri River headwaters (the Missouri River begins just above Broadwater County near Three Forks where the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin rivers converge - Broadwater County sits in the most historically significant river confluence region in the American West).
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What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Broadwater County Disaster & Emergency Services – contact Bill Malone; confirm current phone via broadwatercountymt.gov.
Sheriff/Dispatch: Broadwater County Sheriff’s Office – 519 Broadway St, Townsend, MT 59644 | (406) 266-3441 (24-hour) | Fax: (406) 266-5354; Sheriff Nic Rauser. Provides 24/7 public service to the county’s roughly 6,000 residents; operates a mobile app with emergency alerts, crime reporting, and the sex offender registry; a text-to-911 system is available for hearing/speech-impaired callers or low-signal situations. Also runs a Victim Assistance Program.
Corrections: Broadwater County Detention Center – built 2005, 46 beds, capacity up to 50 detainees; frequently near full capacity housing detainees for other agencies including the Montana Department of Corrections.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-287 and MT-284 serve Townsend, the county seat, in west-central Montana between Helena and Bozeman.
Notes: Broadwater County spans roughly 1,239 square miles between the Big Belt and Elkhorn Mountains, with four major Montana highways passing through.
Notes: Broadwater County is genuinely home to Canyon Ferry Lake – Montana’s third-largest body of water, a Missouri River reservoir formed by the 1954 completion of Canyon Ferry Dam, covering 33,534 acres with 76 miles of shoreline; it is one of the state’s most popular recreation lakes (24 recreation sites) and a leading iceboat racing venue in winter. Townsend is known locally as the “Front Door to Canyon Ferry.”
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Broadwater County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via broadwatercountymt.gov.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible west).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Broadwater School & Community Library – Townsend, MT | Hours: Mon-Thu 4-7 PM, Fri-Sat 9 AM-4 PM, Sun 12-5 PM; a combined school and public library.
Broadwater County Museum and Library – Townsend, MT; free admission (donations welcome); holds local history archives including family histories, oral history tapes, census records (1870-1930), and newspaper archives (1875-1965), plus a microfilm reader.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Canyon Ferry Lake, the Canyon Ferry Wildlife Management Area (5,920 acres, waterfowl and upland bird habitat), and the Big Belt Mountains are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine status of Canyon Ferry Lake as Montana’s third-largest body of water is a distinctive local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Broadwater County – confirm current contact via broadwatercountymt.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated Broadwater County animal shelter is confirmed at this time; the Lewis & Clark Humane Society in nearby Helena serves the region under contract with Lewis and Clark County, the City of Helena, and East Helena – confirm current arrangements for Broadwater County residents via broadwatercountymt.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Broadwater County Solid Waste – (406) 461-7066 | Broadwater County Courthouse, 515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644.
NOTES: Broadwater County is the fourth county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s first batch. The genuine status of Canyon Ferry Lake as Montana’s third-largest body of water is a distinctive local fact. No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed – flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Broadwater County
Broadwater County is Canyon Ferry Lake – Montana’s largest body of water by surface area draws more recreational visitors than any other Montana lake, and the county sits just downstream from the Missouri River’s headwaters at Three Forks in the most historically significant river confluence region of the American West.
Townsend (the county seat, population ~2,000) serves Broadwater County’s agricultural, recreational, and Helena corridor communities on the Missouri River.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Broadwater County Assessor at 515 Broadway Street, Townsend, MT 59644, phone 406-266-3315. MT residential assessed at market value, taxed at 1.35%.
Courts & Legal
Broadwater County District Court at 515 Broadway Street, Townsend, MT 59644, phone 406-266-3315, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644
(406) 266-3413
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644
(406) 266-3413
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Broadwater County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Broadwater County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Broadwater County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 515 Broadway Street, Townsend, MT 59644 (406) 266-9236 Broadwater County is in west-central Montana, seated in Townsend.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Montana adopted the Uniform Probate Code (UPC), codified at Title 72 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA). Probate is handled by the District Court in the county where the decedent resided.
Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit (MCA § 72-3-1101) – available when the value of the probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $100,000. At least 30 days must have passed since the death, and no application or petition for appointment of a personal representative may be pending or granted anywhere. The affiant presents the sworn, notarized affidavit (with a certified death certificate) directly to whoever holds the property to collect it – skipping probate court entirely. Must be used within 3 years of death.
Summary Administration – a streamlined court process for estates valued at $100,000 or less; unlike the affidavit procedure, this still goes through the court, just with reduced formality.
Informal Probate – the most common path for uncontested estates. An application can be made to the clerk of district court no sooner than 120 hours (5 days) after death, with minimal court involvement.
Formal Probate – required when there’s no will, when a will’s validity is contested, or when there’s disagreement over the personal representative or distribution. Handled by a district court judge.
Supervised Administration – formal probate with ongoing court oversight of the personal representative.
Step 2: filing for formal or informal probate
File an application (informal) or petition (formal) with the Clerk of District Court in the county where the decedent resided, no sooner than 120 hours after death.
The court or clerk appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors and gives direct notice to known creditors. Creditors generally have 4 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
The personal representative inventories and appraises the estate’s assets.
After debts, taxes, and expenses are paid and the creditor claim period expires, the personal representative distributes the remaining assets and closes the estate.
What it costs
Montana does not set statutory percentage-based fees; personal representative and attorney fees are generally “reasonable compensation” based on time and complexity.
Montana has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644
(406) 266-3406
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644
(406) 266-3413
ELECTIONS
515 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644
(406) 266-3413
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Broadwater Health Center – confirm current contact via broadwatercountymt.gov.
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Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Townsend
Population: 6,400
Area: 1,239 sq mi
Established: 1897
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
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