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Montana County
Carbon County, Montana
Red Lodge and the Beartooth Highway - the most beautiful drive in America - from the Beartooth Highway (the 68-mile US Highway 212 from Red Lodge to Yellowstone's northeast entrance - designated by Charles Kuralt as the most beautiful drive in America - crosses the Beartooth Plateau at 10,947 feet elevation, switchbacking through some of the most dramatic alpine scenery in the lower 48 states, with views of glaciated peaks, alpine lakes, and wildflower meadows that draw visitors from around the world to Carbon County's mountain gateway) and Red Lodge's ski resort and historic coal mining downtown (the ornate Victorian downtown that Montana coal miners built in the 1880s-1890s and the Red Lodge Mountain ski resort define a community of unusual historical and recreational depth).
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Office: Carbon County Disaster & Emergency Services – 17 West 11th Street, Red Lodge, MT 59068 | (406) 446-1038 or (406) 425-2071 | Hours: Mon-Thu 8 AM-5 PM.
Sheriff: Carbon County Sheriff’s/Coroner’s Office – 102 Broadway Avenue North, PO Box 230, Red Lodge, MT 59068 | Non-emergency/dispatch (406) 446-1234 | Fax: (406) 446-1239 | Civil/concealed weapons permits (406) 445-7272; Sheriff Josh McQuillan (term through 12/31/2026). Also serves as county coroner and operates Carbon County Community Corrections, a cost-effective supervision program for accused/convicted individuals.
Red Lodge Police Department: separate municipal department serving the city.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-212 (the Beartooth Highway) serves Red Lodge, the county seat, in south-central Montana on the Wyoming border.
Notes: Red Lodge is the northern gateway to Yellowstone National Park via the Beartooth Highway.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Carbon County – confirm current phone via carbonmt.gov.
Notes: Carbon County is genuinely home to the Beartooth Highway (US-212), widely regarded as one of the most spectacular scenic drives in the United States, climbing to nearly 11,000 feet through the Beartooth Mountains and connecting Red Lodge to Yellowstone’s northeast entrance. Red Lodge is a historic mining town with a well-preserved downtown, home to the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum and the Carbon County Art Guild & Depot Gallery.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Carbon County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via carbonmt.gov.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible west).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Red Lodge Carnegie Library – a genuine Carnegie library serving Red Lodge and Carbon County; confirm current hours via redlodge.com.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Beartooth Highway, Rock Creek and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, and the Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary (near Red Lodge) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine scenic reputation of the Beartooth Highway is a distinctive local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Carbon County Assessor – confirm current contact via carbonmt.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Beartooth Humane Alliance – PO Box 2333, Red Lodge, MT 59068 | (406) 446-3500; serves Carbon and Stillwater Counties, offering foster homes, spay/neuter vouchers for those in financial need, humane education, and monitoring for animal neglect/abuse; has been rescuing animals in the region for over 15 years and has a stated goal of building a dedicated shelter facility in Red Lodge.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Carbon County – confirm current contact via carbonmt.gov.
NOTES: Carbon County is the fifth county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s first batch. The genuine Beartooth Highway, one of the most spectacular scenic drives in the country, is a distinctive local fact. 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 Carbon County
Carbon County is the Beartooth Highway – Charles Kuralt’s pick for the most beautiful drive in America climbs to 10,947 feet across the Beartooth Plateau from Red Lodge to Yellowstone, and the Victorian downtown that coal miners built a century ago anchors a community of extraordinary scenic and historical character.
Red Lodge (the county seat, population ~2,100) is one of Montana’s most charming small cities – the Beartooth Highway, Red Lodge Mountain, and the historic downtown define a year-round destination.
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Carbon County Assessor at 17 W. 11th Street, Red Lodge, MT 59068, phone 406-446-1220. MT residential assessed at market value, taxed at 1.35%.
Courts & Legal
Carbon County District Court at 17 W. 11th Street, Red Lodge, MT 59068, phone 406-446-1220, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
17 W. 11th St., Red Lodge, MT 59068
(406) 446-1220
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
17 W. 11th St., Red Lodge, MT 59068
(406) 446-1220
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Carbon County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Carbon 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
Carbon County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division Law & Justice Building, 102 North Broadway, Red Lodge, MT 59068 (406) 446-1225 Carbon County is in south-central Montana, seated in Red Lodge, near the Beartooth Mountains.
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
17 W. 11th St., Red Lodge, MT 59068
(406) 446-1234
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
17 W. 11th St., Red Lodge, MT 59068
(406) 446-1220
ELECTIONS
17 W. 11th St., Red Lodge, MT 59068
(406) 446-1220
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Carbon County Health Department – confirm current contact via carbonmt.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Red Lodge
Population: 10,500
Area: 2,048 sq mi
Established: 1895
Tier: 3
Public Records
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