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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: Daniels County Disaster & Emergency Services – confirm current phone via danielscountymt.gov.
Sheriff: Daniels County Sheriff’s Office – 106 Railroad Ave., PO Box 392, Scobey, MT 59263 | (406) 487-2691 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Clint Lowe. A small department (Sheriff, Undersheriff, one deputy, deputy coroner) providing civil process, fingerprinting, concealed weapon permits, and towing coordination.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MT-13 serves Scobey, the county seat, in far northeastern Montana near the Saskatchewan border.
Notes: Daniels County, established 1920 by the Montana Legislature from portions of Sheridan and Valley Counties, is named for local rancher Mansfield Daniels. Roughly 1,426 square miles, largely dryland farming country, with about 1,700-1,800 residents countywide (Scobey itself under 1,000).
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Daniels County Courthouse – 213 Main Street, Scobey, MT 59263.
Notes: The Daniels County Courthouse, NRHP-listed (1995), is genuinely a repurposed 1913 hotel – a two-story Western false-front building that was the largest structure in Scobey when built the same year the town relocated to sit along the Great Northern Railway; the county later purchased the building and lot to create the still-functioning courthouse. Scobey itself was named after Major Charles Richardson Anderson Scobey, a Montana Territory legislator and Indian agent, by rancher Mansfield Daniels. The Daniels County Museum & Pioneer Town, on 20 acres just west of Scobey, features 35 restored early-1900s buildings and hosts the annual “Dirty Shame Show,” an internationally known variety show during Pioneer Days each June.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Daniels County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via danielscountymt.gov.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible southwest).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Daniels County Library – 203 Timmons Street, PO Box 190, Scobey, MT 59263 | Phone/Fax: (406) 487-5502; offers book/DVD lending, public computers, faxing, interlibrary loans, Montana Library 2 Go (Libby), and partners with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for children.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Daniels County Museum & Pioneer Town and the region’s renowned big-game and bird hunting (whitetail and mule deer, antelope, pheasants, grouse, ducks, geese) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine repurposed-hotel origin of the Daniels County Courthouse and the internationally known Dirty Shame Show are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Daniels County Clerk and Recorder – (406) 487-5561.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Rabies vaccination certificate required for dog licensing within Scobey city limits; confirm current countywide animal control arrangements via danielscountymt.gov or the Sheriff’s Office, (406) 487-2691.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Daniels County – confirm current contact via danielscountymt.gov.
NOTES: Daniels County is the fourth county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s second batch. The genuine repurposed-hotel origin of the Daniels County Courthouse and the Pioneer Town’s internationally known Dirty Shame Show are distinctive local facts. 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 Daniels County County
Daniels County is northeast Montana’s Hi-Line wheat and Dirty Shame Wild West county – the beloved annual celebration that draws thousands to Scobey and the rolling wheat fields near the Canadian border define a remote northern plains community where Scobey serves the county’s farming families.
Scobey (the county seat, population ~1,000) is Daniels County’s governmental hub on MT-13, a northeast Montana Hi-Line community whose Dirty Shame celebration, wheat farming, and proximity to Canada anchor its identity.
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Daniels County Assessor at 213 Main Street, Scobey, MT 59263, phone 406-487-5561. MT assessed at market value.
Courts & Legal
Daniels County District Court at 213 Main Street, Scobey, MT 59263, phone 406-487-5561, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
213 Main St., Scobey, MT 59263
(406) 487-5561
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
213 Main St., Scobey, MT 59263
(406) 487-5561
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Daniels County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Daniels 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
Daniels County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 213 Main Street, Suite 2, Scobey, MT 59263 (406) 487-2651
Daniels County is in Montana’s far northeastern corner, on the Saskatchewan border, seated in Scobey.
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
213 Main St., Scobey, MT 59263
(406) 487-5331
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
213 Main St., Scobey, MT 59263
(406) 487-5561
ELECTIONS
213 Main St., Scobey, MT 59263
(406) 487-5561
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Daniels County Health Department – confirm current contact via danielscountymt.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Scobey
Population: 1,700
Area: 1,426 sq mi
Established: 1920
Public Records
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Search public records for Daniels County County residents.
