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Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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: Meagher County Emergency Management – confirm current phone via meagherco.com.
Sheriff: Meagher County Sheriff’s Office – 101 W. Crawford St, PO Box 449, White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645 | Non-emergency (406) 547-3397; Sheriff Reginald B. Scandrett. Over 10 employees serve a 2,300+ square mile area, supporting Meagher County Fire, White Sulphur Springs Fire, Meagher County Ambulance, and Meagher County Search and Rescue.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-12 and US-89 serve White Sulphur Springs, the county seat, in central Montana.
Notes: Meagher County, first created by the second territorial assembly on March 26, 1866 and re-established November 16, 1867 after Congress nullified that assembly’s laws, is named for Thomas Francis Meagher, acting territorial governor. The 2010 U.S. Census Bureau geographic center of population for the entire state of Montana falls within Meagher County. Roughly 1,900-2,100 residents.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Meagher County – confirm current phone via meagherco.com.
Notes: White Sulphur Springs, originally called Brewer’s Springs after James Scott Brewer, who claimed the area’s genuine thermal springs in 1866, was renamed in 1876 for the white sulphur deposits found there and won the county seat from Diamond City in 1880. The town’s namesake springs briefly drew the interest of circus magnate John Ringling (of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey), who owned and operated the hot springs and a dairy operation in the early 20th century and personally financed a rail spur to the nearby town that today bears his name (Ringling, Montana); his dreams of a high-society bathhouse resort were abandoned during the Great Depression. The Castle of White Sulphur Springs, a NRHP-listed granite mansion, now houses the Castle Museum. Meagher County is also genuinely home to the Red Ants Pants Music Festival, a nationally known annual event founded to support women in agriculture and rural communities.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Meagher County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via meagherco.com.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible west).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Meagher County/City Library – 205 Garfield Street, White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645 | (406) 547-2250.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Castle Museum, the Bair Family Museum, Showdown Montana ski area, the Barn Quilt Trail, and the Red Ants Pants Music Festival grounds are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine John Ringling connection and the Red Ants Pants Music Festival are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Meagher County – confirm current contact via meagherco.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current animal services arrangements via whitesulphurspringsmontana.com or the Sheriff’s Office, (406) 547-3397.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Meagher County – confirm current contact via meagherco.com.
NOTES: Meagher County is the third county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s fifth batch. The genuine John Ringling hot springs connection and Red Ants Pants Music Festival 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 Meagher County County
Meagher County is central Montana’s Smith River canyon and White Sulphur Springs hot springs county – the most coveted permitted float trip in Montana through a limestone canyon with bighorn sheep and blue-ribbon trout and the Victorian hot springs resort town define a county of exceptional outdoor character where White Sulphur Springs serves the surrounding mountain communities.
White Sulphur Springs (the county seat, population ~900) is Meagher County’s governmental hub on US 89, a central Montana mountain community whose Smith River canyon access, natural hot springs, Castle Mountains, and Showdown ski area anchor its identity.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Meagher County Assessor at 15 W. Main Street, White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645, phone 406-547-3612. MT assessed at market value.
Courts & Legal
Meagher County District Court at 15 W. Main Street, White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645, phone 406-547-3612, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
15 W. Main St., White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645
(406) 547-3612
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
15 W. Main St., White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645
(406) 547-3612
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Meagher County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Meagher 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
Meagher County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 15 West Main Street (mail: P.O. Box 443), White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645 (406) 547-3030
Meagher County was founded November 16, 1867, named for Thomas Francis Meagher, in central Montana, seated in White Sulphur Springs.
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
15 W. Main St., White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645
(406) 547-3541
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
15 W. Main St., White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645
(406) 547-3612
ELECTIONS
15 W. Main St., White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645
(406) 547-3612
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Meagher County Health Department – confirm current phone via meagherco.com.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: White Sulphur Springs
Population: 1,900
Area: 2,394 sq mi
Established: 1867
Public Records
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