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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.
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Office: Phillips County Disaster & Emergency Services – confirm current phone via phillipscountymt.gov.
Sheriff: Phillips County Sheriff’s Office – 314 S 2nd Ave W, PO Box 1090, Malta, MT 59538 | Non-emergency (406) 654-2350 | Fax: (406) 654-1213 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Jerry Lytle (also serves as Coroner). When fully staffed: Sheriff, Undersheriff, 5 deputies, 5 dispatchers, and one administrative assistant, providing law enforcement and 24/7 dispatch communications.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-2 and MT-191 serve Malta, the county seat, in north-central Montana; the county is bordered by Canada (Saskatchewan) to the north and the Missouri River to the south. Amtrak’s Empire Builder stops in Malta.
Notes: Phillips County, formed February 5, 1915 from Blaine County (itself split from Chouteau County), is named for rancher and state senator Benjamin D. Phillips. It is Montana’s second-largest county by land area (5,212 square miles) with roughly 4,200 residents, including the towns of Saco and Dodson and the unincorporated communities of Loring, Whitewater, Zortman, and Landusky.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Phillips County – confirm current phone via phillipscountymt.gov.
Notes: Phillips County is genuinely one of the most significant dinosaur fossil regions in the world – “Leonardo,” a Brachylophosaurus discovered near Malta, is a Guinness World Record holder as the most complete mummified dinosaur ever found, with preserved skin, muscle tissue, and even stomach contents; the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and Field Station displays Leonardo alongside “Roberta,” another well-preserved Brachylophosaurus found in life position. The adjacent Phillips County Museum, housed near the former Phillips County Carnegie Library (built 1917, NRHP-listed), also displays real dinosaur specimens alongside pioneer and Native American history. The Little Rocky Mountains, rich in mining history, and Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge (15,551 acres, established 1936) also lie within the county.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Phillips County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via phillipscountymt.gov.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible south).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Phillips County Library – 10 South 4th St East, Malta, MT 59538 | (406) 654-2407 | Hours: Mon/Wed 10 AM-9 PM, Tue/Thu/Fri 10 AM-5 PM, Sat 10 AM-2 PM, closed Sunday; roughly 23,000-volume collection; also operates a Saco branch.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and Field Station, the Phillips County Museum, Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge, the Little Rocky Mountains, Nelson Reservoir, and Sleeping Buffalo Hot Springs are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “Leonardo” mummified dinosaur, a Guinness World Record holder, is one of the most scientifically significant fossil finds covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Phillips County Clerk & Recorder – PO Box 360, Malta, MT 59568-0360 | (406) 654-2423.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current animal control arrangements via phillipscountymt.gov or the Sheriff’s Office, (406) 654-2350.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Phillips County – confirm current contact via phillipscountymt.gov.
NOTES: Phillips County is the second county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s sixth batch. The genuine “Leonardo” mummified dinosaur, a Guinness World Record holder, is one of the most scientifically significant fossil finds in this entire project. 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 Phillips County County
Phillips County is north-central Montana’s dinosaur museum and Milk River Hi-Line county – Leonardo the mummified hadrosaur with preserved skin and stomach contents and the Fort Belknap Reservation’s Gros Ventre and Assiniboine sovereignty define a county where Malta serves the surrounding Hi-Line farming, ranching, and tribal communities.
Malta (the county seat, population ~2,000) is Phillips County’s governmental hub on US 2, a north-central Montana Hi-Line community whose dinosaur museum, Milk River access, and Fort Belknap Reservation proximity anchor its identity.
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Phillips County Assessor at 314 S. 2nd Street E, Malta, MT 59538, phone 406-654-2423. MT assessed at market value.
Courts & Legal
Phillips County District Court at 314 S. 2nd Street E, Malta, MT 59538, phone 406-654-2423, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
314 S. 1st Ave. W., Malta, MT 59538
(406) 654-2423
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
314 S. 1st Ave. W., Malta, MT 59538
(406) 654-2423
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Phillips County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Phillips 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
Phillips County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 314 S. 2nd Avenue West (mail: P.O. Box 530), Malta, MT 59538 (406) 654-1051
Phillips County was founded February 5, 1915, in north-central Montana, seated in Malta. It was part of Blaine County until 1915, and both had been part of Chouteau County until 1912.
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
314 S. 1st Ave. W., Malta, MT 59538
(406) 654-2310
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
314 S. 1st Ave. W., Malta, MT 59538
(406) 654-2423
ELECTIONS
314 S. 1st Ave. W., Malta, MT 59538
(406) 654-2423
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Phillips County EMS – 314 S 2nd Ave W, Room 10, PO Box 289, Malta, MT 59538 | (406) 654-2336 | Fax: (406) 654-2940.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Malta
Population: 4,100
Area: 5,141 sq mi
Established: 1915
Public Records
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