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Montana County
Pondera County, Montana
Conrad's Hi-Line grain farming and Marias River country - from Pondera County's Hi-Line wheat heritage (the broad, nearly flat agricultural plateau of Pondera County produces exceptional winter wheat and barley on the Hi-Line corridor between Great Falls and the Rocky Mountain Front - the county's grain farming communities represent some of the most productive dryland wheat agriculture in Montana, and the Marias River's drainage defines the county's central geographic feature) and the county's proximity to the Blackfeet Reservation and Glacier National Park's eastern front.
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Office: Pondera County Disaster & Emergency Services – 20 4th Avenue SW, Conrad, MT 59425-2340 (lower level of the Courthouse) | Coordinator Allison Broesder, (406) 271-4040 | Fax: (406) 271-4084 | Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-5 PM; maintains an E-911 addressing system with a public GIS map and floodplain permitting.
Sheriff: Pondera County Sheriff’s Office – 20 4th Avenue SW, Suite 109, Conrad, MT 59425-2351 (lower level of the Courthouse) | Non-emergency (406) 271-4060 | Fax: (406) 271-2039; Sheriff/Coroner Robert Skorupa, Undersheriff Robert Bender. Duties include investigations, court attendance, county road patrol, animal control, civil process, delinquent tax collection, livestock/branding inspections, and heading county Search and Rescue.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-15 serves Conrad, the county seat, in north-central Montana along the Rocky Mountain Front, within easy reach of Glacier National Park.
Notes: Pondera County, established April 1, 1919, is genuinely named for the Pend d’Oreilles Native American people (the pronunciation anglicized to “Pondera”). Roughly 5,900-6,100 residents. Conrad is named for early rancher William G. Conrad and incorporated in 1908; Valier, the county’s only other incorporated town, was platted by the Valier Townsite Company for an anticipated 3,000 residents.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Pondera County – confirm current phone via ponderacountymontana.org.
Notes: Pondera County genuinely sat along the historic Whoop-Up Trail, an 1860s-1870s wagon route running from Fort Benton on the Missouri River north to Fort Macleod in what is now Alberta, Canada, principally carrying buffalo robes; the route was replaced by the Great Falls and Canada Railway narrow-gauge line by 1890. Lake Frances, the county’s largest body of water (3,618 acres), was genuinely created by the Dille Dam as part of the Pondera County Canal and Reservoir Company’s irrigation project, funded in part by the sale of the historic 7 Block cattle ranch (originally an 1886 sheep operation, later one of the first Hereford cattle herds in Montana) to the Cargill family in 1909. Lake Frances remains a major recreation destination for walleye, northern pike, and perch fishing.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Pondera County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via ponderacountymontana.org.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible south).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Conrad Public Library – 15 4th Ave SW, Conrad, MT 59425 | (406) 271-5751; a joint city/county library since 1961, serving all of Pondera County.
Key Assets: Lake Frances, Swift Dam Reservoir, and the Conrad Depot Society Train Museum are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine Whoop-Up Trail fur trade route history and the origin story of Lake Frances (funded by the sale of the 7 Block Ranch) are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
E-911 Public Map / GIS – Pondera County ArcGIS public map; confirm current access via ponderacountymontana.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Animal control is handled directly by the Pondera County Sheriff’s Office, (406) 271-4060.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Pondera County – confirm current contact via ponderacountymontana.org.
NOTES: Pondera County is the third county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s sixth batch. The genuine Pend d’Oreilles namesake and the Whoop-Up Trail fur trade heritage 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 Pondera County
Pondera County is Hi-Line wheat country at the Rocky Mountain Front – the broad agricultural plateau between Great Falls and Glacier National Park produces exceptional dryland wheat on the Marias River drainage, and the county’s northern edge borders the Blackfeet Reservation’s sweeping plains beneath the Continental Divide.
Conrad (the county seat, population ~2,600) serves Pondera County’s grain farming and Rocky Mountain Front gateway communities on the I-15 corridor.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Pondera County Assessor at 20 4th Avenue SW, Conrad, MT 59425, phone 406-271-4020. MT residential assessed at market value, taxed at 1.35%.
Courts & Legal
Pondera County District Court at 20 4th Avenue SW, Conrad, MT 59425, phone 406-271-4020, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
20 4th Ave. SW, Conrad, MT 59425
(406) 271-4000
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
20 4th Ave. SW, Conrad, MT 59425
(406) 271-4000
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Pondera County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Pondera 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
Pondera County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 20 4th Avenue Southwest, Conrad, MT 59425 (406) 271-4026
Pondera County is in northern Montana, seated in Conrad, part of the 9th Judicial District along with Glacier, Teton, and Toole counties.
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
20 4th Ave. SW, Conrad, MT 59425
(406) 271-4060
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
20 4th Ave. SW, Conrad, MT 59425
(406) 271-4000
ELECTIONS
20 4th Ave. SW, Conrad, MT 59425
(406) 271-4000
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Pondera County Health Department – confirm current phone via ponderacountymontana.org.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Conrad
Population: 6,100
Area: 1,625 sq mi
Established: 1919
Tier: 3
Public Records
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