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.
Montana County
Powell County, Montana
The Old Montana Prison and Grant-Kohrs Ranch - from the Old Montana Prison (the 1871 territorial prison in Deer Lodge - whose castellated stone walls, cell blocks, and guard towers have been preserved as the Montana Law Enforcement Museum - is one of the most authentically preserved Victorian-era prisons in the United States, a remarkable architectural artifact of frontier Montana's justice system whose cell blocks, gallows, and solitary confinement facilities document a century of incarceration history) and Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site (the best-preserved example of the 19th-century open range cattle ranching empire that once dominated the American West, preserved at the headquarters ranch that Conrad Kohrs built into one of the largest cattle operations in Montana).
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.
Roads: I-90 serves Deer Lodge, the county seat, in southwest Montana.
Notes: IMPORTANT naming note: the city of Deer Lodge is located in Powell County, NOT in the separately named Deer Lodge County (whose seat is Anaconda) – a frequent source of confusion covered elsewhere in this project.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Powell County – 409 Missouri Ave., Suite 203, Deer Lodge, MT 59722 | (406) 846-9786.
Notes: IMPORTANT for InmateAid readers: Powell County is genuinely home to the current Montana State Prison, a men’s correctional facility operated by the Montana Department of Corrections, located about 3.5 miles west of Deer Lodge; the current facility was built 1974-1979, replacing the original 1871 Montana Territorial Prison in downtown Deer Lodge, which served continuously as the state’s primary penal institution until 1979. That original facility, with gray sandstone walls 24 feet high and 4 feet deep to deter tunneling, is now the Old Montana Prison Museum, part of a larger complex (with the Montana Auto Collection, Frontier Montana, Yesterday’s Playthings, and the Powell County Museum) operated by the nonprofit Powell County Museum & Arts Foundation. The Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, a 1,500-acre working ranch dating to 1862, was home to Conrad Kohrs, one of Montana’s legendary 19th-century “Cattle Kings,” whose land holdings once stretched across a million acres of Montana, Wyoming, and Alberta.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Powell County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via powellcountymt.gov.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible north).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
William K. Kohrs Memorial Library – 501 Missouri Ave, Deer Lodge, MT 59722 | (406) 846-2622 | Hours: Mon-Thu 11 AM-7 PM, Fri-Sat 11 AM-5 PM, closed Sunday; genuinely gifted to Deer Lodge by cattle baron Conrad Kohrs and his wife Augusta in 1902, memorializing their son William, who had died the previous year.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Old Montana Prison Museum Complex, the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site (free admission), and Deer Lodge’s historic Main Street are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine dual history of Montana’s territorial-era and modern state prisons, both located in Powell County, is directly InmateAid-relevant and a distinctive local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Powell County – confirm current contact via powellcountymt.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current animal control arrangements via powellcountymt.gov or the Sheriff’s Office, (406) 846-2711.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Powell County – confirm current contact via powellcountymt.gov.
NOTES: Powell County is the fifth county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s sixth batch. The genuine presence of the current Montana State Prison and the historic Old Montana Prison Museum are directly InmateAid-relevant facts of central importance to this 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 Powell County
Powell County is the Old Montana Prison and Grant-Kohrs Ranch – the 1871 territorial prison’s preserved Victorian cell blocks are one of America’s finest frontier justice artifacts, and the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site is the best-preserved example of the open range cattle empire that defined the 19th-century American West.
Deer Lodge (the county seat, population ~3,000) is defined by its prison and ranch heritage – both national historic sites anchor a community of unusual frontier Montana character in the Deer Lodge Valley.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Powell County Assessor at 409 Missouri Avenue, Deer Lodge, MT 59722, phone 406-846-9780. MT residential assessed at market value, taxed at 1.35%.
Courts & Legal
Powell County District Court at 409 Missouri Avenue, Deer Lodge, MT 59722, phone 406-846-9780, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
409 Missouri Ave., Deer Lodge, MT 59722
(406) 846-9780
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
409 Missouri Ave., Deer Lodge, MT 59722
(406) 846-9780
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Powell County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Powell County shares its county seat, Deer Lodge, with the separate Deer Lodge County (Anaconda-Deer Lodge) – the two are distinct counties.
Local societies
No dedicated Powell 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
Powell County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 409 Missouri Avenue, Deer Lodge, MT 59722 (406) 846-9787 Powell County is in southwestern Montana, seated in Deer Lodge.
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
409 Missouri Ave., Deer Lodge, MT 59722
(406) 846-3680
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
409 Missouri Ave., Deer Lodge, MT 59722
(406) 846-9780
ELECTIONS
409 Missouri Ave., Deer Lodge, MT 59722
(406) 846-9780
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Powell County Health Department – confirm current phone via powellcountymt.gov.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Deer Lodge
Population: 7,000
Area: 2,326 sq mi
Established: 1865
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Powell County residents.
