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Montana · Bitterroot Valley · #518
Ravalli County, Montana
The Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula is Montana's most contested landscape - a corridor of extraordinary natural beauty where the Bitterroot River winds between the Bitterroot and Sapphire ranges, drawing remote workers, retirees, and second-home buyers who have driven one of the steepest rural property appreciation curves in the American West.
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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: Ravalli County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) – a division of the Sheriff’s Office, responsible for mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery countywide; serves Ravalli County and the municipalities of Hamilton, Pinesdale, Stevensville, and Darby under a 1988 interlocal agreement.
Dispatch: Ravalli County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center – non-emergency (406) 363-3033; staffed 24/7/365 by at least two Communications Specialists, dispatching for 12 fire districts, 5 local law enforcement agencies, and three ambulance services.
Sheriff: Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office – 205 Bedford Street, Suite G, Hamilton, MT 59840 | Non-emergency (406) 375-4060 | Fax: (406) 375-4065; Sheriff Steve Holton.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-93 serves Hamilton, the county seat and only city in Ravalli County, in the Bitterroot Valley in southwest Montana. Ravalli County Airport (HRF) serves the area.
Notes: Ravalli County, established March 3, 1893 and named for Father Antonio Ravalli, an Italian Jesuit missionary, spans the Bitterroot Valley between the Sapphire Mountains (east) and Bitterroot Mountains (west). Roughly 44,000-48,000 residents.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Ravalli County – confirm current phone via ravallicounty.gov.
Notes: Ravalli County is genuinely home to the Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML), a National Institutes of Health facility established in 1928 (research dating to 1900) that conducted nationally significant pioneering research into Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a tick-borne illness that once caused frequent fatalities in the Bitterroot Valley; RML developed vaccines that were critical for U.S. troops during WWII and remains an active NIH infectious-disease research campus today, with a $93 million new animal research facility under construction as of late 2025. Hamilton was founded in 1890 by Copper King Marcus Daly, who needed the valley’s timber and horse-raising land for his Butte mining operations; his 50-room “summer home,” the Daly Mansion, remains a Bitterroot Valley cultural landmark. Hamilton is also home to one of Montana’s 17 historic Carnegie Libraries.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Ravalli County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via ravallicounty.gov.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible north).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Bitterroot Public Library – Hamilton, MT; genuinely built in 1916 as one of 17 Carnegie libraries constructed in Montana; confirm current address/hours via ravallicounty.gov.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Daly Mansion, the Bitterroot Mountains and Bitterroot National Forest, and Rocky Mountain Laboratories’ historic buildings (NRHP-listed) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine, nationally significant Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever vaccine research conducted at RML is one of the most historically important public health facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Ravalli County – confirm current contact via ravallicounty.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Bitter Root Humane Association (BRHA) – 262 Fairgrounds Road, PO Box 57, Hamilton, MT 59840 | (406) 363-5311 | Email: [email protected] | Hours: Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 1-6 PM, Wed closed, Sat 12-5 PM, Sun 2-5 PM; founded 1972, no-kill with no time/space limits for adoptable animals; moved into a new modern shelter facility in July 2021 after over a decade of fundraising; adoption fees $140 dogs/$150 puppies/$85 cats/$95 kittens, including microchip, vaccines, and spay/neuter.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Ravalli County – confirm current contact via ravallicounty.gov.
NOTES: Ravalli County is the seventh and final county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s sixth batch (Petroleum, Phillips, Pondera, Powder River, Powell, Prairie, Ravalli) – closing out this batch. The genuine, nationally significant Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever vaccine research conducted at Rocky Mountain Laboratories is one of the most historically important public health facts 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 Ravalli County
Ravalli County’s Bitterroot Valley is the epicenter of Montana’s remote-work migration story. The valley’s combination of world-class fly fishing on the Bitterroot River, access to wilderness (the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness is one of the largest roadless areas in the lower 48), mountain scenery that compresses the best of Western Montana into a single corridor, and proximity to Missoula’s airport and university have made it the preferred destination for remote workers, retirees, and second-home buyers from coastal cities. Home prices that were modest by Western standards as recently as 2018 have more than doubled in many valley communities, creating significant affordability tensions for long-term residents.
Hamilton, the county seat, hosts the Rocky Mountain Laboratories – a National Institutes of Health facility working on infectious disease research, including the tick-borne diseases (Rocky Mountain spotted fever was first identified here) that the name suggests. The laboratory is the county’s most significant federal employer. Stevensville, the county’s second community, is Montana’s oldest town, established as a Jesuit mission in 1841. The valley’s agricultural heritage – hay, cattle, some apple orchards – persists in the northern reaches, though development pressure on agricultural land is significant. Ravalli County’s political character is strongly libertarian-conservative, a frequent point of tension with the new arrivals who have changed its demographics.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Montana assesses residential property at approximately 1.35% of market value for the statewide mill levy. Property owners may appeal to the State Tax Appeal Board. Montana has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Bitterroot Valley Senior Center
510 Daly Street, Hamilton, MT 59840
Phone: (406) 363-5170
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Ravalli County residents.
Senior Services
Bitterroot Valley Senior Center
510 Daly Street, Hamilton, MT 59840
Phone: (406) 363-5170
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Ravalli County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
205 Bedford St., Hamilton, MT 59840
(406) 375-6510
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
205 Bedford St., Hamilton, MT 59840
(406) 375-6510
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Ravalli County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1900 Ravalli County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is one of 92 NRHP-listed properties in the county – the most of any Montana county.
Local societies
No dedicated Ravalli 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
Ravalli County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 205 Bedford Street, Suite D, Hamilton, MT 59840 (406) 375-6214
Ravalli County was founded March 3, 1893, named for Jesuit missionary Antonio Ravalli, in the Bitterroot Valley of southwestern Montana, seated in Hamilton. The 1900 Ravalli County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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
205 Bedford St., Hamilton, MT 59840
(406) 375-4060
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
205 Bedford St., Hamilton, MT 59840
(406) 375-6510
ELECTIONS
205 Bedford St., Hamilton, MT 59840
(406) 375-6510
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Ravalli County Public Health – confirm current phone via ravallicounty.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hamilton
Population: 43,000
Area: 2,394 sq mi
Established: 1893
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Ravalli County facilities via Amazon.
