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Montana County
Richland County, Montana
Sidney's Bakken oil boom and Yellowstone River sugar beet country - from the Bakken Formation's Richland County impact (the Bakken shale oil formation that made neighboring North Dakota an oil powerhouse extends into Richland County, Montana - bringing significant oil production, pipeline infrastructure, and the associated economic boom-bust cycle to the extreme northeast Montana Yellowstone River communities) and Sidney's extraordinary sugar beet and sunflower agriculture (the Yellowstone River irrigation district around Sidney supports one of the most productive sugar beet and sunflower growing regions in the Mountain West, with the Western Sugar Cooperative processing operations anchoring the agricultural economy).
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Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Richland County Disaster & Emergency Services – 2140 W Holly Street, Sidney, MT 59270 | (406) 433-2220.
Dispatch: Richland County 9-1-1 Dispatch – operated through the Sheriff’s Office; confirm current phone via richland.org.
Sheriff: Richland County Sheriff’s Office – 300 12th Avenue N.W., Suite 1, Sidney, MT 59270 | Non-emergency (406) 433-2919 | Fax: (406) 433-4766; Sheriff John K. Dynneson.
Sidney Police: (406) 433-6846.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MT-16 serves Sidney, the county seat, in far northeastern Montana along the Yellowstone River, about 10 miles south of the North Dakota border. Sidney-Richland County Airport (SDY) offers limited regional service.
Notes: Richland County, created by the Montana Legislature in 1914 from part of Dawson County, was reportedly renamed from a proposed “Gate County” to “Richland” specifically to attract new settlers. Roughly 11,000-11,500 residents. Sidney is nicknamed the “Sunrise City” as one of Montana’s easternmost communities and is the second-largest city in eastern Montana.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Richland County Planner/Zoning Commission – confirm current phone via richland.org.
Notes: Richland County genuinely sits at the edge of the Bakken oil formation, and its economy today blends century-old agriculture (sugar beets, wheat, and grains, made possible by the early-20th-century Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project, which irrigates over 58,000 acres) with modern oil and gas extraction. The MonDak Heritage Center, Eastern Montana’s premier museum, opened in its current 16,200-square-foot building in 1984, evolving from the 1972 J.K. Ralston Museum and Art Center (named for the famed Western artist and Richland County native Charles Marion “J.K.” Ralston); it features a recreated pioneer “Main Street,” multiple art galleries, and two research libraries.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Richland County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via richland.org.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible west).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Richland County Library – a county department; confirm current address/hours via richland.org (participates in 1000 Books Before Kindergarten and 100 Books Before Graduation programs).
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The MonDak Heritage Center, the Yellowstone-Missouri River confluence (a historically significant Lewis and Clark waypoint), Seven Sisters Wildlife Management Area (500+ acres of Yellowstone River frontage), and Fox Lake WMA are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine Bakken oil formation gateway status and the region’s Lewis and Clark heritage are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Richland County Public Works – confirm current contact via richland.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Animal control in Sidney is handled by the Sidney Police Department, (406) 433-6846; county-wide inquiries route through the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, (406) 433-2919.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Richland County Landfill / Public Works – confirm current phone via richland.org.
NOTES: Richland County is the first county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s seventh batch. The genuine Bakken oil formation gateway status and the MonDak Heritage Center’s regional significance 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 Richland County
Richland County sits on two booms – the Bakken oil formation extends into Montana’s northeast corner, and the Yellowstone River irrigation district produces exceptional sugar beets and sunflowers in one of the Mountain West’s most productive agricultural corridors.
Sidney (the county seat, population ~5,200) is the northeast Montana agricultural and energy hub at the North Dakota border on the Yellowstone River.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Richland County Assessor (Montana Dept. of Revenue) at 201 W. Main Street, Sidney, MT 59270, phone 406-433-1708.
Courts & Legal
Richland County District Court at 201 W. Main Street, Sidney, MT 59270, phone 406-433-1700, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
201 W. Main St., Sidney, MT 59270
(406) 433-1708
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
201 W. Main St., Sidney, MT 59270
(406) 433-1708
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Richland County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Richland 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
Richland County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 300 12th Avenue NW, Suite 3, Sidney, MT 59270 (406) 433-1709
Richland County was created by the Montana Legislature in 1914 from part of Dawson County, in eastern Montana, seated in Sidney.
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
201 W. Main St., Sidney, MT 59270
(406) 433-2919
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
201 W. Main St., Sidney, MT 59270
(406) 433-1708
ELECTIONS
201 W. Main St., Sidney, MT 59270
(406) 433-1708
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MT DPHHS — Richland
(406) 433-1708
Sidney Health Center
sidneyhealth.org (Sidney — quality regional hospital; major northeast Montana anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Richland County Public Health / Board of Health – confirm current phone via richland.org.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Sidney
Population: 11,000
Area: 2,083 sq mi
Established: 1914
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Richland County residents.
