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Montana County
Rosebud County, Montana
Colstrip's coal legacy and the Northern Cheyenne Nation - from Colstrip's coal power plants (the massive Colstrip Steam Electric Station - whose four units once provided power for the Pacific Northwest grid - represents the most significant and controversial coal energy infrastructure in Montana history, and the plant's partial shutdown and the debate over its future have defined southeast Montana's economic and environmental politics for decades) to the Northern Cheyenne Reservation (the Cheyenne people who survived the long ordeal of the Indian Wars - including Dull Knife's winter exodus and the Battle of the Little Bighorn - established their reservation in Rosebud County and have maintained one of the most culturally cohesive tribal nations in Montana).
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Office: Rosebud County Disaster & Emergency Services – coordinated through the Sheriff’s dispatch center; confirm current phone via rosebudcountymt.gov.
Dispatch: Rosebud County dispatchers are trained at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy and handle Sheriff’s Office, Montana Highway Patrol, and Game Warden communications, plus paging for DES, Forsyth/Ashland Ambulance, and rural fire departments; four full-time dispatchers, all calls routed through the Forsyth dispatch center.
Sheriff: Rosebud County Sheriff’s Office – 180 South 13th Ave, PO Box 85, Forsyth, MT 59327 | (406) 346-2715 | Fax: (406) 346-7397; Sheriff Allen Fulton. Local police departments also serve Forsyth, Colstrip, and Lame Deer.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-94 and US-12 serve Forsyth, the county seat, along the Yellowstone River in southeastern Montana.
Notes: Rosebud County, established February 11, 1901 and named for the Rosebud River, is Montana’s fourth-largest county by land area (5,027 square miles) with roughly 8,300 residents. Cities and communities include Forsyth, Colstrip, Lame Deer, Ashland, Birney, Rosebud, and Sumatra.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Rosebud County Courthouse – 1200 Main Street, Forsyth, MT 59327-0047 | (406) 356-7318; construction began 1912, Classical Revival style.
Notes: Rosebud County genuinely includes Lame Deer, headquarters and capital of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, which extends across the county’s western portion. Colstrip is a former company town built around coal mining and electricity generation, now one of Montana’s key energy hubs. The Battle of the Rosebud (also called “The Battle Where the Girl Saved Her Brother” by the Northern Cheyenne) was fought along Rosebud Creek on June 17, 1876 – eight days before the Battle of the Little Bighorn – as General George Crook’s forces clashed with a large Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Northern Arapaho force led by Crazy Horse. NAMING NOTE: Rosebud Battlefield State Park, the National Historic Landmark preserving the battle site, is actually located in neighboring Big Horn County near Busby, not within Rosebud County itself, though the battle and creek that give the county its name are closely associated with the area.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Rosebud County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via rosebudcountymt.gov.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible west).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Rosebud County Library – 201 N 9th Ave, PO Box 7, Forsyth, MT 59327 | (406) 346-7561.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Rosebud County Museum (1300 Main St, Forsyth), Custer National Forest (partially within the county), and the Yellowstone River corridor are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine proximity to the 1876 Battle of the Rosebud (fought along Rosebud Creek, eight days before Little Bighorn) is a distinctive local fact, with the naming-trap note on the state park’s actual Big Horn County location included above.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Rosebud County Clerk and Recorder – 1200 Main Street, Forsyth, MT 59327; confirm current phone via rosebudcountymt.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current animal control arrangements via rosebudcountymt.gov or the Sheriff’s Office, (406) 346-2715.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Rosebud County – confirm current contact via rosebudcountymt.gov.
NOTES: Rosebud County is the third county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s seventh batch. The genuine 1876 Battle of the Rosebud history (with the naming-trap distinction on the state park’s actual Big Horn County location) and the Northern Cheyenne Reservation headquarters at Lame Deer 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 Rosebud County
Rosebud County is Colstrip coal country and Northern Cheyenne homeland – the massive Colstrip power plant whose future defines southeast Montana’s energy and environmental debate sits near the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, whose people’s survival through the Indian Wars and enduring cultural cohesion makes them one of Montana’s most resilient Native nations.
Forsyth (the county seat, population ~1,800) and Colstrip (population ~2,200) serve the county’s energy, tribal, and ranching communities on the Yellowstone River.
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Rosebud County Assessor (Montana Dept. of Revenue) at 1200 Main Street, Forsyth, MT 59327, phone 406-346-7315.
Courts & Legal
Rosebud County District Court at 1200 Main Street, Forsyth, MT 59327, phone 406-346-7318, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
1 N. 13th Ave., Forsyth, MT 59327
(406) 346-7315
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
1 N. 13th Ave., Forsyth, MT 59327
(406) 346-7315
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Rosebud County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, partly within Rosebud County, holds significant tribal historical records separate from county court records.
Local societies
No dedicated Rosebud 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
Rosebud County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 1200 Main Street, Forsyth, MT 59327 (406) 346-7322
Rosebud County is in southeastern Montana, seated in Forsyth, and includes part of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.
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
1 N. 13th Ave., Forsyth, MT 59327
(406) 346-2240
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
1 N. 13th Ave., Forsyth, MT 59327
(406) 346-7315
ELECTIONS
1 N. 13th Ave., Forsyth, MT 59327
(406) 346-7315
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
(Lame Deer — Indian Health Service serving Northern Cheyenne Reservation)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Rosebud County Public Health – confirm current phone via rosebudcountymt.gov; medical facilities also located in Ashland, Lame Deer, and Colstrip.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Forsyth
Population: 9,000
Area: 5,012 sq mi
Established: 1901
Tier: 3
Public Records
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