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Montana County
Stillwater County, Montana
The Stillwater Mine - America's only platinum and palladium mine - from the Stillwater Mine near Nye (the only primary platinum group metals mine in the United States - the Stillwater Complex's chromite and platinum group element deposits are among the richest in the world, and the mine produces the majority of domestically mined platinum and palladium for the American automotive catalytic converter industry - the mine is one of the most economically significant mineral deposits in the Mountain West) and the Stillwater River canyon (the Stillwater River's canyon between Columbus and the mine provides exceptional blue-ribbon trout fishing and dramatic Beartooth front scenery).
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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: Stillwater County Department of Emergency Services (DES) – confirm current phone via stillwatercountymt.gov; DES maintains a mobile command trailer and FirstNet-powered emergency communications (Starlink, cradlepoint routers, deployable cell tower) for incidents in areas lacking cell/internet coverage.
Sheriff: Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office – 400 East 3rd Avenue North, Columbus, MT 59019 | (406) 322-5326; Sheriff Charles E. Kem. Approximately 26 employees (sworn officers, communications technicians, support staff) cover 1,805 square miles, providing law enforcement, court security, dispatch, and search and rescue; the Sheriff also serves as Coroner. Stillwater County contracts with the Yellowstone County Detention Facility to house prisoners, as the county has no standalone jail.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-90 serves Columbus, the county seat, in south-central Montana along the Yellowstone River.
Notes: Stillwater County borders Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, and Golden Valley Counties.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Stillwater County – confirm current phone via stillwatercountymt.gov.
Notes: Stillwater County is genuinely home to the Stillwater Mine near Nye, operated by Sibanye-Stillwater – the only primary producer of platinum and palladium in North America and one of the largest primary sources of platinum group metals outside South Africa and Russia. The mine accesses the J-M Reef, a mineralized zone within the Stillwater Complex traced roughly 28 miles on the surface, geologically comparable to South Africa’s Bushveld Complex. A second Sibanye-Stillwater mine, East Boulder, operates near Big Timber in neighboring Sweet Grass County. These mines are a major regional employer, though production has been sensitive to swings in palladium prices in recent years.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Stillwater County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via stillwatercountymt.gov.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible west).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Stillwater County Library – 27 4th St N, PO Box 266, Columbus, MT 59019 | (406) 322-5009 | Hours: Mon-Fri 9 AM-5:30 PM (closed for lunch 1-2 PM), Sat 10 AM-3 PM, closed Sunday; over 21,000 items, free WiFi, public computers with Microsoft Office, tech support, printing/copying/faxing.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Stillwater River, the Beartooth Mountains foothills, and access to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness are the county’s premier natural attractions.
Notes: The genuine status of the Stillwater Mine as North America’s only primary platinum/palladium producer is one of the most economically distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Geographic Information System & Rural Addressing – Stillwater County; confirm current contact via stillwatercountymt.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current animal control arrangements via stillwatercountymt.gov or the Sheriff’s Office, (406) 322-5326.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Stillwater County Solid Waste – confirm current phone via stillwatercountymt.gov. Note: Stillwater County has conducted joint tabletop exercises with Sibanye-Stillwater on tailings-pond failure scenarios as part of its emergency planning.
NOTES: Stillwater County is the seventh and final county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s seventh batch – closing out this batch. The genuine status of the Stillwater Mine as North America’s only primary platinum/palladium producer is a distinctive economic fact. 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 Stillwater County
Stillwater County has America’s only platinum and palladium mine – the Stillwater Mine near Nye produces the majority of domestically mined platinum group metals for automotive catalytic converters, and the Stillwater River’s canyon provides exceptional blue-ribbon trout fishing at the foot of the Beartooth front.
Columbus (the county seat, population ~1,900) serves Stillwater County’s mining, ranching, and agricultural communities between Billings and Red Lodge.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Stillwater County Assessor (Montana Dept. of Revenue) at 400 E. 3rd Avenue N., Columbus, MT 59019, phone 406-322-8070.
Courts & Legal
Stillwater County District Court at 400 E. 3rd Avenue N., Columbus, MT 59019, phone 406-322-8000, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
400 E. 3rd Ave. N., Columbus, MT 59019
(406) 322-8000
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
400 E. 3rd Ave. N., Columbus, MT 59019
(406) 322-8000
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Stillwater County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Stillwater 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
Stillwater County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 400 3rd Avenue North (mail: P.O. Box 367), Columbus, MT 59019 (406) 322-8030 Stillwater County is in south-central Montana, seated in Columbus.
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
400 E. 3rd Ave. N., Columbus, MT 59019
(406) 322-5326
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
400 E. 3rd Ave. N., Columbus, MT 59019
(406) 322-8000
ELECTIONS
400 E. 3rd Ave. N., Columbus, MT 59019
(406) 322-8000
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Stillwater County Public Health – confirm current phone via stillwatercountymt.gov.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Columbus
Population: 10,000
Area: 1,795 sq mi
Established: 1913
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
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