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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.
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Office: Wheatland County Disaster & Emergency Services – (406) 632-6014; confirm current contact via wheatlandcomt.gov. Serves Harlowton, Judith Gap, Two Dot, and Shawmut.
Sheriff: Wheatland County Sheriff’s Office – 203 A Avenue NW, PO Box 757, Harlowton, MT 59036 | (406) 632-5614 | Fax: (406) 632-5654; Sheriff Randy Cameron, Undersheriff Kevin Froese. The City of Harlowton’s law enforcement is contracted to this office. Shared dispatch center with neighboring Golden Valley County, located at 203 A Ave NW; offers Text-to-911.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-12 and US-191 serve Harlowton, the county seat, along the Musselshell River in central Montana. Wheatland County Airport (HWQ) is county-owned.
Notes: Wheatland County, established February 22, 1917 from parts of Meagher and Sweet Grass Counties, is named for its abundant wheat-growing land. Roughly 2,000-2,100 residents.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Wheatland County Courthouse – Harlowton, MT; confirm current phone via wheatlandcomt.gov.
Notes: Harlowton holds a genuinely remarkable place in American railroad history: from 1916 to 1974 it served as the eastern terminus of the Milwaukee Road’s electrified rail line to Avery, Idaho – the longest stretch of electrified railroad in the United States, which Thomas Edison reportedly called an “unmatched technical marvel.” Steam and later diesel locomotives were swapped for electric engines here for the mountain crossing. The Milwaukee Road Historic District, NRHP-listed, preserves the 1908 depot and a rare intact roundhouse; a retired electric locomotive (E57B) sits on public display in a downtown park. The “Smoking Boomer” trail follows the old rail bed. Archaeologically, the area is notable for a 50-mile rock-line boundary once separating Crow and Blackfeet hunting territory, running between the Big Snowy and Crazy Mountains.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Wheatland County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via wheatlandcomt.gov.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible west).
Key Assets: The Milwaukee Road Historic District, the Upper Musselshell Museum, the retired E57B electric locomotive display, and the “Smoking Boomer” rail-trail are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine electrified Milwaukee Road railroad history, praised by Thomas Edison as an “unmatched technical marvel,” is one of the most distinctive engineering-heritage facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Wheatland County – confirm current contact via wheatlandcomt.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current animal control arrangements via wheatlandcomt.gov or the Sheriff’s Office, (406) 632-5614.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Wheatland County Weed District – confirm current phone via wheatlandcomt.gov.
NOTES: Wheatland County is the sixth county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s eighth and final batch. The genuine electrified Milwaukee Road railroad history is one of the most distinctive engineering-heritage facts in 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 Wheatland County County
Wheatland County is central Montana’s Milwaukee Road ghost railroad and Musselshell Valley county – the eastern terminal of the world’s longest electrified railroad and the Musselshell River’s wheat and cattle farming define a county where Harlowton serves the surrounding central Montana agricultural communities.
Harlowton (the county seat, population ~900) is Wheatland County’s governmental hub on US 12, a central Montana community whose Milwaukee Road heritage, Musselshell Valley setting, and wheat farming economy anchor its identity as a central Montana crossroads.
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Wheatland County Assessor at 201 A Street NW, Harlowton, MT 59036, phone 406-632-4891. MT assessed at market value.
Courts & Legal
Wheatland County District Court at 201 A Street NW, Harlowton, MT 59036, phone 406-632-4891, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
201 S. Central Ave., Harlowton, MT 59036
(406) 632-4891
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
201 S. Central Ave., Harlowton, MT 59036
(406) 632-4891
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Wheatland County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Wheatland 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
Wheatland County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 201 A Avenue NW, 3rd Floor (mail: P.O. Box 227), Harlowton, MT 59036 (406) 632-4893
Wheatland County is in central Montana, seated in Harlowton, part of the 14th Judicial District along with Golden Valley, Meagher, and Musselshell counties.
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 S. Central Ave., Harlowton, MT 59036
(406) 632-4919
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
201 S. Central Ave., Harlowton, MT 59036
(406) 632-4891
ELECTIONS
201 S. Central Ave., Harlowton, MT 59036
(406) 632-4891
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Wheatland Memorial Healthcare / Central Montana Health District – confirm current phone via wheatlandcomt.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.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Harlowton
Population: 2,100
Area: 1,423 sq mi
Established: 1917
Public Records
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