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title: What are City and Municipal Courts?
description: "\"Learn the differences between Montana’s city and municipal courts, including jurisdiction over misdemeanors and the municipal court’s status as a court of record.\""
---

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January 21, 2026

# What are City and Municipal Courts?

## "City vs. Municipal Courts in Montana: Jurisdiction, Court of Record Status, and Common Offenses"

Eighty‐three of Montana’s 127 cities and towns have a city court. Five cities (Bozeman, Billings, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula) have a municipal court which is also a court of limited jurisdiction but, unlike a city court, a municipal court is a court of record, as described below. The criminal jurisdiction of city and municipal courts is limited to misdemeanors, which are almost entirely violations of city or town ordinances, predominantly traffic-related offenses.

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