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Criminal-record and social-profile search option.
View Records Sponsored partner optionWhat should you know about this search?
Direct answer
Identify the Montana agency and record family, check published data first, and direct a request to the agency that maintains the file when the record is not already online.
Montana transparency and agency requests answer different questions
Transparency
Published state information
Use Montana transparency resources for the datasets and government information they publish.
DOJ
Department-held records
Use the Montana DOJ request process for records maintained by that department.
Other agency
Separate custodian
Move to the Montana agency, court or local office that owns the requested file.
Why a Montana transparency search is not a statewide records request
A transparency portal can publish selected financial or government data without becoming the custodian for every Montana record. Department records stay with the department that maintains them.
Montana DOJ therefore represents one agency request lane, not a universal state portal. Courts, local governments and other state agencies can have their own search or request processes.
Keep the Montana agency and record family attached to any result. If a published dataset leads to an agency file, preserve both source roles rather than merging them.
A Montana search that follows the record owner
1
Choose the Montana agencyIdentify the body that created or maintains the record family.2
Check published data firstUse the relevant Montana transparency or agency resource when the material is already online.3
Request only from the custodianSend the existing-record request to the agency that owns the file when direct publication is not enough.4
Save the Montana locatorKeep the agency, record description, subject or file number and date range used.Montana provenance fields
| Field | Example role | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Agency | Defines the custodian | Separates state bodies |
| Record family | Defines the product | Prevents portal overreach |
| Subject or file number | Native locator | Supports repeat lookup |
| Date range | Search limit | Documents the request scope |
Montana publication and Montana custody should be logged separately
A Montana transparency dataset may answer a published-data question without showing whether an agency has additional responsive files. Conversely, an agency response can concern records that never appear in a statewide transparency product.
Keep those two evidence types separate. Record the published dataset when it was used, and record the maintaining Montana agency when a direct request or agency search supplied the file.