The Clerk of District Court’s office is the "Hub" of the Judicial System. The staff in the Clerk’s office take minutes during all Pondera County District Court hearings and trials.

All actions that take place in the Judicial System are filed with the Clerk of District Court by Attorneys or in some cases, Pro se (when you file your own documents).

The Clerk of Court and the Deputies have to know the law, but "cannot" practice law, so a word of warning, if you come to us and want to know the procedure, documents required and all the rest that goes along with taking legal action, we cannot give you legal advice. There is some information we can provide, but it is very limited.

The Clerk’s office issues Marriage Licenses and oversees the Law Library. We also collect child support payments, fines, and disburse accordingly.

This office prepares jury selection each year, which is picked randomly by computer. Our jurors are empanelled from July 1st of the given year thru June 30th of the following year.

Passports

The Clerk of Court is appointed by the Federal Government to handle Passport applications. The Clerk and staff have had extensive training in this and it is a complex procedure. Although not a County function, handling of passport applications is an important convenient and a confidential service for the residents of Pondera County. The Clerk of District Court’s office in Conrad is the only location in Pondera County appointed to sell a passport.

There is an application required which can be picked up at our office, two Passport photographs, a certified Birth Certificate (which is sent in and returned to applicant with Passport), and applicable fees (adult - $67.00 and under age 16 - $52.00, payable to U.S. Department of State, $30.00 payable to Clerk of Court. Adult passports are good for ten (10) years and passports of individuals under age 16 are valid for five (5) years.

Documents to bring:

1. Certified copy of your Birth Certificate.
2. Two identical 2" x 2" color photos, following the guidelines set out in the Passport Application.
3. A valid driver’s license or state-issued photo ID.

It takes about six (6) weeks to process and receive the passport. For additional fees, the application can be sent "expedited" for faster service. Expedited passports take approximately two weeks.