Petroleum County Clerk & Recorder
About the Petroleum County Clerk & Recorder
Petroleum County is Montana's smallest by population — Winnett is the county seat, and the whole county is really just Winnett plus a few small communities like Teigen, Flatwillow, and Cat Creek out along the highway. Don't let the size fool you, though: the Clerk & Recorder's office still handles the same deed you'd file in Billings, just with a lot less line to wait in. It's a small operation, so it's worth a quick call ahead before you make the drive out, especially if you're coming from out of the area — but folks here tend to know their neighbors' business almost as well as their own, and that goes for property records too.
Office Details
Address: 302 East Main Street, Winnett, MT 59087
Phone: (406) 429-5311 | Fax: (406) 429-6328
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 1:00 – 5:00 PM
Recording Fee: $20 for the first page, $10 for each additional page — a flat statewide fee set by Montana law (MCA § 7-4-2637), not a Petroleum-specific rate.
No additional county fees beyond the statewide rate were found for Petroleum County.
How to File a Document
- Prepare Your Document: Make sure your deed meets Montana's formatting and content requirements before you file.
- Get It Notarized: Have the document signed in front of a Montana notary public or other authorized official. No notary nearby in Winnett? Montana allows remote online notarization — you can notarize your Petroleum County deed online instead.
- Complete a Realty Transfer Certificate: Montana law requires a completed Realty Transfer Certificate (Form RTC) to accompany every deed submitted for recording — even transfers that don't require disclosing the sale price still need the form filed.
- Record It: You can file in person at the Petroleum County Clerk & Recorder's office; call the office to confirm whether mail-in filing is accepted.
- Pay the Recording Fee: $20 for the first page, $10 per additional page.
- Keep Your Receipt: Your recorded document (or a certified copy) is your proof of filing.
Ready to File Your Quitclaim Deed with the Petroleum County Clerk & Recorder?
You now know where to file — the harder part is showing up with a deed the recorder will actually accept.
Recorders reject deeds every day — and the free generic forms floating around online are the most common culprit. They usually fail at least one basic requirement: correct formatting, a complete legal description, or a proper notary acknowledgment. When that happens, you lose the trip, the recording fee, and days of time.
Here are two easy ways to get it right the first time:
Do It Yourself — Download the Form
$14.95
- Attorney-drafted — formatted to satisfy the Petroleum County Clerk & Recorder and every other Montana county
- Step-by-step instructions — fill it out in minutes, no legal experience needed
- Best if your transfer is straightforward and you're comfortable copying the legal description from your current deed
- Bonus forms included — warranty and survivorship deed formats too
- Instant download — start right after checkout, on any device
- Risk-free — full refund if your form is rejected
Hand It Off — We Prepare It for You
$39.95
- Professionally prepared — your deed is drafted for you, start to finish
- Best if your legal description is long or complex, multiple parties are involved, or a trust or divorce is part of the transfer
- Correct legal description and formatting — built to meet Petroleum County recording requirements
- Supporting documents handled — so nothing is missing when you file
- You just sign, notarize, and record — no drafting, no guesswork
Either way, you’ll walk into the Petroleum County Clerk & Recorder’s office with a document that’s ready to record — not one that gets handed back.
Disclosure: Both links take you to Standard Legal, our trusted partner. We earn a small commission on purchases at no extra cost to you — you pay the same price either way.
You are not on the official Petroleum County government website. MontanaQuitclaimDeed.com is a privately owned website and is not affiliated with any government agency.