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The End of Life Plannerby Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Free · general informationMontana

What to do when someone dies in Montana

The first things Montana’s own law asks for after a death, quoted word for word, then the pages for everything that follows, in the order it usually comes. Nothing here decides what a particular family must do. That belongs to the office named, the court, or an attorney in Montana.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 24, 2026

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The free first-week checklist

Pages taken from the planner, by email: who to phone first, and a blank records sheet.

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Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

Filing the death certificate: who files it, where, and how the deadline is set

Registering the death comes first. These are Montana’s own words on who files the record, and how soon.

The person in charge of disposition shall obtain the completed certification of the cause of death from the physician, the advanced practice registered nurse, or the coroner and shall, within the time that the department may prescribe by rule, file the death or fetal death certificate with the local registrar in the registration area where the death occurred

Montana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · MCA 50-15-403(2)

How soon the certificate is filed, and who usually files it, in the department’s words

Death certificate filed with local registrar Within 10 days of notification of death Certificate filed by the person in charge of the final disposition of the body Typically completed by a funeral home.

Montana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · DPHHS presentation to the SAVA Interim Committee, 17 Nov 2025

What the person holding the will must do when asked, and the liability for not doing it

The will has its own rules. These are Montana’s own words on who brings it to the court after a death, and what the court does with it.

After the death of a testator and on request of an interested person, a person having custody of a will of the testator shall deliver it with reasonable promptness to a person able to secure its probate and, if none is known, to an appropriate court. A person who willfully fails to deliver a will is liable to any person aggrieved for any damages that may be sustained by the failure.

Montana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · MCA 72-2-536

A will deposited with a court for safekeeping, and what the court does at the death

A will may be deposited by the testator or the testator's agent with any court for safekeeping, under rules of the court. The will must be sealed and kept confidential.

Upon being informed of the testator's death, the court shall notify any person designated to receive the will and deliver it to that person on request or the court may deliver the will to the appropriate court.

Montana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · MCA 72-2-535

The first weeks

The estate: probate in Montana, its route for a smaller estate, what falls to whoever is settling it, and the accounts that pass outside the will.

The same page for other states

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FAQ

Common questions

Death certificate filed with local registrar Within 10 days of notification of death Certificate filed by the person in charge of the final disposition of the body Typically completed by a funeral home.

Montana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · DPHHS presentation to the SAVA Interim Committee, 17 Nov 2025

The person in charge of disposition shall obtain the completed certification of the cause of death from the physician, the advanced practice registered nurse, or the coroner and shall, within the time that the department may prescribe by rule, file the death or fetal death certificate with the local registrar in the registration area where the death occurred

Montana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · MCA 50-15-403(2)

After the death of a testator and on request of an interested person, a person having custody of a will of the testator shall deliver it with reasonable promptness to a person able to secure its probate and, if none is known, to an appropriate court. A person who willfully fails to deliver a will is liable to any person aggrieved for any damages that may be sustained by the failure.

Montana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · MCA 72-2-536

A will may be deposited by the testator or the testator's agent with any court for safekeeping, under rules of the court. The will must be sealed and kept confidential.

Upon being informed of the testator's death, the court shall notify any person designated to receive the will and deliver it to that person on request or the court may deliver the will to the appropriate court.

Montana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · MCA 72-2-535

For anyone who would rather their family found it all in one place than went looking.

A couple. A parent. An adult child and a parent, doing it together. One sitting starts it; keep it current, and tell someone where it is.

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