Colstrip Court is in Montana's Sixteenth judicial district. SR 39 passes through Colstrip and intersects most streets in town.

Coilstrip owes its start to the Northern Pacific railroad which formed it as a company town to provide coal for their steam locomotives around 1924. Coal was taken from the Fort Union formation by open pit strip mining. The railroad stopped mining around 1958 when they switched to diesel locomotives. However the rights to the mine and the town was purchased one year later by the Montana Power Company who resumed mining operations a few years later with plans to build coal-fired electrical plants. Western Energy Company purchased the original townsite and then plotted it. As a result the town has fairly new street improvements and real estate. The power plants were subsequently purchased by PP&L which is one of the biggest employers of the city's residents. Another bonus of the power plants is Castle Rock lake which was constructed as a water storehouse for use by the plants. The lake is stocked with fish and wildlife roam the area around it and its a great place for boating or picnicking. The town has over 25 parks and a well equipped recreation center. The 50th anniversary issue of Sports Illustrated magazine named Colstrip the top sports town in Montana. The big event in this town is the annual Colstrip Days celebration on the weekend before the Fourth of July.