Paris Magistrate Court is formally known as the magistrate court of Bear Lake county. The Bear Lake district court meets in the same building on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. These courts are in the Sixth judicial district of Idaho. US 30 and US 89 runs through all of Bear county and meet in Montpelier. SR 36 comes in from the West to met US 89 North of Paris.

The Bear Lake valley was one of the favorite hunting grounds of traveling bands of Shoshone, Ute and Bannock tribes. Around 1863 Mormon settlers founded the community of Paris attracted by the abundant quantities of timber and water in the area. The Paris Mormon tabernacle was built in Romanesque style of red sandstone and is on the National Register of Historic places. Bear Lake is a large body of water in the Southern part of the county and Bear Lake National wildlife refuge is at the North end of the lake. The lake is known for its many white, sandy beaches and its great fishing.