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Minnesota County
Clearwater County, Minnesota
Bagley's wild rice country and the Clearwater River - from Clearwater County's wild rice heritage (the Clearwater River watershed and the lake country of northwest Minnesota produce significant quantities of wild rice - the sacred grain of the Ojibwe people and Minnesota's state grain - in the lakes and slow-moving streams of the transition zone between the agricultural prairie and the northern forest, sustaining both traditional Indigenous harvesting and commercial wild rice production) and the county's position at the ecological edge where the prairie gives way to the boreal forest.
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Services: Coordinates response with the Clearwater County Sheriff, local police/fire, and State Patrol; Clearwater County Alerts provides emergency notification for major incidents and severe weather.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US Highway 2 and Minnesota Highway 92 serve Bagley, the county seat, in north-central Minnesota
Transit: Bagley calls itself “the home of the Mississippi Headwaters & the northern Gateway to Itasca.”
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Clearwater County – 213 Main Avenue North, Bagley, MN 56621
Services: County zoning authority applies only to unincorporated territory; incorporated cities and townships (Bagley, Clearbrook, Gonvick) exercise independent municipal authority over land use and local permits. The Minnesota DNR holds primary permitting authority over protected waters and state forest lands within the county, including portions of the Chippewa National Forest.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Clearwater County Veterans Services – Bagley, MN 56621
Key Assets: Clearwater County, established December 20, 1902 and named for the Clearwater River and Clearwater Lake, is genuinely home to the true source of the Mississippi River. Itasca State Park, spanning portions of Clearwater, Hubbard, and Becker counties, was established by the Minnesota Legislature on April 20, 1891, making it Minnesota’s oldest state park and the second-oldest in the United States after Niagara Falls State Park. In 1832, Ojibwe guide Ozawindib led explorer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to Lake Itasca, which Schoolcraft confirmed as the Mississippi’s true headwaters; here, the mighty river begins as a mere 18-foot-wide, knee-deep stream that visitors can walk or wade directly across before it winds its way 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. The park preserves rare remnant stands of old-growth pine, among the last in Minnesota, and draws nearly half a million visitors annually to see the iconic wooden headwaters marker
Notes: Clearwater County is genuinely home to the actual source of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca, one of the most visited and historically significant natural landmarks in the United States.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Clearwater County GIS – accessible via clearwatercountymn.gov
Parcel Search: Clearwater County Auditor-Treasurer – 213 Main Avenue North, Bagley, MN 56621
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Clearwater County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Clearwater County Humane Society – Bagley, MN 56621
Services: Genuinely a passionate-advocate organization offering spay/neuter coupons, annual vaccine clinics, and educational events for companion animals, with all funds raised staying local.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency – pca.state.mn.us
Notes: Contact your specific municipality directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Clearwater County is genuinely home to the true source of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca, within Minnesota’s oldest state park. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Clearwater County
Clearwater County is northwest Minnesota’s wild rice and Clearwater River country – the lake and stream system produces Minnesota’s state grain in traditional Ojibwe harvesting country at the transition zone where the prairie gives way to the boreal forest.
Bagley (the county seat, population ~1,300) serves Clearwater County’s agricultural, timber, and wild rice communities near the White Earth Reservation.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Clearwater County Assessor at 213 Main Avenue N., Bagley, MN 56621, phone 218-694-6520. MN homestead exclusion reduces taxable market value.
Courts & Legal
Clearwater County District Court at 213 Main Avenue N., Bagley, MN 56621, phone 218-694-6177, handles probate.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Clearwater County District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Clearwater County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Clearwater County District Court Clearwater County Courthouse, 213 Main Avenue N, Suite 303, Bagley, MN 56621 (218) 694-6177 Clearwater County is in northern Minnesota, seated in Bagley.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Minnesota follows the Uniform Probate Code, which keeps most estates on a streamlined informal track. Minnesota’s small-estate shortcuts are unusual among states in that they can include real property, not just personal property.
Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201) – for personal property only. The entire probate estate – including the contents of any safe deposit box, less liens and encumbrances – must be under $75,000. Joint tenancy property and assets that pass by beneficiary designation (life insurance, transfer-on-death accounts) don’t count toward the threshold. A 30-day waiting period applies after death, and no court filing is required – the affidavit is presented directly to the institution holding the property.
Summary Assignment – can include real property, and is court-based. Covers estates up to $75,000, including real property. A certified copy of the court’s Decree of Distribution is filed in the county real estate records to transfer title.
Summary Administration (Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1203) – the higher-threshold real-property option, covering estates up to $150,000, exclusive of the exempt homestead. The homestead itself is excluded from the value calculation entirely for both Summary Assignment and Summary Administration – Minnesota’s homestead exemption protects the family home from most creditor claims and it descends to the surviving spouse free of most claims against the estate. If closing and distribution follow the terms of a will, a formal probate hearing for the will is still required before a summary decree can issue.
STEP 2: FORMAL/INFORMAL PROBATE (for estates above the thresholds)
File with the District Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled; informal probate is available for most estates, with the personal representative appointed by the Registrar and minimal ongoing court interaction.
The personal representative publishes a creditor notice and directly notifies known creditors, opening a 4-month creditor claim period.
Once the creditor period closes and debts are paid, assets can typically be distributed and the estate closed without returning to court, unless there’s a dispute or a beneficiary requests a formal accounting.
Formal probate – requiring a hearing before a judge – is used in more complicated situations, such as will contests or disputes over the personal representative.
THE 3-YEAR DEADLINE – MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN MOST STATES Informal probate is no longer available after 3 years from the date of death, though formal probate may still be possible in limited circumstances.
What it costs
Small estate procedures can move relatively quickly once the 30-day wait passes. Standard informal probate is largely governed by the 4-month creditor period, so most straightforward estates take at least that long to close.
Minnesota has its own state estate tax, but the exemption threshold is relatively high – $3 million – so most Minnesota families aren’t affected. Rates on the amount above the exemption range from 13% to 16%, applied on a graduated scale; the exemption is not portable between spouses. Minnesota has no state inheritance tax.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
213 Main Ave. N., Bagley, MN 56621
(218) 694-6226
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
213 Main Ave. N., Bagley, MN 56621
(218) 694-6520
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Clearwater County Human Services – 216 Park Ave NW, Bagley, MN 56621, (218) 694-6164
Services: Arranges medical appointment transportation for eligible residents; offers free telephone equipment through the Minnesota Access to Communication Technology program.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Bagley
Population: 8,700
Area: 997 sq mi
Established: 1902
Tier: 3
Public Records
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