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Minnesota County
Red Lake County, Minnesota
Red Lake Falls - Minnesota's smallest county and French Canadian Métis heritage - from Red Lake County's Métis and French Canadian heritage (the Red Lake River corridor was a significant route for the French Canadian fur traders, voyageurs, and Métis communities of the 18th and 19th centuries - the Red Lake Falls area preserves traces of this French Canadian heritage in surnames, Catholic church traditions, and community history that set it apart from the predominantly Scandinavian northwest Minnesota settlements) and Red Lake County's distinction as the smallest county by area in Minnesota.
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Office: Red Lake County Sheriff’s Office provides Emergency 911 dispatch and law enforcement services for the county and the cities of Red Lake Falls, Oklee, Plummer, and Brooks.
Address: 124 North Main, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750 (mailing: PO Box 306, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750)
Phone: (218) 253-2996; fax (218) 253-2656.
Services: Responsible for patrolling unincorporated areas and areas not covered by municipal police, plus enforcing legal judgments such as foreclosures, repossessions, and tax delinquencies.
Notes: Red Lake County, formed December 24, 1896 and named after the Red Lake River, is the only landlocked county in the United States surrounded by just two neighboring counties (Pennington and Polk); it is also one of only two counties in Minnesota with no stoplight anywhere in the county. The Red Lake County Courthouse (124 Langevin Avenue, Red Lake Falls) is a red-brick Beaux Arts building completed in 1911 for $37,070, designed by Fremont D. Orff and James Brady, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 9, 1983. For life-threatening emergencies, dial 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Notes: Red Lake County is a small, rural county (432 square miles, population under 4,000) in northwestern Minnesota, with low rolling hills drained by the Red Lake, Clearwater, and Black Rivers. Route through the county’s general office line for current highway department contact information.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Notes: Route through Red Lake County’s Environmental Services / Zoning function for building and permit questions; contact via the county’s general office line.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Red Lake County Veterans Services – 25855 State Highway 32 South, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750 | (218) 253-4249; CVSO Cell (218) 689-8587
Services: Assists veterans and their dependents with state and federal benefits, including VA Health Care, disability compensation, VA pension, and burial benefits.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Red Lake Falls Public Library – 105 Champagne Avenue SW, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750 | Hours: Tuesday–Friday 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Notes: Specific county-operated park facilities were not clearly confirmed in available sourcing at the time of writing. The county’s terrain along the Red Lake, Clearwater, and Black Rivers offers regional outdoor recreation opportunities. Residents should contact the county directly for current parks and recreation information.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Notes: Route through the Red Lake County general office line for current GIS/parcel mapping contact information.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Notes: A dedicated county-operated animal shelter was not clearly confirmed in available sourcing at the time of writing. Contact the Red Lake County Sheriff’s Office ((218) 253-2996) for current local animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Red Lake County Environmental Services operates two landfill sites.
Landfills: Red Lake Falls Landfill site (3rd Street SW, Red Lake Falls) – summer hours (May–October) Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (closed noon–1 p.m.), Friday 8 a.m.–12 p.m., Saturdays 1st & 3rd of the month 8–11 a.m.; winter hours (November–April) Monday/Wednesday/Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (closed noon–1 p.m.). Phone: (218) 253-2951. Oklee Landfill site – summer hours (May–October) Wednesdays 2–6 p.m., Saturdays 2nd & 4th of the month 8 a.m.–12 p.m.; closed in winter (November–April).
Notes: Environmental Services Officer: (218) 253-4121. The City of Red Lake Falls separately operates recycling drop-off: general recycling bins at 709 4th Street SW, and cardboard recycling at 811 5th St NE.
NOTES
Red Lake County is the only landlocked county in the United States surrounded by just two neighboring counties, a distinctive geographic fact for this small northwestern Minnesota county. 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 Red Lake County
Red Lake County is Minnesota’s smallest county by area – the French Canadian and Métis heritage of the Red Lake River corridor distinguishes this tiny northwest Minnesota community from the predominantly Scandinavian settlements surrounding it, preserving a distinct cultural thread from the fur trade era.
Red Lake Falls (the county seat, population ~1,400) serves Red Lake County’s agricultural communities in the northwest Minnesota Red River Valley corridor.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Red Lake County Assessor at 124 N. Main Avenue, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750, phone 218-253-2598. MN homestead exclusion reduces taxable market value.
Courts & Legal
Red Lake County District Court at 124 N. Main Avenue, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750, phone 218-253-4281, handles probate.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Red Lake County District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Red Lake 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
Red Lake County District Court Red Lake County Courthouse, 124 Main Avenue NW, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750 (218) 521-4050 Red Lake County is in northwestern Minnesota, seated in Red Lake Falls.
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
124 N. Main Ave., Red Lake Falls, MN 56750
(218) 253-2996
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
124 N. Main Ave., Red Lake Falls, MN 56750
(218) 253-2598
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MN DHS — Northwest Region
(218) 253-2131
Sanford Red Lake Falls Medical Center
sanfordhealth.org (Red Lake Falls — quality critical access hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Notes: A dedicated Red Lake County Public Health department page was not fully detailed in available sourcing at the time of writing. Residents should contact the county’s general office line for current public health program information; some sourcing suggests coordination with neighboring counties’ health & home care systems is common for small rural Minnesota counties in this region.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Red Lake Falls
Population: 3,900
Area: 432 sq mi
Established: 1896
Tier: 3
Public Records
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