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North Dakota County
Barnes County, North Dakota
Valley City - the City of Bridges - from Valley City's extraordinary bridge collection (Valley City earned its City of Bridges nickname from the remarkable concentration of bridges spanning the Sheyenne River valley within the city limits - the Hi-Line Railroad viaduct, completed in 1908, stretches 3,870 feet across the Sheyenne valley and was the longest railroad bridge in North Dakota - the valley's dramatic topographic break in the flat Red River plains required more bridge infrastructure per capita than almost any other comparable prairie city) and Valley City State University's satellite campus and broadcasting programs.
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Office: Barnes County Emergency Management – 230 4th St NW, Rm 300, Valley City, ND 58072 | (701) 845-8510 | Fax: (701) 845-8548; Director Jessica Jenrich, [email protected].
911/Dispatch: Barnes County 911 Dispatch Center – dispatches 13 fire departments, 6 quick responder units, 1 ambulance service, and 2 law enforcement departments countywide.
Ambulance: Barnes County Ambulance – 914 11th Ave. SW, Valley City, ND 58072 | (701) 845-2220.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-94 runs east-west through Valley City, the county seat, in east-central North Dakota, connecting Fargo (east) and Bismarck (west).
Notes: Barnes County, organized 1878, is named for Judge Alanson H. Barnes; it was originally created as Burbank County in 1873.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Valley City Building Inspector – 220 3rd St NE, Valley City, ND 58072 | (701) 845-8127.
Notes: Valley City is genuinely known as North Dakota’s “City of Bridges” – the Sheyenne River winds through downtown, crossed by numerous bridges including the Hi-Line Railroad Bridge, a genuine 126-foot-high former Northern Pacific Railway span, one of the longest and highest of its kind. Valley City is also the only community in North Dakota officially designated a World War II Heritage City. The Barnes County Courthouse (1925, NRHP-listed 1985) and the Valley City Carnegie Library (1903, NRHP-listed 1979, still containing an original Tiffany glass window) are both genuinely historic structures.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Barnes County Veterans Service Office – confirm current address/phone via veterans.nd.gov/barnes-county-veterans-service-office.
Federal: North Dakota Veterans Home – 1600 Veterans Drive, Lisbon, ND 58054 | (701) 683-6500; nursing home, basic care, and assisted living for veterans, spouses, and widows.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Valley City: Valley City Barnes County Public Library – 410 N. Central Ave., Valley City, ND 58072; a genuine NRHP-listed 1903 Carnegie library building, one of only three relatively unaltered Carnegie libraries surviving in North Dakota, still containing an original Tiffany glass window.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Hi-Line Railroad Bridge, the Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway (a 63-mile route from Baldhill Dam to Lisbon), and the Barnes County Historical Society Museum (20,000 sq ft of exhibits) are the county’s premier attractions. Fishing for walleye, northern pike, and perch is popular on the Sheyenne River.
Notes: The genuine “City of Bridges” heritage and WWII Heritage City designation are distinctive, checkable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Barnes County Auditor – 230 4th St NW, Valley City, ND 58072; confirm current phone via barnescounty.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Nonprofit: Sheyenne Valley Friends of Animals (SVFA) – a foster-home-based, all-volunteer rescue in Valley City, established June 2007; promotes humane and responsible pet ownership, offers discounted spay/neuter coupons, and provides pet oxygen masks to Barnes County Ambulance and Valley City Fire.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Barnes County Extension Office (NDSU Extension) – 230 4th St NW, Rm 204, Valley City, ND 58072 | (701) 845-8528 | Fax: (701) 845-8538.
NOTES: Barnes County is the second county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s first batch (Adams, Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke). The genuine “City of Bridges” heritage, Hi-Line Railroad Bridge, and WWII Heritage City designation are distinctive local facts. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Barnes County
Barnes County is North Dakota’s City of Bridges – Valley City’s remarkable concentration of bridges spanning the Sheyenne River valley, including the historic 3,870-foot Hi-Line viaduct, earned a nickname that reflects the dramatic topographic break this river makes in the otherwise flat eastern North Dakota plains.
Valley City (the county seat, population ~6,500) is the Sheyenne River valley hub – Valley City State University and the I-94 commercial corridor serve the county’s agricultural communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Barnes County Tax Director at 230 4th Street NW, Valley City, ND 58072, phone 701-845-8503. ND residential assessed at 50% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Barnes County District Court at 230 4th Street NW, Valley City, ND 58072, phone 701-845-8512, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
230 4th St NW, Valley City, ND 58072
(701) 845-8548
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Barnes County Clerk of District Court, Valley City (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Barnes 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
Barnes County Clerk of District Court – Southeast Judicial District 230 4th Street NW, Room 201, Valley City, ND 58072 (701) 845-8512 Barnes County is in southeastern North Dakota, seated in Valley City.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
North Dakota has adopted the Uniform Probate Code (UPC), under Title 30.1 of the North Dakota Century Code – one of only about 18 states to do so. Probate is handled through the state District Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled.
Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent (Form 1, NDCC § 30.1-23) – available when the estate’s personal property, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $100,000 (raised from $50,000 by 2025’s HB 1224) AND there is no real property in the estate. Requires a 30-day wait after death, no court filing. Mineral and oil/gas rights are classified as real property in North Dakota and can never be transferred by this affidavit.
Informal Probate – available when less than 3 years have passed since death, the validity of the will isn’t disputed, and everyone with equal or higher priority for appointment agrees on the personal representative. No court hearing required; unsupervised administration is the default.
Formal Probate – required when the will’s validity is contested, someone objects to informal probate, or more than 3 years have passed since death.
Supervised Administration – a court can require ongoing supervision if protection of the estate calls for it.
Step 2: filing for administration
File an Application (informal) or Petition (formal) for Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative with the Clerk of District Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled.
The court/registrar issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (intestate) to the personal representative.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors; North Dakota’s creditor claim period is 3 months from first publication.
The personal representative inventories and manages the estate’s assets, pays debts and expenses, and distributes what remains according to the will or North Dakota’s intestacy law.
The estate is closed with a final accounting/closing statement.
What it costs
No court filing fee for the Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property.
Filing fees for informal/formal probate vary but generally follow the statewide statutory schedule.
North Dakota does NOT have a statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives – fees must be “reasonable” based on services provided.
No state estate tax, no state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large estates.
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
210 5th St NW, Valley City, ND 58072
(701) 845-8544
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
230 4th St NW, Valley City, ND 58072
(701) 845-8500
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
401 Central Ave North, Valley City, ND 58072
(701) 845-8518
Social Services
230 4th St NW, Valley City, ND 58072
(701) 845-8530
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: City-County Health District (CCHD) – Valley City, ND; confirm current phone via citycountyhealth.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Valley City
Population: 11,000
Established: 1873
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Barnes County residents.
