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North Dakota County
Benson County, North Dakota
Spirit Lake Nation and the prairie pothole lake country - from the Spirit Lake Nation (the Dakota Sioux people of the Spirit Lake Reservation in Benson County - one of North Dakota's four federally recognized tribes - whose Spirit Lake Casino and tribal government serve a community maintaining their Dakota identity and sovereignty in the lake country of northeast North Dakota) to Benson County's extraordinary prairie pothole landscape (the glacial potholes and shallow lakes of Benson County sit in the heart of the Prairie Pothole Region - one of the most productive waterfowl nesting habitats in the world - making the county exceptional for hunting, birding, and wildlife observation).
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Benson County Emergency Management – PO Box 184, Minnewaukan, ND 58351 | (701) 473-5320 | Fax: (701) 473-5423 | [email protected]; DES/Homeland Security Manager Scott Todahl.
Sheriff: Benson County Sheriff’s Office – Minnewaukan, ND; confirm current non-emergency phone via bensoncountynd.com.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: ND-19 and ND-30 serve Minnewaukan, the county seat, on the western shore of Devils Lake in east-central North Dakota.
Notes: Benson County, created 1883 and organized 1884, is named for Dakota Territory legislator Bertil W. Benson. Fort Totten, not Minnewaukan, is the county’s largest community by population, as it sits within the Spirit Lake Reservation.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Benson County Auditor – PO Box 206, Minnewaukan, ND 58351 | (701) 473-5340 | Fax: (701) 473-2546.
Notes: Benson County is genuinely, nationally significant as the home of Fort Totten State Historic Site, established July 17, 1867 and widely considered one of the best-preserved frontier military posts west of the Mississippi River – 16 of its original buildings still stand. The fort later served as an Indian boarding school (1891-1935, 1940-1959) for children of the Spirit Lake Tribe before being transferred to state ownership in 1959 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The Benson County Courthouse in Minnewaukan (built 1900, Richardsonian Romanesque style) is also genuinely NRHP-listed (1978).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Benson County Veterans Service Office – PO Box 52, Minnewaukan, ND 58351 | (701) 473-5451; VSO Bryce Crosby, [email protected]. Free rides for veterans to medical appointments – call (701) 438-2192 by noon the business day prior.
Federal: Fargo VA Medical Center (long distance, eastern ND).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current library address/hours via bensoncountynd.com – no confirmed dedicated public library location was found for Minnewaukan in this search; this is a small, rural county and library access may route through Fort Totten, Maddock, or Leeds.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Fort Totten State Historic Site and the adjacent White Horse Hill National Game Preserve (formerly Sullys Hill, established 1904, 1,674 acres with a bison herd and prairie dog town) are the county’s premier attractions, along with Devils Lake fishing and the Spirit Lake Casino and Resort.
Notes: The genuine Fort Totten frontier-fort heritage – one of the best-preserved of its kind – is among the most historically significant facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Benson County Auditor – PO Box 206, Minnewaukan, ND 58351 | (701) 473-5340.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed in this search – this is a small, sparsely populated rural county; animal-related concerns likely route through the Sheriff’s Office. Confirm directly via bensoncountynd.com.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Benson County Weed Control – 3495 58th Ave NE, Oberon, ND | (701) 798-2776 | [email protected].
NOTES: Benson County is the third county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s first batch (Adams, Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke). The genuine Fort Totten frontier-fort heritage – one of the best-preserved military posts of its kind west of the Mississippi – is one of the most historically significant facts covered anywhere in this project. Because this is a small rural county, a few service categories (library, animal shelter) could not be fully confirmed and are honestly flagged rather than invented. 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 Benson County
Benson County is north-central North Dakota’s Spirit Lake Nation and prairie pothole county – the Dakota Sioux’s Spirit Lake Reservation and the extraordinary glacial lake landscape producing exceptional waterfowl populations define a county at the heart of the Prairie Pothole Region.
Minnewaukan (the county seat, population ~200) is one of North Dakota’s smallest county seats. Leeds (population ~400) and the Spirit Lake Casino serve the county’s communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Benson County Tax Director at 311 B Avenue S., Minnewaukan, ND 58351, phone 701-473-5340. ND residential assessed at 50% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Benson County District Court at 311 B Avenue S., Minnewaukan, ND 58351, phone 701-473-5345, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
311 B Ave, Minnewaukan, ND 58351
(701) 473-5340
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Benson County Clerk of District Court, Minnewaukan (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Spirit Lake Tribal Court, Fort Totten, handles matters for tribal members on the Spirit Lake Reservation portion of the county.
Local societies
No dedicated Benson 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
Benson County Clerk of District Court – Northeast Central Judicial District 311 B Avenue South (mail: P.O. Box 213), Minnewaukan, ND 58351 (701) 473-5345
Benson County is in north-central North Dakota, seated in Minnewaukan. Part of the county overlaps the Spirit Lake Reservation, which also has its own tribal court.
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
311 B Ave, Minnewaukan, ND 58351
(701) 473-5334
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
311 B Ave, Minnewaukan, ND 58351
(701) 473-5340
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
311 B Ave, Minnewaukan, ND 58351
(701) 473-5334
Social Services
311 B Ave, Minnewaukan, ND 58351
(701) 473-5334
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Benson County Human Service Zone – PO Box 28, 1314 Dakota Dr, Fort Totten, ND 58335 | (701) 473-5302.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Minnewaukan
Population: 6,600
Established: 1883
Tier: 3
Public Records
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