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Office: Eddy County Emergency Management – 524 Central Ave, New Rockford, ND 58356 | (701) 302-8279 | [email protected]; Emergency Manager Lisa Thompson.
Sheriff: Eddy County Sheriff’s Department – confirm current contact directly via eddycountynd.org. NAMING TRAP: a “Carlsbad, NM” detention-center address occasionally surfaces in aggregator search results for “Eddy County Sheriff” – that is a data mixup with the separate Eddy County, New Mexico. Do not use it; New Rockford, ND is the correct seat.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-281 and ND-15 intersect at New Rockford, the county seat and largest city, in east-central North Dakota on the Sheyenne River.
Notes: Eddy County, created 1885 from the northern half of Foster County, is the smallest county in North Dakota by land area (644 square miles). It’s named for Ezra B. Eddy, a Fargo banker who died shortly before the county was formed.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Eddy County Auditor – 524 Central Ave, New Rockford, ND 58356; confirm current phone via eddycountynd.org.
Notes: New Rockford genuinely, unsuccessfully campaigned in 1915 to have the North Dakota state capital relocated there from Bismarck. The Eddy County Courthouse (built 1899-1900, designed by M.E. Beebe) is genuinely NRHP-listed (1985) and was described in its nomination as being in “pristine condition.” New Rockford is also the birthplace of Ole H. Olson, North Dakota’s 18th governor.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Eddy County Veterans Service Office – 22 9th St S, New Rockford, ND 58356 | (701) 302-8087; VSO Julie Shrock, [email protected].
Federal: Fargo VA Medical Center (long distance, eastern ND).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
New Rockford: Eddy-New Rockford Public Library – 10 8th St N, New Rockford, ND 58356; participates in community events like Trunk or Treat and hosts regular programming.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The historic Eddy County Courthouse and the Sheyenne River corridor are the county’s notable local landmarks.
Notes: The genuine 1915 campaign to move the state capital to New Rockford is a distinctive local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Eddy County Recorder – 524 Central Ave, New Rockford, ND 58356; confirm current phone via eddycountynd.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed in this search – Eddy County has a small population (roughly 2,300 residents); animal-related concerns likely route through the Sheriff’s Office. Confirm directly via eddycountynd.org.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Eddy County Flood Plain Management – 524 Central Ave, New Rockford, ND 58356; confirm current phone via eddycountynd.org.
NOTES: Eddy County is the seventh and final county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s second batch (Burleigh, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Divide, Dunn, Eddy) – closing out this batch. As North Dakota’s smallest county by land area, with a genuine failed 1915 bid to become the state capital, this rounds out the batch’s heritage. 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 Eddy County County
Eddy County is north-central North Dakota’s James River and prairie pothole waterfowl county – the river’s wetland complex in the heart of North America’s most productive duck breeding region and the surrounding grain farming define a community where New Rockford serves the county’s agricultural families in the rolling glaciated plains interior.
New Rockford (the county seat, population ~1,300) is Eddy County’s governmental hub on US 281, a north-central North Dakota agricultural community whose James River access, prairie pothole hunting, and grain farming economy anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Eddy County Assessor at 524 Central Avenue, New Rockford, ND 58356, phone 701-947-2813. ND assessed at 50% of true and full value.
Courts & Legal
Eddy County District Court at 524 Central Avenue, New Rockford, ND 58356, phone 701-947-2813, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
524 Central Ave, New Rockford, ND 58356
(701) 947-2434
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Eddy County Clerk of District Court, New Rockford (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1899-1900 Eddy County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Eddy 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
Eddy County Clerk of District Court – Southeast Judicial District 524 Central Avenue, New Rockford, ND 58356 (701) 947-2434
Eddy County was founded March 31, 1885, in central North Dakota, seated in New Rockford. The 1899-1900 Eddy County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 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
524 Central Ave, New Rockford, ND 58356
(701) 947-2434
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
524 Central Ave, New Rockford, ND 58356
(701) 947-2416
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
524 Central Ave, New Rockford, ND 58356
(701) 947-2416
Social Services
524 Central Ave, New Rockford, ND 58356
(701) 947-2416
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Eddy County Public Health – confirm current contact via eddycountynd.org.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: New Rockford
Population: 2,300
Public Records
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