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.
North Dakota County
Emmons County, North Dakota
Lewis and Clark Trail and Lake Oahe - from Emmons County's significant Lewis and Clark heritage (the Corps of Discovery traveled through what is now Emmons County along the Missouri River in both 1804 and 1806, camping and interacting with the Mandan and Hidatsa peoples in the area that later became the county - the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail passes through the county's Missouri River corridor) to Lake Oahe's Emmons County shoreline (the massive Missouri River reservoir provides fishing, boating, and recreational access along the county's western edge, drawing anglers seeking the lake's exceptional walleye and salmon fishery).
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.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Emmons County Emergency Management – 100 NW 4th Street, Linton, ND 58552 | (701) 222-6727 | Fax: (701) 255-5207 | TDD: (701) 221-6820 | Hours: Mon-Thu 8 AM-4:30 PM, Fri 8 AM-2 PM; service is contracted through Burleigh County Emergency Management (Mary Senger).
Sheriff: Emmons County Sheriff’s Office – 100 4th St NW, Linton, ND 58552 | (701) 254-4807 or (701) 254-4411 | Fax: (701) 254-5311.
Ambulance: Emmons County ALS Ambulance (Linton Regional Medical Center) – Advanced Life Support with a paramedic available around the clock; services one of the largest ambulance districts in North Dakota.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-83 and ND-13 serve Linton, the county seat and largest city, in south-central North Dakota.
Notes: Emmons County, created 1879 and organized 1883, is named for James A. Emmons, a steamboat operator and early Bismarck resident. Linton was platted in 1899 near the county’s geographic center specifically to serve as county seat.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Emmons County Auditor – 100 4th St NW, Linton, ND 58552; confirm current phone via emmonsnd.com.
Notes: The Emmons County Courthouse (built 1934, Art Deco-Art Moderne style, designed by J. Howard Ness) is genuinely NRHP-listed (1985) and notable as the first Works Progress Administration project granted in North Dakota – one of only seven WPA-era courthouses and eight Art Deco courthouses in the state. Nearby is the Sacred Heart Cemetery, Wrought-Iron Cross Site, also NRHP-listed.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Emmons County Veterans Service Office – PO Box 272, Linton, ND 58552 | (701) 254-5410; VSO Brad Huber, [email protected].
Federal: Fargo VA Medical Center (long distance, eastern ND).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Linton: Harry L. Petrie Public Library – 101 NE 1st Street, Linton, ND 58552 | (701) 254-4737 | Fax: (701) 254-4727 | [email protected] | Hours: Mon 10 AM-6 PM, Wed 2-5 PM, Thu 10 AM-6 PM, Fri 2-5 PM, Sat 11 AM-2 PM (June-Aug); roughly 13,200-volume collection.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Beaver Bay Campground and Lake Oahe (about 15 miles from Linton), the Emmons County Historical Society Museum (founded 1974, with a pioneer kitchen, schoolroom, blacksmith shop, and military exhibit), and Linton Country Club are the county’s premier attractions. The area is nationally known for pheasant hunting.
Notes: The genuine WPA/Art Deco courthouse heritage and nationally recognized pheasant hunting are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Emmons County Auditor – 100 4th St NW, Linton, ND 58552.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed in this search – animal-related concerns likely route through the Sheriff’s Office. Confirm directly via emmonsnd.com.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Emmons County Extension Office (NDSU Extension) – PO Box 278, Linton, ND 58552 | (701) 254-4811.
NOTES: Emmons County is the first county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s third batch (Emmons, Foster, Golden Valley, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Hettinger). The genuine WPA/Art Deco courthouse – the first WPA project in North Dakota – and nationally known pheasant hunting 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 Emmons County
Emmons County is south-central North Dakota’s Lewis and Clark heritage and Lake Oahe county – the Corps of Discovery’s Missouri River journey and the world-class walleye fishery of Lake Oahe define a county whose agricultural plains and river history anchor one of southern North Dakota’s more historically resonant communities near the South Dakota border.
Linton (the county seat, population ~1,000) is Emmons County’s governmental hub, a south-central North Dakota town serving the county’s farming and Lake Oahe fishing communities along the Missouri River corridor.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Emmons County Assessor at 100 4th Street NW, Linton, ND 58552, phone 701-254-4812. ND assessed at true and full value.
Courts & Legal
Emmons County District Court at 100 4th Street NW, Linton, ND 58552, phone 701-254-4812, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
100 4th St NE, Linton, ND 58552
(701) 254-4479
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Emmons County Clerk of District Court, Linton (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1934 Emmons County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Emmons 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
Emmons County Clerk of District Court – South Central Judicial District 100 4th Street NW (mail: P.O. Box 905), Linton, ND 58552 (701) 254-4812
Emmons County was founded February 10, 1879, in south-central North Dakota, seated in Linton. The 1934 Emmons County Courthouse, Art Deco/Art Moderne in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places – notable as the first Works Progress Administration project granted in the state.
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
100 4th St NE, Linton, ND 58552
(701) 254-4423
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
100 4th St NE, Linton, ND 58552
(701) 254-4491
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
100 4th St NE, Linton, ND 58552
(701) 254-4432
Social Services
100 4th St NE, Linton, ND 58552
(701) 254-4332
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Emmons County Public Health – confirm current contact via emmonsnd.com.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Linton
Population: 3,300
Established: 1883
Tier: 4
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Emmons County residents.
