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North Dakota County
Foster County, North Dakota
Carrington and James River valley central North Dakota - from Carrington's role as Foster County's governmental and commercial hub in the James River valley to the county's productive central North Dakota agriculture (Foster County's flat to gently rolling glacial till terrain in the upper James River valley supports wheat, sunflower, corn, and soybean production in one of central North Dakota's steadily productive agricultural counties - Carrington's position on US 281 between Jamestown and Devils Lake makes it a regional service center for the surrounding farming communities).
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Office: Foster County Emergency Management – PO Box 104, Carrington, ND 58421 | Physical: 1000 5th St N | (701) 652-2252 | Cell: (701) 650-2085 | Fax: (701) 652-2173; located inside the Foster County Courthouse; per a joint powers agreement, the Emergency Manager role is shared with Stutsman County.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Outdoor warning sirens tested monthly (1st Tuesday, 1 PM) May-September.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-52, US-281, and ND-200 converge at Carrington, the county seat and largest city, in central North Dakota.
Notes: Foster County, created 1873 and organized 1883, is named for George I. Foster, a pioneer and Territorial legislature member. Carrington and New Rockford originally competed to be the seat of a single larger county; the county was ultimately split, with Carrington becoming Foster County’s seat and New Rockford becoming Eddy County’s seat.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Foster County Auditor – 1000 5th St N, Carrington, ND 58421; confirm current phone via fostercounty.com.
Notes: Carrington is genuinely home to Dakota Growers Pasta Company, a major pasta manufacturer sourcing durum wheat from the region. The NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center (opened 1957, 663 Hwy 281 North) is one of seven out-state Research Extension Centers under NDSU’s Agricultural Experiment Station, focused on crop and livestock research. The Foster County Courthouse (built 1909, Beaux Arts style, designed by Buechner & Orth) is genuinely NRHP-listed (1980). Hawk’s Nest Ridge, southwest of Carrington, is an ancient Native American sacred site, now home to a 100-acre nature park with panoramic prairie views.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Foster County Veterans Service Office – 1000 5th St N (basement of the courthouse), PO Box 80, Carrington, ND 58421 | (701) 652-2170; VSO Corean Swart, [email protected]. American Legion meets 1st Tuesday monthly at the Carrington Public Library, 7 PM; VFW meets 4th Tuesday monthly in the courthouse Community Room, 7 PM.
Federal: VA Outpatient Clinic, Jamestown Hospital, 2430 20th St. SW #8, Jamestown, ND 58401 | (701) 952-4787. Fargo Vet Center – 3310 Fiechtner Drive, Suite 100, Fargo, ND 58103 | (701) 237-0942.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Carrington: Carrington City Library – 87 8th Avenue North, Carrington, ND 58421; roughly 19,500-volume collection, circulating over 13,000 items annually; offers summer STEM/arts/robotics camps, veteran-focused programs, and a community “story walk.”
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Hawk’s Nest Ridge Nature Park, the Foster County Museum, and the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center are the county’s notable local landmarks.
Notes: The genuine Dakota Growers Pasta Company headquarters and NDSU agricultural research legacy are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Foster County Auditor – 1000 5th St N, Carrington, ND 58421.
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 fostercounty.com.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Foster County Extension Office (NDSU Extension) – confirm current phone via fostercounty.com; Extension Agents Jeff Gale and Carrie Nichols, (701) 652-2581.
NOTES: Foster County is the second county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s third batch (Emmons, Foster, Golden Valley, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Hettinger). The genuine Dakota Growers Pasta Company HQ and NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center 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 Foster County
Foster County is central North Dakota’s James River valley agricultural county – wheat, sunflowers, and corn on the glacial till plains define a county where Carrington provides governmental and commercial services to the surrounding farm communities between Jamestown and Devils Lake.
Carrington (the county seat, population ~2,100) is Foster County’s governmental and commercial hub, the largest community in north-central North Dakota’s James River corridor and a regional service center for surrounding agricultural counties.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Foster County Assessor at 1000 Central Avenue N, Carrington, ND 58421, phone 701-652-2441. ND assessed at true and full value.
Courts & Legal
Foster County District Court at 1000 Central Avenue N, Carrington, ND 58421, phone 701-652-1001, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
400 Central Ave, Carrington, ND 58421
(701) 652-3131
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Foster County Clerk of District Court, Carrington (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1909 Foster County Courthouse and 1932 Carrington Post Office, both NRHP-listed, are significant local landmarks.
Local societies
No dedicated Foster 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
Foster County Clerk of District Court – Southeast Judicial District 1000 5th Street North (mail: P.O. Box 257), Carrington, ND 58421 (701) 652-1001
Foster County was founded January 4, 1873, in central North Dakota, seated in Carrington. The 1909 Foster County Courthouse, Beaux Arts in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as is the 1932 Carrington Post Office.
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
400 Central Ave, Carrington, ND 58421
(701) 652-3141
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
400 Central Ave, Carrington, ND 58421
(701) 652-2951
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
400 Central Ave, Carrington, ND 58421
(701) 652-2951
Social Services
400 Central Ave, Carrington, ND 58421
(701) 652-2951
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Foster County Public Health – confirm current contact via fostercounty.com.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Carrington
Population: 3,200
Established: 1883
Tier: 4
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Foster County residents.
