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North Dakota County
McLean County, North Dakota
Fort Mandan and the Mandan earthlodge villages - from Fort Mandan State Historic Site (the reconstructed fort where Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1804-1805 among the Mandan people - their most important winter encampment, where Sacagawea and Toussaint Charbonneau joined the expedition - is one of the most significant Lewis and Clark heritage sites in the Upper Missouri corridor) to Lake Sakakawea's Garrison Dam and recreation (the Garrison Dam impounded the Missouri River to create Lake Sakakawea - North Dakota's largest lake - flooding Mandan and Hidatsa villages and agricultural lands in an act of dispossession that the Three Affiliated Tribes have documented as one of the most damaging events in their modern history).
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Roads: US-83 serves Washburn, the county seat, in central North Dakota along the upper Missouri River.
Notes: McLean County was founded in 1883, six years before North Dakota statehood. Washburn, founded 1882, is named for General Cadwallader C. Washburn and was designated county seat in 1883.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: McLean County Auditor – 712 5th Avenue, Washburn, ND 58577; confirm current phone via mcleancountynd.gov.
Notes: Washburn is genuinely, significantly built near the former site of Fort Mandan, the winter quarters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1804-1805, near a historic Mandan village. The McLean County Historical Society (organized 1967) researched and constructed a replica of Fort Mandan in 1969, completed 1972, west of Washburn – now leased to the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department (since 2015) and paired with the North Dakota Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. The Former McLean County Courthouse (built 1905, Colonial/Georgian Revival style) is genuinely NRHP-listed (1985) and now houses one of the McLean County Historical Society’s museum buildings; a later 1908 courthouse (also NRHP-listed) was demolished in 2013 after voters approved a new courthouse in 2010.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: McLean County Veterans Service Office – 712 5th Ave, PO Box 1108, Washburn, ND 58577; VSO Todd Schreiner (appointed 2000).
Federal: Fargo VA Medical Center (long distance, eastern ND).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Washburn: Washburn Public Library – 705 Main Avenue, Washburn, ND 58577 | (701) 462-8180 | Hours: Mon-Thu 10 AM-6 PM, Fri closed, Sat 10 AM-1 PM, Sun closed; offers ND State Park passes, STEAM kits, book club, and summer reading program.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The reconstructed Fort Mandan and the North Dakota Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center are the county’s premier, historically significant attractions, alongside the McLean County Museum complex (Joe Taylor Cabin, Sioux Ferryboat, Nettle Creek Schoolhouse).
Notes: The genuine Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan heritage – the expedition’s actual 1804-05 winter quarters – is one of the most historically significant facts covered anywhere in this project.
No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed in this search – animal-related concerns likely route through the Sheriff’s Office. Confirm directly via mcleancountynd.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: City of Washburn Compound (residential waste drop-off) – Hours: Mon-Thu 3-7 PM, Fri 10 AM-2 PM, residents only.
NOTES: McLean County is the seventh and final county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s fourth batch (Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McKenzie, McLean) – closing out this batch. The genuine Fort Mandan/Lewis and Clark heritage is one of the most historically significant facts covered anywhere in this project. 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 McLean County
McLean County is Lewis and Clark’s winter home – Fort Mandan, where the Corps of Discovery spent the winter of 1804-1805 and where Sacagawea joined the expedition, is one of the most significant sites on the entire Lewis and Clark trail.
Washburn (the county seat, population ~1,300) and Garrison (population ~1,400) serve the county’s agricultural and Lake Sakakawea recreation communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
McLean County Tax Director at 712 5th Avenue, Washburn, ND 58577, phone 701-462-8541. ND residential assessed at 50% of true value.
Courts & Legal
McLean County District Court at 712 5th Avenue, Washburn, ND 58577, phone 701-462-8541, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
712 5th Ave North, Washburn, ND 58577
(701) 462-8541
Genealogy
County-level record sources
McLean County Clerk of District Court, Washburn (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated McLean 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
McLean County Clerk of District Court – South Central Judicial District 712 5th Avenue West (mail: P.O. Box 1108), Washburn, ND 58577 (701) 462-8541 McLean County is in central North Dakota along Lake Sakakawea, seated in Washburn.
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
712 5th Ave North, Washburn, ND 58577
(701) 462-8541
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
712 5th Ave North, Washburn, ND 58577
(701) 462-8541
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
712 5th Ave North, Washburn, ND 58577
(701) 462-8541
Social Services
712 5th Ave North, Washburn, ND 58577
(701) 462-8541
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Dakota Central Human Service Zone – 712 5th Ave, Washburn, ND 58577 | (701) 462-3581 | Fax: (701) 462-3590/3591 | TTY: 711 | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM; additional offices in Center, ND and McClusky, ND.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Washburn
Population: 8,700
Established: 1883
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for McLean County residents.
