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North Dakota County
Nelson County, North Dakota
Lakota and Sheyenne River northeast North Dakota - from Lakota's role as the governmental hub of Nelson County to the Sheyenne River corridor running through the county's terrain (the Sheyenne River drains Nelson County's gently rolling glacial landscape, providing water access and scenic character through the county's wheat, sunflower, and corn farming region in northeast North Dakota - the river corridor and associated wetlands also provide waterfowl habitat and hunting opportunities that attract outdoor recreation visitors to one of the prairie pothole region's more remote northeastern counties).
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Office: Nelson County Emergency Management – 210 B Ave W, Suite 302, Lakota, ND 58344 | (701) 247-2472 | Fax: (701) 247-2943 or (701) 247-2167; Emergency Manager Angela Herda, [email protected]. Hyper-Reach reverse-calling alert system – text “Alert” to (701) 747-9968 to sign up.
Sheriff/Law Enforcement: Lake Region Law Enforcement Center serves the county’s emergency notification partnership.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: ND-1 and ND-19 serve Lakota, the county seat and largest city, in northeastern North Dakota.
Notes: Nelson County, created and organized 1883, was originally attached to Grand Forks County for administration before its own organization.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Nelson County Auditor – 210 B Ave W, Lakota, ND 58344; confirm current phone via nelsonco.org.
Notes: Nelson County is genuinely home to Stump Lake Park, where Theodore Roosevelt established the second wildlife refuge in the entire nation because of its abundant waterfowl. The A.M. Tofthagen Library-Museum in Lakota is genuinely NRHP-listed and displays artifacts including a peace pipe once belonging to Sitting Bull. Stump Lake Village Pioneer Museum, operated by the Nelson County Historical Society (organized 1994) in nearby Pekin, preserves relocated log cabins, a church, school, railroad depot, and antique machinery, including a dedicated Veterans’ Room. The Old Settler’s Pavilion at Stump Lake Park is also NRHP-listed.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Nelson County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via nelsonco.org or veterans.nd.gov.
Federal: Fargo VA Medical Center (long distance, eastern ND).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Lakota: A.M. Tofthagen Library-Museum – Lakota, ND 58344; genuinely NRHP-listed, houses a peace pipe once belonging to Sitting Bull among its historical collection.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Stump Lake Park (a genuine Theodore Roosevelt-era wildlife refuge, 15,742-acre lake stocked with walleye, yellow perch, and northern pike) and Stump Lake Village Pioneer Museum in Pekin are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine Theodore Roosevelt wildlife refuge heritage and the Sitting Bull peace pipe artifact are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Nelson County Auditor – 210 B Ave W, Lakota, ND 58344.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed in this search – animal-related concerns likely route through local law enforcement. Confirm directly via nelsonco.org.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Nelson County Auditor’s Office – 210 B Ave W, Lakota, ND 58344.
NOTES: Nelson County is the fourth county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s fifth batch (Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Nelson, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce). The genuine Theodore Roosevelt-era Stump Lake wildlife refuge and the NRHP-listed Tofthagen Library housing a Sitting Bull peace pipe 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 Nelson County
Nelson County is northeast North Dakota’s Sheyenne River agricultural county – wheat, sunflower, and corn farming on the glacial till plains define a county where Lakota provides the governmental hub for scattered farm communities in the prairie pothole country of northeast North Dakota between Grand Forks and Devils Lake.
Lakota (the county seat, population ~680) is Nelson County’s governmental center, a small northeast North Dakota county seat serving the surrounding agricultural communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Nelson County Assessor at 210 B Avenue W, Lakota, ND 58344, phone 701-247-2462. ND assessed at true and full value.
Courts & Legal
Nelson County District Court at 210 B Avenue W, Lakota, ND 58344, phone 701-247-2462, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
210 B Ave West, Lakota, ND 58344
(701) 247-2431
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Nelson County Clerk of District Court, Lakota (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Nelson 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
Nelson County Clerk of District Court – Northeast Central Judicial District 210 B Avenue West, Suite 203, Lakota, ND 58344 (701) 247-2462 Nelson County was founded March 2, 1883, in northeastern North Dakota, seated in Lakota.
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
210 B Ave West, Lakota, ND 58344
(701) 247-2311
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
210 B Ave West, Lakota, ND 58344
(701) 247-2515
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
210 B Ave West, Lakota, ND 58344
(701) 247-2515
Social Services
210 B Ave West, Lakota, ND 58344
(701) 247-2515
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Nelson County Public Health – confirm current contact via nelsonco.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Lakota
Population: 2,900
Established: 1883
Tier: 4
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Nelson County residents.
