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Office: Oliver County Emergency Management – shared with Mercer County under the Mercer-Oliver Emergency Manager, Alice Grinsteinner | (701) 745-3022 | Cell: (701) 301-0446; 911 Coordinator Kent Roth, (701) 745-3333.
Sheriff/Courthouse: Oliver County Courthouse – PO Box 188, West Main, Center, ND 58530 | (701) 794-8721 | Fax: (701) 794-3476 | Hours: Mon-Fri.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: ND-25 and ND-48 serve Center, the county seat and only incorporated city in Oliver County, roughly 40 miles northwest of Bismarck.
Notes: Oliver County, created 1885, is named for Harry S. Oliver, a Republican Dakota Territory legislator. Center, founded 1902, is genuinely calculated to be not only the geographic center of Oliver County, but also the geographic center of North America.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Oliver County Courthouse – PO Box 188, Center, ND 58530 | (701) 794-8721.
Notes: Center is genuinely home to the Hazel Miner Memorial, honoring a real, poignant local story: on March 16, 1920, 15-year-old Hazel Miner died of hypothermia after shielding her younger brother Emmet (10) and sister Myrdith (8) from a sudden, deadly blizzard when their sleigh overturned – she became a national American heroine, memorialized in a folk ballad and countless articles. Her memorial stands near the Oliver County Courthouse alongside a Veterans Memorial and the Homestead Cabin and Museum. Oliver County is also home to Cross Ranch State Park along the Missouri River.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Oliver County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via olivercountynd.org; a Veterans Memorial monument stands near the courthouse in Center.
Federal: Fargo VA Medical Center (long distance, eastern ND).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current library address/hours via olivercountynd.org or centernd.net – the Homestead Cabin and Museum in Center serves as the county’s primary heritage/history resource.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Cross Ranch State Park (Missouri River), the Hazel Miner Memorial and Homestead Cabin Museum, and Nelson Lake are the county’s premier attractions. Nearby Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site (Mercer County) is also within reach.
Notes: The genuine Hazel Miner story and Center’s status as the geographic center of North America are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Oliver County Courthouse – PO Box 188, Center, ND 58530 | (701) 794-8721.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed in this search – Oliver County has a very small population (roughly 1,900 residents); animal-related concerns likely route through local law enforcement. Confirm directly via olivercountynd.org.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Oliver County Courthouse – PO Box 188, Center, ND 58530 | (701) 794-8721.
NOTES: Oliver County is the fifth county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s fifth batch (Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Nelson, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce). The genuine Hazel Miner story and Center’s status as the geographic center of North America 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 Oliver County County
Oliver County is west-central North Dakota’s Missouri River breaks and lignite coal country – the river’s dramatic breaks terrain and Lake Sakakawea fishing and the Fort Union lignite coal that powered North Dakota’s electricity generation define a county where Center serves the county’s farming, energy, and recreation communities.
Center (the county seat, population ~560) is Oliver County’s governmental hub on ND-25, a west-central North Dakota community whose Missouri River access, lignite coal heritage, and agricultural economy anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Oliver County Assessor at 115 W. Main Street, Center, ND 58530, phone 701-794-8777. ND assessed at 50% of true and full value.
Courts & Legal
Oliver County District Court at 115 W. Main Street, Center, ND 58530, phone 701-794-8777, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
105 Missouri Ave South, Center, ND 58530
(701) 794-8748
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Oliver County Clerk of District Court, Center (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Oliver 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
Oliver County Clerk of District Court – South Central Judicial District 115 Main Street, Hensler (mail: P.O. Box 125, Center), ND 58530 (701) 794-8777
Oliver County is in south-central North Dakota along the Missouri River, seated in Center – one of the state’s least populous counties.
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
105 Missouri Ave South, Center, ND 58530
(701) 794-8781
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
105 Missouri Ave South, Center, ND 58530
(701) 794-8748
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
105 Missouri Ave South, Center, ND 58530
(701) 794-8748
Social Services
105 Missouri Ave South, Center, ND 58530
(701) 794-8748
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Western Plains Public Health / Dakota Central Social Services – Center, ND | (701) 794-3212; emergency lines route to Stanton, (701) 745-3384, or Washburn, (701) 462-3581.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Center
Population: 1,900
Public Records
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