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
Pierce County, North Dakota
Rugby - the geographic center of North America - from Rugby's geographic center distinction (Rugby, North Dakota claims the designation as the geographic center of North America - a stone obelisk monument on the edge of town marks the point calculated as the continent's center, making Rugby one of two American cities (with Lebanon, Kansas for the contiguous US) to hold a "center of continent" title - the distinction has made Rugby a destination for travelers collecting geographic curiosity markers) and Pierce County's prairie pothole landscape in the north-central North Dakota lake country.
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: Pierce County Emergency Management – 240 2nd St SE, Rugby, ND 58368; confirm current phone via piercecountynd.gov.
Sheriff: Pierce County Sheriff’s Office – 240 2nd St SE, Rugby, ND 58368; confirm current phone via piercecountynd.gov.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-2 and ND-3 intersect at Rugby, the county seat and largest city, in north-central North Dakota.
Notes: Pierce County, created 1887 and organized 1889, is named for Gilbert A. Pierce, a Dakota Territory political figure.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Pierce County Recorder – 240 2nd St SE, Suite 10, Rugby, ND 58368.
Notes: Rugby is famously billed as the “Geographical Center of North America,” with a monument marking the claim – though it’s worth noting honestly that the U.S. Geological Survey lists the actual calculated center as roughly 15 miles away, near Balta, ND, and even that designation carries no official government status. (Center, ND in Oliver County makes a similar claim – the “geographic center” title is genuinely disputed between multiple ND towns depending on calculation method.) The Pierce County Courthouse (built 1908, Beaux Arts/Modified Renaissance style, designed by Buechner & Orth) is genuinely NRHP-listed (1980).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Pierce County Veterans Service Office – 240 2nd St SE, Suite 5, Rugby, ND 58368 | (701) 776-6178 ext. 7 | Fax: (701) 776-5707.
Federal: Fargo VA Medical Center (long distance, eastern ND).
Key Assets: The Geographical Center of North America Monument and the Northern Lights Tower in Rugby are the county’s premier attractions; the surrounding area offers rolling prairies, forests, and lakes for ranching, farming, and growing tourism.
Notes: The genuine “Geographic Center of North America” claim – shared with, and disputed against, Center, ND – is a distinctive and fun local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Pierce County Recorder – 240 2nd St SE, Suite 10, Rugby, ND 58368.
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 piercecountynd.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Pierce County – 240 2nd St SE, Rugby, ND 58368.
NOTES: Pierce County is the seventh and final county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s fifth batch (Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Nelson, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce) – closing out this batch. The genuine “Geographic Center of North America” claim, honestly caveated against the USGS’s actual calculation and against Center, ND’s competing claim, is a distinctive local fact. 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 Pierce County
Pierce County is the geographic center of North America – Rugby’s stone obelisk marks the calculated center of the continent, drawing travelers who collect geographic distinctions to this north-central North Dakota prairie community.
Rugby (the county seat, population ~2,700) is north-central North Dakota’s small commercial hub – the geographic center monument, the Prairie Village Museum, and the surrounding lake country draw visitors to the region.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Pierce County Tax Director at 240 S.E. 2nd Street, Rugby, ND 58368, phone 701-776-5225. ND residential assessed at 50% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Pierce County District Court at 240 S.E. 2nd Street, Rugby, ND 58368, phone 701-776-5225, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
240 SE 2nd St, Rugby, ND 58368
(701) 776-5766
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Pierce County Clerk of District Court, Rugby (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Pierce 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
Pierce County Clerk of District Court – Northeast Judicial District 240 2nd Street SE, Suite 8, Rugby, ND 58368 (701) 776-6161
Pierce County is in north-central North Dakota, seated in Rugby – often cited as the geographic center of North America.
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
240 SE 2nd St, Rugby, ND 58368
(701) 776-5765
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
240 SE 2nd St, Rugby, ND 58368
(701) 776-6203
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
240 SE 2nd St, Rugby, ND 58368
(701) 776-6203
Social Services
240 SE 2nd St, Rugby, ND 58368
(701) 776-6203
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Pierce County Public Health – confirm current contact via piercecountynd.gov.
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: Rugby
Population: 4,000
Established: 1887
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Pierce County residents.
