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North Dakota County
Ramsey County, North Dakota
Devils Lake - North Dakota's rising lake crisis - from Devils Lake's extraordinary flooding crisis (Devils Lake is a terminal lake in a closed hydrologic basin - with no natural outlet, the lake has risen over 30 feet since 1993, flooding thousands of acres of farmland, roads, and homes, inundating three towns, and requiring hundreds of millions of dollars in flood control infrastructure including the Devils Lake outlet to the Sheyenne River - the rising lake is one of the most significant ongoing natural disasters in North Dakota history) and Devils Lake's outstanding walleye and perch fishery (the lake is consistently ranked among the finest walleye fishing lakes in the Great Plains, drawing anglers from across the region).
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Office: Ramsey County Emergency Management – 524 4th Avenue NE, Unit 14 (basement), Devils Lake, ND 58301 | (701) 662-7001 | Fax: (701) 662-7011.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Ramsey County has genuinely faced one of the most dramatic, sustained flood crises in modern U.S. history: starting in 1993, Devils Lake – a closed-basin lake with no natural river outlet – began rising due to a multi-decade wet cycle, ultimately climbing roughly 25 feet and more than tripling its surface area, inundating hundreds of homes and farms. Over $1 billion has been spent by local, state, and federal agencies (including the Army Corps of Engineers) on levees and emergency outlets to manage the ongoing situation.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-2 and ND-20 serve Devils Lake, the county seat and largest city, in northeastern North Dakota.
Notes: Ramsey County, created 1873 and organized 1883, is named for Alexander Ramsey, a U.S. Senator from Minnesota and Minnesota’s first territorial governor. The city of Devils Lake was originally surveyed in 1882 as “Creelsburg,” renamed in 1884 after the nearby lake – itself a translation (some say misinterpretation) of the Dakota name Miniwaukan, meaning “Spirit Water.”
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Ramsey County Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via ramseycountynd.gov.
Notes: The Ramsey County Sheriff’s House (built 1909-1911, Colonial/Georgian Revival style), also known as the Lake Region Heritage Center, is genuinely NRHP-listed (1978) and now serves as a local history museum. The Devils Lake Carnegie Library (built 1909, Classical Revival style) is separately NRHP-listed (2002) and was built by Danish-born builder Valdemar Gram.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Ramsey County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via ramseycountynd.gov or veterans.nd.gov. The Devils Lake area is also served by the Veterans Resource Group, a volunteer nonprofit providing supplies and outreach to local veterans, including those experiencing homelessness.
Federal: Fargo VA Medical Center (long distance, eastern ND).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Devils Lake: Lake Region Public Library – Devils Lake, ND 58301 | Hours: Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri 10:30 AM-6 PM, Thu 10:30 AM-7 PM, Sat 10:30 AM-?; free service for all Ramsey County residents. Note: the historic 1909 Carnegie library building moved to a new facility (423 7th St N) in 2003.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Devils Lake itself (North Dakota’s largest natural lake), Fort Totten State Historic Site (on the Spirit Lake Nation reservation), and the Devils Lake Wetland Management District (headquartered locally, spanning 7 counties) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine, decades-long Devils Lake flood crisis is one of the most significant environmental/infrastructure stories covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Ramsey County Auditor – confirm current contact via ramseycountynd.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Nonprofit: TLC-ND Animal Rescue – 307 5th Ave. NE, Devils Lake, ND 58301 | (701) 662-4357 or (701) 230-3728.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Ramsey County Water Resource District – confirm current contact via ramseycountynd.gov; also see the North Dakota State Water Commission’s ongoing Devils Lake flood mitigation coordination.
NOTES: Ramsey County is the first county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s sixth batch (Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan). The genuine, decades-long Devils Lake flood crisis – one of the most sustained environmental disasters in the region’s history – is a defining 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 Ramsey County
Ramsey County is North Dakota’s Devils Lake county – the terminal lake that has risen over 30 feet since 1993, flooding farmland, roads, and towns in one of the state’s most costly and persistent natural disasters, while simultaneously offering some of the finest walleye fishing in the Great Plains.
Devils Lake (the county seat, population ~7,000) has adapted to the rising lake with billions in flood infrastructure while celebrating its walleye fishing heritage that draws anglers year-round.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Ramsey County Tax Director at 524 4th Avenue, Suite 5, Devils Lake, ND 58301, phone 701-662-7025. ND residential assessed at 50% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Ramsey County District Court at 524 4th Avenue, Devils Lake, ND 58301, phone 701-662-7060, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
524 4th Ave NE, Devils Lake, ND 58301
(701) 662-7091
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Ramsey County Clerk of District Court, Devils Lake (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Lake Region Heritage Center (former Ramsey County Sheriff’s House, NRHP-listed) holds local historical resources.
Local societies
No dedicated Ramsey 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
Ramsey County Clerk of District Court – Northeast Judicial District 524 4th Avenue NE, 3rd Floor, Devils Lake, ND 58301 (701) 662-1309
Ramsey County was founded January 4, 1873, named for Alexander Ramsey, in northeastern North Dakota, seated in Devils Lake. The 1909-11 Ramsey County Sheriff’s House, Colonial/Georgian Revival in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (now the Lake Region Heritage Center).
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
524 4th Ave NE, Devils Lake, ND 58301
(701) 662-7011
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
524 4th Ave NE, Devils Lake, ND 58301
(701) 662-7014
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
524 4th Ave NE, Devils Lake, ND 58301
(701) 662-7025
Social Services
524 4th Ave NE, Devils Lake, ND 58301
(701) 662-7061
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Ramsey County Public Health – confirm current contact via ramseycountynd.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Devils Lake
Population: 11,500
Established: 1873
Tier: 3
Public Records
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