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North Dakota County
Ransom County, North Dakota
Lisbon's Sheyenne River valley and the glacial Coteau hills - from Ransom County's Sheyenne River valley (the Sheyenne River's scenic Ransom County valley provides fishing, wildlife habitat, and recreational access in one of southeast North Dakota's most topographically interesting landscapes - the rolling glacial hills of the Coteau des Prairies create a gently undulating terrain that contrasts with the flat Red River Valley to the east) to Fort Ransom State Park's glacial hills camping and recreation among the most scenic state park terrain in southeastern North Dakota.
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Office: Ransom County Emergency Manager/FEMA – 204 5th Avenue W, Lisbon, ND 58054 | (701) 683-5158; a NOAA Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador; the Emergency Manager also serves as LEPC Secretary/Treasurer, FEMA Applicant Agent, floodplain manager, and 911 coordinator.
Sheriff: Ransom County Sheriff’s Office – 204 5th Ave. W, Lisbon, ND 58054 | (701) 683-5255; Sheriff Darren Benneweis.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Within Lisbon city limits, contact Lisbon Police Department, (701) 683-4141.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: ND-27 and ND-32 serve Lisbon, the county seat and largest city, in southeastern North Dakota along the Sheyenne River.
Notes: Ransom County, created 1873 and organized 1881, is named for Fort Ransom, itself named for Civil War Union General Thomas Edward Greenfield Ransom (1834-1864). Lisbon was founded 1880 by Joseph Colton, who named it after Lisbon, New York.
Notes: Ransom County is genuinely home to the original Fort Ransom site (built 1867 to protect overland travel and Northern Pacific Railroad workers, dismantled 1872, materials reused to build Fort Seward near Jamestown) and the separate Fort Ransom State Park (933 acres in the scenic, wooded Sheyenne River Valley, preserving the Bjone House and Andrew Sunne farm homesteads). Lisbon is also genuinely home to the North Dakota Veterans Home, a state-run facility established by legislative act in 1891. North Dakota’s only waterfall is located between the town of Fort Ransom and Lisbon. The Ransom County Courthouse (built 1937, Art Deco style, designed by Ira Rush) is genuinely NRHP-listed (1985).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Ransom County Veterans Services – County Courthouse, Lisbon, ND 58054 | (701) 683-6126.
Federal: North Dakota Veterans Home – 1600 Veterans Dr, Lisbon, ND | (701) 683-6500; Fargo VA Medical Center (long distance, eastern ND).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Lisbon: Lisbon Public Library – 409 Forest Street, PO Box 569, Lisbon, ND 58054 | (701) 683-5174 | [email protected]; roughly 21,500-volume collection, circulating over 21,000 items annually.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Fort Ransom State Park, the Fort Ransom State Historic Site, North Dakota’s only waterfall, and the Sheyenne National Grassland (partial) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine North Dakota Veterans Home (a state institution dating to 1891) and North Dakota’s only waterfall are distinctive local facts.
No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed in this search – animal-related concerns likely route through the Sheriff’s Office. Confirm directly via ransomcountynd.net.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Ransom County Water Resource District – confirm current contact via ransomcountynd.net. Landfill available to City of Lisbon and Island Park Township residents; confirm current hours via cityoflisbon.net.
NOTES: Ransom County is the second county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s sixth batch (Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan). The genuine North Dakota Veterans Home (since 1891) and North Dakota’s only waterfall 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 Ransom County
Ransom County is southeast North Dakota’s Sheyenne River and glacial Coteau hills county – Fort Ransom State Park’s rolling terrain and the Sheyenne River valley provide recreational landscape in the most topographically interesting corner of southeast North Dakota.
Lisbon (the county seat, population ~2,100) serves Ransom County’s grain farming and Sheyenne River valley communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Ransom County Tax Director at 204 5th Avenue W., Lisbon, ND 58054, phone 701-683-5823. ND residential assessed at 50% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Ransom County District Court at 204 5th Avenue W., Lisbon, ND 58054, phone 701-683-5827, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
201 Main St, Lisbon, ND 58054
(701) 683-6135
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Ransom County Clerk of District Court, Lisbon (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1937 Ransom County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Ransom 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
Ransom County Clerk of District Court – Southeast Judicial District Ransom County Courthouse (mail: P.O. Box 626), Lisbon, ND 58054 (701) 683-6113
Ransom County is in southeastern North Dakota, seated in Lisbon. The 1937 Ransom County Courthouse, Art Deco in style and designed by architect Ira Rush, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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
201 Main St, Lisbon, ND 58054
(701) 683-5122
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
201 Main St, Lisbon, ND 58054
(701) 683-6122
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
201 Main St, Lisbon, ND 58054
(701) 683-6122
Social Services
201 Main St, Lisbon, ND 58054
(701) 683-6122
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Ransom County Public Health – Lisbon, ND 58054 | (701) 683-6151; Administrator Brenna Welton, RHIT.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Lisbon
Population: 5,300
Established: 1873
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Ransom County residents.
