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
Rolette County, North Dakota
The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and the International Peace Garden - from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa (one of the largest Native American tribes in North Dakota - the Turtle Mountain Chippewa's reservation encompasses much of Rolette County and their tribal college, tribal government, and cultural programs sustain an Ojibwe community that has maintained its identity through generations of federal policy challenges) to the International Peace Garden (the 2,339-acre botanical garden straddling the North Dakota-Manitoba border on the Turtle Mountains - established in 1932 as a symbol of peace between the US and Canada, its formal gardens, floral clock, and peace towers make it one of the most visited sites on the northern border and a symbol of the world's longest undefended international boundary).
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: Rolette County Emergency Management – 16 1st ST SW, PO Box 966, Rolla, ND 58367 | (701) 477-3156 | Fax: (701) 477-3484; Director Cody Mattson, [email protected]. Operates under a joint Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan with the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
Sheriff: Rolette County Sheriff’s Office – PO Box 447, 16 1st St SW, Rolla, ND 58367 | (701) 477-5623; Sheriff Nathan Gustafson.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-281, ND-5, and ND-30 serve Rolla, the county seat, in north-central North Dakota; Belcourt is the county’s largest community.
Notes: Rolette County, created 1873 and organized 1884, is named for Joseph Rolette Jr., a fur trader and political figure from Pembina. Rolette is genuinely famous in regional history for a colorful 1857 episode as chairman of the Minnesota territorial legislature’s enrollment committee: to block a bill relocating Minnesota’s capital from St. Paul to St. Peter, Rolette physically seized the bill and disappeared for the rest of the legislative session – the capital stayed in St. Paul as a result, an episode still remembered as “Rolette’s Ride” or “Joe Rolette’s Ride.” The county seat moved twice before settling in Rolla in 1889 (originally Dunseith, then St. John).
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Rolette County Auditor – 102 2nd St NE, PO Box 939, Rolla, ND 58367 | (701) 477-5665 | Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-12:30 PM, 1-4:30 PM.
Notes: Rolette County genuinely contains the entire Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, home to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians – the reservation land base (12 miles by 6 miles) is entirely within county borders, with the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Turtle Mountain Agency headquartered in Belcourt. Belcourt was originally known as Siipiising, Anishinaabe (Chippewa) for “creek that sings with life-giving water,” and is served by tribal radio station KEYA (88.5 FM) and the tribally owned Turtle Mountain Times newspaper.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Rolette County Veterans Service Office – PO Box 939, 102 2nd St NE, Rolla, ND 58367 | (701) 477-5265; VSO Diane Arstein.
Federal: Fargo VA Medical Center (long distance, eastern ND).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Rolla: Rolla Public Library – 14 1st St SE, Rolla, ND 58367 | (701) 477-3849 (also listed as 477-3489); roughly 13,000-volume collection.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation and the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Heritage Center in Belcourt are the county’s premier cultural attractions, near the International Peace Garden roughly 10 miles northwest of Belcourt.
Notes: The genuine Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians reservation and the “Rolette’s Ride” legislative story are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Rolette County Auditor – 102 2nd St NE, Rolla, ND 58367.
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 rolettecountynd.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Rolette County Weed Control – PO Box 430, 102 2nd St NE, Rolla, ND 58367 | (701) 477-5671.
NOTES: Rolette County is the fifth county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s sixth batch (Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan). The genuine Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians reservation – entirely within county borders – is the 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 Rolette County
Rolette County is the Turtle Mountain Chippewa homeland and International Peace Garden county – the Ojibwe nation’s reservation community and the US-Canada peace garden on the Turtle Mountain escarpment define a north-central North Dakota county of Indigenous heritage and international goodwill.
Rolla (the county seat, population ~1,300) serves the county’s Native and non-Native communities in the Turtle Mountain region near the Manitoba border.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Rolette County Tax Director at 102 NE 2nd Street, Rolla, ND 58367, phone 701-477-3716. ND residential assessed at 50% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Rolette County District Court at 102 NE 2nd Street, Rolla, ND 58367, phone 701-477-3816, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
102 2nd Ave NE, Rolla, ND 58367
(701) 477-3105
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Rolette County Clerk of District Court, Rolla (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians Tribal Court, Belcourt, serves the reservation portion of the county.
Local societies
No dedicated Rolette 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
Rolette County Clerk of District Court – Northeast Judicial District Rolette County Courthouse (mail: P.O. Box 460), Rolla, ND 58367 (701) 477-3816
Rolette County was founded January 4, 1873, named for Joseph Rolette, in north-central North Dakota near the Canadian border, seated in Rolla (though Belcourt is the county’s largest community). Much of the county overlaps the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation.
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.
Note: for tribal members on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, some matters may also fall under tribal or federal jurisdiction rather than state probate.
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
102 2nd Ave NE, Rolla, ND 58367
(701) 477-3132
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
102 2nd Ave NE, Rolla, ND 58367
(701) 477-3141
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
102 2nd Ave NE, Rolla, ND 58367
(701) 477-3141
Social Services
102 2nd Ave NE, Rolla, ND 58367
(701) 477-3141
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Rolette County Public Health District – multiple locations including Rolla, (701) 477-9050, and Dunseith, (701) 244-5800.
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: Rolla
Population: 12,500
Established: 1873
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Rolette County residents.
