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Ambulance: McClusky Rural Ambulance District – serves Sheridan County.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Non-emergency: ND State Emergency Communications Center, (800) 472-2121.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: ND-200 serves McClusky, the county seat and largest city, in central North Dakota, roughly 70 miles northeast of Bismarck.
Notes: Sheridan County, created 1873 and organized 1908, is named for Civil War General Philip Henry Sheridan. It is North Dakota’s third-least populous county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Sheridan County Auditor – 215 E 2nd St, McClusky, ND 58463 | (701) 363-2205.
Notes: McClusky is genuinely, verifiably the closest town to the exact geographic center of North Dakota, which lies about five miles to the southwest – giving the city its nickname “Heart of North Dakota.” The Sheridan County Courthouse (built 1938, Art Deco style, designed by Ira Rush) is genuinely NRHP-listed (1985), a four-story steel-reinforced concrete building noted in its historic nomination for helping stabilize local political rivalries over the county seat.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Sheridan County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via co.sheridan.nd.us or veterans.nd.gov.
Federal: Fargo VA Medical Center (long distance, eastern ND).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current library address/hours via co.sheridan.nd.us or mccluskynd.com.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Hoffer Lake and the geographic center of North Dakota marker (near McClusky) are the county’s notable local attractions.
Notes: The genuine “Heart of North Dakota” designation – McClusky being the closest town to the state’s actual geographic center – is a distinctive local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Sheridan County Auditor – 215 E 2nd St, McClusky, ND 58463.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Private veterinary practice: Sheridan Animal Hospital – southeast end of McClusky, ND. No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed in this search – animal-related concerns likely route through the Sheriff’s Office. Confirm directly via co.sheridan.nd.us.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Sheridan County Auditor’s Office – 215 E 2nd St, McClusky, ND 58463.
NOTES: Sheridan County is the seventh and final county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s sixth batch (Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan) – closing out this batch. The genuine “Heart of North Dakota” geographic-center designation is McClusky’s 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 Sheridan County County
Sheridan County is central North Dakota’s McClusky Canal and Lake Audubon plains county – the longest irrigation canal in the United States carrying Missouri River water across the plains and the lake’s waterfowl staging define a community where McClusky serves the county’s sparse agricultural families in the glaciated central Dakota interior.
McClusky (the county seat, population ~350) is Sheridan County’s governmental hub on ND-200, a central North Dakota community whose McClusky Canal, Lake Audubon access, and wheat farming economy anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Sheridan County Assessor at 215 2nd Avenue NE, McClusky, ND 58463, phone 701-363-2207. ND assessed at 50% of true and full value.
Courts & Legal
Sheridan County District Court at 215 2nd Avenue NE, McClusky, ND 58463, phone 701-363-2207, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
215 Wamsley Ave, McClusky, ND 58463
(701) 363-2205
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Sheridan County Clerk of District Court, McClusky (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Sheridan 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
Sheridan County Clerk of District Court – South Central Judicial District Sheridan County Courthouse (mail: P.O. Box 668), McClusky, ND 58463 (701) 363-2207
Sheridan County is in central North Dakota, seated in McClusky – 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
215 Wamsley Ave, McClusky, ND 58463
(701) 363-2213
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
215 Wamsley Ave, McClusky, ND 58463
(701) 363-2205
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
215 Wamsley Ave, McClusky, ND 58463
(701) 363-2205
Social Services
215 Wamsley Ave, McClusky, ND 58463
(701) 363-2205
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Sheridan County Public Health – confirm current contact via co.sheridan.nd.us.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: McClusky
Population: 1,300
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Sheridan County County residents.
