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North Dakota County
Stark County, North Dakota
Dickinson - the gateway to Theodore Roosevelt Country and Badlands oil - from Dickinson's position as the Badlands gateway (Dickinson serves as the commercial hub for southwestern North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National Park corridor - the Roughrider City's proximity to the painted Badlands and the park named for the president who found his character in the North Dakota breaks draws visitors heading to one of the most underrated national parks in America) to Stark County's significant Bakken and Three Forks oil production (the oil fields of Stark County contribute to North Dakota's position as a major energy state, and Dickinson's economy has diversified through energy boom-bust cycles with more stability than some Bakken communities).
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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: Stark County Emergency Services / E 9-1-1 – 66 W. Museum Dr, Dickinson, ND 58601 | (701) 456-7605 | Fax: (701) 456-7602. Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) meets several times a year at the Dakota Room, 2680 Empire Rd Suite B.
Sheriff: Stark County Sheriff’s Office – Dickinson, ND 58601 | (701) 456-7610.
Dispatch: Dickinson-Stark Communications Center – 24/7 dispatch for 22 surrounding entities, RapidSOS-enabled for enhanced 911 location and text-to-911.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Stark County is in the Mountain time zone.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-94 serves Dickinson, the county seat and largest city, in southwestern North Dakota; Dickinson is North Dakota’s 7th-most populous county seat and anchors the Dickinson micropolitan area (with Billings and Dunn counties).
Notes: Stark County, created 1879 and organized 1883, is named for George Stark, a railroad executive.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Stark County Auditor/Treasurer – Dickinson, ND 58601; confirm current phone via starkcountynd.gov.
Notes: Dickinson is genuinely home to the Badlands Dinosaur Museum (formerly Dakota Dinosaur Museum, part of the Dickinson Museum Center) – North Dakota’s largest display of dinosaur fossils, including a complete Triceratops skull, the holotype skull of Daspletosaurus wilsoni, and the only Lambeosaurus skull collected in the US. The 12-acre museum complex also includes the Joachim Regional Museum, Pioneer Machinery Hall, and Prairie Outpost Park. Dickinson State University hosts the Theodore Roosevelt Center, a genuine research institution dedicated to TR’s life and legacy. The Dickinson (Carnegie) Area Public Library (built 1909, Classical Revival/Beaux Arts style) is genuinely NRHP-listed (2008) and recently completed a major expansion while preserving its historic status.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Stark County Veterans Service Office – 51 3rd Street East (Stark County Courthouse, 3rd floor Veteran’s Room), PO Box 130, Dickinson, ND 58602 | (701) 456-7654 | Fax: (701) 483-1887; VSO Jessica McClellan. Also serves veterans in Billings, Hettinger, Mercer, Grant, and Golden Valley counties.
Federal: Fargo VA Medical Center (long distance, eastern ND).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Dickinson: Dickinson Area Public Library – 139 3rd St W, Dickinson, ND 58601; NRHP-listed 1909 Carnegie building, recently underwent a $3.1 million expansion; roughly 92,000-volume collection serving over 26,000 residents.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Badlands Dinosaur Museum, Theodore Roosevelt National Park (near Medora, adjacent county), Stark County Veterans Memorial Park, and the Ukrainian Cultural Institute are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine, nationally significant dinosaur fossil collection at the Badlands Dinosaur Museum and the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Stark County Recorder – Dickinson, ND 58601.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Dickinson Animal Shelter – 3405 Public Works Boulevard, Dickinson, ND | Shelter Coordinator Amanda Paulson, (701) 456-7039; 14 dog runs, 16 cat cages; practices a no-kill policy for impounded animals; 2-year pet licenses required within city limits.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Stark County Auditor/Treasurer’s Office – Dickinson, ND 58601.
NOTES: Stark County is the third county in the North Dakota v2 redo’s seventh and final batch (Sioux, Slope, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Towner, Traill). The genuine, nationally significant Badlands Dinosaur Museum and Theodore Roosevelt Center 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 Stark County
Stark County is southwest North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt gateway and Badlands oil country – Dickinson’s Roughrider City identity and the painted Badlands landscape draw visitors to one of the Great Plains’ most dramatic geological environments while oil production sustains the regional economy.
Dickinson (the county seat, population ~25,000) is the regional hub for southwestern North Dakota – Dickinson State University, the Badlands tourism economy, and the energy sector anchor a city with a more diversified economy than typical oil boom communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Stark County Tax Director at 51 3rd Street E., Suite 101, Dickinson, ND 58601, phone 701-456-7630. ND residential assessed at 50% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Stark County District Court at 51 3rd Street E., Dickinson, ND 58601, phone 701-456-7665, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
51 3rd St East, Dickinson, ND 58601
(701) 456-7639
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Stark County Clerk of District Court, Dickinson (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1936-37 Stark County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Stark 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
Stark County Clerk of District Court – Southwest Judicial District 51 3rd Street East, Dickinson, ND 58601 (701) 456-7645
Stark County is in southwestern North Dakota, seated in Dickinson. The 1936-37 Stark County Courthouse, Art Deco in style, 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 – Stark County lies within North Dakota’s oil-producing southwestern region.
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
15 1st St East, Dickinson, ND 58601
(701) 456-7620
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
51 3rd St East, Dickinson, ND 58601
(701) 456-7607
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Southwest District Health Unit
2493 Energy Dr, Dickinson, ND 58601
(701) 225-5200
Social Services
22 1st St East, Dickinson, ND 58601
(701) 456-7660
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Stark County Human Service Zone – 2680 Empire Rd, Suite A, Dickinson, ND 58601 | (701) 456-7675.
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