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North Dakota County
Walsh County, North Dakota
Grafton's Ukrainian heritage and the Red River Valley - from Walsh County's significant Ukrainian immigrant heritage (the Ukrainian settlers who came to northeast North Dakota in the late 19th and early 20th centuries established one of the most significant Ukrainian-American communities in the United States - their Orthodox churches, cultural traditions, and community organizations have maintained Ukrainian heritage in the Red River Valley for over a century, and Walsh County's communities celebrate their Eastern European roots with cultural festivals and preserved church architecture) to the Red River Valley's Walsh County agricultural productivity in small grain, sugarbeet, and sunflower production.
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Office: Walsh County Emergency Management – 638 Cooper Ave, Grafton, ND 58237 | (701) 352-2311 | Emergency Manager Brent Nelson
Sheriff: Walsh County Sheriff’s Office – Walsh County Law Enforcement Center, 638 Cooper Ave, Grafton, ND 58237; Sheriff Ron Jurgens; Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM.
Dispatch: Walsh County 911 Communications – Grafton, ND; 7 dispatchers, all certified in emergency medical dispatch, supporting 2 law enforcement agencies, 16 fire departments, 6 ambulance services, and 6 quick response units countywide.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-81 and ND-17 serve Grafton, the county seat and largest city, in northeastern North Dakota’s Red River Valley.
Notes: Walsh County was created May 2, 1881 and named for George H. Walsh, an early newspaper editor and Dakota Territory legislator.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Walsh County – 638 Cooper Ave, Grafton, ND 58237; permits require a paper application submitted by fax, email, or in person before purchase.
Notes: The Board of County Commissioners administers zoning for unincorporated land, including permits for structures, feedlots, and subdivision platting; the City of Grafton holds independent municipal charter authority for its own permits. The 1940 Art Deco Walsh County Courthouse, designed by architect T.B. Wells, is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1985).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Walsh County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via walshcountynd.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Grafton City Library – housed in a historic Carnegie library building in Grafton, ND 58237.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Grafton is genuinely home to the Melroe Manufacturing Company’s legacy – the Melroe brothers invented the Bobcat skid-steer loader here, a machine that became a global agricultural and construction industry standard; the annual Melroe Tractor Show celebrates this heritage. Leistikow Park (also called Lions Park), a roughly 40-acre park with a popular public swimming pool, pond, and picnic and sports facilities, serves as the community’s social hub in summer. The Grafton National Wildlife Refuge just south of town offers birdwatching, hiking, and seasonal hunting, and the Park River provides local fishing, kayaking, and canoeing access. The Grafton State School, a 3,427-acre former state institution complex built beginning in 1901 in Prairie School, Beaux Arts, and Classical Revival styles, is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1996)
Notes: Grafton’s genuine claim as the birthplace of the Bobcat skid-steer loader, invented by the Melroe brothers, is a distinctive and well-documented piece of local industrial history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Walsh County Recorder – Grafton, ND 58237; recording of deeds, liens, and easements required before constructive notice attaches under North Dakota law.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: No dedicated Walsh County, North Dakota animal shelter could be confirmed as of this writing; residents seeking animal welfare services are encouraged to contact the Walsh County Sheriff’s Office at (701) 352-2311 for current referral information. Regional resources include Circle of Friends Humane Society and Pembina Valley Humane Society, both serving northeastern North Dakota.
Services: N/A
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Walsh County – confirm current contact via walshcountynd.com.
Notes: Walsh County contains a significant proportion of Class I agricultural land, and farmland transactions may fall under state Industrial Commission oil/gas overlay or corporate farming restriction review.
NOTES
Grafton’s genuine claim as the birthplace of the Bobcat skid-steer loader, invented by the Melroe brothers, is a distinctive and well-documented piece of local industrial history. No dedicated local animal shelter could be confirmed for this county as of this writing; this should be flagged for follow-up rather than filled with an inaccurate placeholder. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of mid-August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Walsh County
Walsh County is northeast North Dakota’s Ukrainian heritage and Red River Valley agricultural county – the Eastern European immigrant communities that settled the valley a century ago left Orthodox church steeples rising above the flat prairie, and the fertile Red River Valley soils produce exceptional small grain and sugarbeet yields.
Grafton (the county seat, population ~4,200) serves Walsh County’s agricultural communities near the Minnesota border.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Walsh County Tax Director at 600 Cooper Avenue, Grafton, ND 58237, phone 701-352-2851. ND residential assessed at 50% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Walsh County District Court at 600 Cooper Avenue, Grafton, ND 58237, phone 701-352-0350, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
600 Cooper Ave, Grafton, ND 58237
(701) 352-2851
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Walsh County Clerk of District Court, Grafton (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1940 Walsh County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Walsh 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
Walsh County Clerk of District Court – Northeast Judicial District 600 Cooper Avenue, Grafton, ND 58237 (701) 352-2340
Walsh County was founded May 2, 1881, named for George H. Walsh, in northeastern North Dakota, seated in Grafton. The 1940 Walsh 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.
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
600 Cooper Ave, Grafton, ND 58237
(701) 352-1420
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
600 Cooper Ave, Grafton, ND 58237
(701) 352-2851
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Walsh County Health District
600 Cooper Ave, Grafton, ND 58237
(701) 352-5307
Social Services
600 Cooper Ave, Grafton, ND 58237
(701) 352-5307
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Walsh County Public Health – confirm current contact via walshcountynd.com.
Hospital: Unity Medical Center – Grafton, ND, a community hospital known for its close, neighbor-to-neighbor connection with local medical staff, and a major local employer.
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