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North Dakota · North-Central North Dakota · #508
Ward County, North Dakota
On the Souris River in north-central North Dakota, Minot calls itself the Magic City for the speed of its railroad-era growth - and has maintained that energy through Minot Air Force Base's B-52 bombers, two universities, and a 2011 flood recovery that demonstrated the community resilience that cold-climate Prairie towns build as a matter of necessity.
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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: Ward County Emergency Management – confirm current phone via co.ward.nd.us; the county maintains detailed flood-forecast mapping and USGS gauge monitoring for the Souris and Des Lacs Rivers (Foxholm, Minot 4 NW, Broadway, Logan, and Sawyer gauge stations).
Sheriff: Ward County Sheriff’s Office – Minot, ND; confirm current non-emergency phone via co.ward.nd.us.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. In late June 2011, the Souris River overtopped its banks in a historic flood, inundating over 4,000 homes and businesses in Minot (with more than 2,000 structures completely submerged) as well as the nearby towns of Burlington, Sawyer, and Velva – one of the most significant natural disasters in North Dakota history; the county’s extensive flood mapping and gauge network today reflect lessons from that event.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-2, US-83, and US-52 serve Minot, the county seat and North Dakota’s fourth-largest city, where the Missouri Plateau meets the Drift Prairie about 55 miles south of the Canadian border.
Notes: Amtrak’s Empire Builder stops at Minot station; Minot City Transit and Souris Basin Transportation serve the area; Ward County is North Dakota’s fifth-largest county by total area at over 2,055 square miles.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Minot Building Inspections – confirm current permit process via minotnd.gov.
Notes: Minot is genuinely nicknamed “The Magic City,” a name commemorating its extraordinarily rapid growth following the 1886 arrival of James J. Hill’s Great Northern Railway – the town grew from nothing into a substantial trading center in a remarkably short time. The 1929 Ward County Courthouse, an Art Deco building designed by the Minneapolis firm Toltz, King and Day, is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Ward County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via co.ward.nd.us.
Notes: The North Dakota Veterans’ Home is referenced among county resources; confirm current location/services via co.ward.nd.us.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Minot Public Library – Minot, ND; housed partly in the historic Minot Carnegie Library building alongside the modern Minot Public Library facility.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot is genuinely North Dakota’s oldest zoo. Downtown Minot’s historic district encompasses several distinct sub-areas, including the Commercial Historic District and the Government Center. Minot is also home to Minot State University and Minot Air Force Base, a major regional employer and military presence. The Souris River corridor, having been the site of the historic 2011 flood, today offers riverside parks and trails, including the Minot to Burlington Trail
Notes: Minot’s “Magic City” nickname reflects a genuine, well-documented boomtown growth story tied to the arrival of the Great Northern Railway in 1886, and Roosevelt Park Zoo is North Dakota’s oldest zoo.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Ward County GIS Maps – accessible via co.ward.nd.us
Parcel Search: Ward County Recorder – confirm current contact via co.ward.nd.us
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Ward County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Souris Valley Animal Shelter (SVAS) – Minot, ND
Services: Serves Ward County and the broader northwest North Dakota region, providing lost-pet reunification, adoption, mandatory spay/neuter for adopted animals, microchipping, and an emergency housing program for pets of domestic violence survivors and those experiencing homelessness, run in partnership with the Ward County Sheriff’s Department, the Domestic Violence Crisis Center, and the YWCA. Also hosts the Severson Ahart Community Clinic, a low-cost veterinary clinic on-site. City of Minot Animal Control, (701) 852-0111, handles trapping and impoundment within city limits (does not accept owner surrenders directly).
Notes: SVAS also assisted animals affected by the 2011 Souris River flood as part of its emergency response programming.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Ward County – confirm current contact via co.ward.nd.us.
Notes: Souris and Des Lacs River watershed management and flood mitigation are the county’s most significant ongoing environmental focus areas, following the historic 2011 flood.
NOTES
Minot’s “Magic City” nickname reflects a genuine, well-documented boomtown growth story tied to the 1886 arrival of the Great Northern Railway, and the devastating 2011 Souris River flood remains a defining event in the county’s recent history. 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 Ward County
Ward County’s Minot earned the “Magic City” nickname in 1886 when the railroad arrived and the city grew from 500 to 5,000 residents in a single year. The energy has not entirely dissipated: Minot remains north-central North Dakota’s regional hub for healthcare, retail, and higher education, and Minot Air Force Base – home of the 5th Bomb Wing operating B-52 Stratofortresses – is the county’s largest employer and an enduring Cold War strategic nuclear asset. The 2011 Souris River flood, which drove approximately 12,000 residents from their homes, was the worst flood event in Minot’s history, and the subsequent buyout and rebuilding programs transformed portions of the city’s floodplain.
Minot State University and Dakota College at Bottineau provide higher education. The Scandinavian Heritage Center and the Norsk Høstfest – North America’s largest Scandinavian festival – reflect the county’s substantial Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish immigrant heritage. The Souris River bottomlands and the Prairie with Cottonwoods provide wildlife habitat in what is otherwise a working agricultural county of wheat, sunflowers, and canola. Ward County’s western position in North Dakota placed it on the edge of the Bakken oil boom’s economic influence without being directly in the core production zone.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
North Dakota assesses residential property at 9% of true value. Property owners may appeal to the County Board of Equalization. North Dakota’s elderly and disabled credit reduces property taxes for qualifying residents. North Dakota has no income, estate, or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Community Action Partnership of the Region 6 – Senior Services
15 North Broadway, Suite 400, Minot, ND 58703
Phone: (701) 852-2392
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Ward County residents.
Senior Services
Community Action Partnership of the Region 6 – Senior Services
15 North Broadway, Suite 400, Minot, ND 58703
Phone: (701) 852-2392
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Ward County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
315 3rd St SE, Minot, ND 58701
(701) 857-6480
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Ward County Clerk of District Court, Minot (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1929 Ward County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Ward 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
Ward County Clerk of District Court – North Central Judicial District 315 3rd Street SE (mail: P.O. Box 5005), Minot, ND 58702 (701) 857-6600
Ward County was founded April 14, 1885, named for Mark Ward, in north-central North Dakota, seated in Minot – the state’s fourth-most populous county. The 1929 Ward County Courthouse, Art Deco in style and the most expensive courthouse built in the state for nearly 30 years, 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
315 3rd St SE, Minot, ND 58701
(701) 857-6600
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
315 3rd St SE, Minot, ND 58701
(701) 857-6420
Department
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
First District Health Unit
400 20th Ave SW, Minot, ND 58701
(701) 852-1376
Social Services
315 3rd St SE, Minot, ND 58701
(701) 857-6600
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Ward County Public Health – confirm current contact via co.ward.nd.us.
Hospital: Trinity Health – Minot, ND, a Level II trauma center tracing its roots to 1922, when Lutheran pastors from across the region organized the original Trinity Hospital Association; today it also operates a 292-bed long-term care and retirement facility and a dedicated CancerCare Center.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Minot
Population: 69,000
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Ward County facilities via Amazon.
