Fargo firm serving the greater Fargo area, with estate planning and probate handled by attorney Travis R. Jung. Sets timing expectations up front: a North Dakota probate runs at least six months from the initial court date, realistically nine to twelve, and at least eighteen where a federal estate tax return is required. Initial consultations are paid.
Probate in Traill County
Probate Court Record
Traill County District Court
Traill County · East Central Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 12:30 PM-4:30 PM (Labor Day to Memorial Day)
Office
114 West Caledonia Avenue, Hillsboro, ND 58045
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Traill County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Traill County? →Settling an estate in Traill County →
Elder Law Firms Serving Traill County
Solo practice in Wahpeton serving Richland County and the Wahpeton-Breckenridge border communities, licensed in North Dakota and South Dakota. Takes on estate administration for newly appointed personal representatives, welcomes out-of-state executors needing local counsel, and represents excluded heirs in will contests. Free consultations.
Bismarck firm serving Bismarck, Mandan, and the rest of North Dakota. Handles formal and informal probate, guardianship and conservatorship, will contests, and trust administration, within an elder law practice spanning Medicaid, nursing home planning, and veterans’ medical care. Two attorneys are members of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in North Dakota
Free North Dakota forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for North Dakota.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Get Started
Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
North Dakota allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2N.D.C.C. § 23-06.5-17Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
Get Started
Free
Financial Power of Attorney
North Dakota requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityN.D.C.C. § 30.1-30-01Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementN.D.C.C. § 30.1-30-01Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
Get Started
Free
Last Will and Testament
In North Dakota, a will is signed before 2N.D.C.C. § 30.1-08-02Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyN.D.C.C. § 30.1-08-02Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Get Started
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in North Dakota
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in North Dakota: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in North Dakota runs $3,540Estimate: 10 hours at $354, Clio's North Dakota Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,310Estimate: 15 hours at $354, Clio's North Dakota Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $957Estimate: 3 hours at $319, Clio's North Dakota Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,914Estimate: 6 hours at $319, Clio's North Dakota Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
Calculate Costs
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In North Dakota, four years at a public university cost about $75,956NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is 11% below the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax payable. The estate tax (N.D.C.C. ch. 57-37.1) remains codified but is a pick-up tax: § 57-37.1-04(1) sets it equal to the federal credit for state death taxes, which has been $0 since EGTRRA, so no estate tax is paid on deaths after 1/1/2005. Inheritance tax repealed 1927 (N.D. Office of State Tax Commissioner)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Calculate the Amount
What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in North Dakota costs an estimated $24,994N.D.C.C. § 30.1-18-21 (court reviews the reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage schedule); § 30.1-18-20 (estate pays reasonable attorney's fees)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under N.D.C.C. § 30.1-18-21 (court reviews the reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage schedule); § 30.1-18-20 (estate pays reasonable attorney's fees): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.9%Modeled estimate under N.D.C.C. § 30.1-18-21 (court reviews the reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage schedule); § 30.1-18-20 (estate pays reasonable attorney's fees): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $100,000N.D.C.C. § 30.1-23-01Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
Check the Rules
Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in North Dakota takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under N.D.C.C. § 30.1-18-21 (court reviews the reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage schedule); § 30.1-18-20 (estate pays reasonable attorney's fees): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.9%Modeled estimate under N.D.C.C. § 30.1-18-21 (court reviews the reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage schedule); § 30.1-18-20 (estate pays reasonable attorney's fees): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
Get the Answer
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
North Dakota automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceN.D.C.C. § 30.1-10-04Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
Get the Answer
