Jamestown firm established in 1975, with a branch office in Carrington and work across North Dakota. Handles probate of a will or an intestate estate, guardianships and conservatorships, and preparation of wills and trusts, powers of attorney, and health care directives. Real estate work includes title opinions and quiet title actions, which matter for farm estates.
Probate in Wells County
Probate Court Record
Wells County District Court
Wells County · Southeast Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 12:30 PM-4:00 PM (winter hours)
Office
700 Railway Street North, Fessenden, ND 58438
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Wells County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Wells County? →Settling an estate in Wells County →
Guardianship Firms Serving Wells County
Larson Law Firm
Solo practice in Jamestown serving Stutsman County and south-central North Dakota. Joseph Larson II was admitted in North Dakota in 1975 and handles estate planning, wills, probate, powers of attorney, real estate, and adult guardianship. The firm has no website; contact is by phone or email.
All 3 North Dakota guardianship firms serving Wells County →
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in North Dakota, a surviving spouse takes the entire estateN.D.C.C. § 30.1-04-02Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per stirpesN.D.C.C. § 30.1-04-03; defined by § 30.1-09.1-09(3)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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