Probate in Burleigh County

Probate Court Record

Burleigh County District Court

Burleigh County · South Central Judicial District

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM

Office

514 East Thayer Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58501

Filing in person

Walk-ins accepted

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Burleigh County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

Do I need a lawyer for probate in Burleigh County? →Settling an estate in Burleigh County →

Probate Firms Serving Burleigh County

Mandan firm serving the Bismarck-Mandan area and the rest of North Dakota, established in 1919. Represents personal representatives and executors through probate and estate administration, administers trusts, and resolves estate-related disputes, alongside wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives. The only North Dakota member of Meritas, a global alliance of independent law firms.

Since 1919Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateBusiness LawReal Estate LawWills

Mandan firm serving Bismarck-Mandan and Morton and Burleigh counties. The estate practice opens by addressing families who have just lost someone and are facing an estate left without clear instructions, and carries them through North Dakota probate. Also handles wills, trusts, real estate, and oil and gas matters, with consultations available seven days a week.

Free consultationEstate PlanningProbateWills

Two-attorney office in Washburn serving McLean County and the neighboring communities of Riverdale, Underwood, and Wilton. Handles wills and probate, including choosing an appropriate executor, estate tax issues, guardianships, living trusts, and updating an existing will by codicil, in a rural general practice.

Since 1915Estate PlanningProbateBusiness LawReal Estate Law

Serves Beulah, Hebron, and Mercer County from two offices, the Beulah office for more than 50 years. Estate work is built around the region’s mineral wealth: selling resource-rich land or discovering mineral rights can create unexpected wealth that changes a family’s position under federal estate and gift tax law. Free consultations.

Solo PracticeFree consultationEstate PlanningProbate

The oldest law firm in western North Dakota and eastern Montana, practicing from Dickinson since 1889, with lawyers licensed in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. Estate planning and probate is a named practice with three assigned attorneys. Mineral work includes clearing title to oil, gas, coal and wind interests and dormant mineral claims. Free consultations.

Since 1889Serves the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateBusiness LawEstate Tax Planning

All 22 North Dakota probate firms serving Burleigh 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.

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Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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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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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 Does Probate Cost?

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. Attorney fees run 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 under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in North Dakota: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 180 daysN.D.C.C. §§ 30.1-18-06, 30.1-18-07, 30.1-18-08Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsN.D.C.C. §§ 30.1-19-01, 30.1-19-03, 30.1-19-05, 30.1-19-06Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.

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How Much Can an Executor Charge?

North Dakota pays executors reasonable compensationN.D.C.C. § 30.1-18-19 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, typically 2.2%Estimated from the 16 state statutes that set an executor fee schedule (median and interquartile range at this estate value)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.8%Estimated from the 16 state statutes that set an executor fee schedule (median and interquartile range at this estate value)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate.

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Do I Need Probate?

In North Dakota, estates valued at $100,000N.D.C.C. § 30.1-23-01Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Small Estate AffidavitN.D.C.C. § 30.1-23-01Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 30 daysN.D.C.C. § 30.1-23-01Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death.

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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

In North Dakota, creditors have 3 monthsN.D.C.C. § 30.1-19-03(1)(a)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from first publication of the creditor notice to present claims; late claims are barred.

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Can I Self-File Probate?

In North Dakota, informal probate is availableN.D.C.C. § 30.1-14-01Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.

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