Probate in Stark County

Probate Court Record

Stark County District Court

Stark County · Southwest Judicial District

Hours

Monday-Thursday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM MT; Friday 8:00 AM-noon MT

Office

51 3rd Street East, Dickinson, ND 58601

Filing in person

Walk-ins accepted

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Stark County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

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

Probate Firms Serving Stark County

Serves southwestern North Dakota, eastern Montana, and northwestern South Dakota, with the Hettinger office staffed by Aaron Roseland and a second office in Belle Fourche. Handles probate and estate planning, real estate, and dormant mineral actions, alongside civil litigation and family law. Both partners are admitted in North Dakota.

Estate PlanningProbateReal Estate Law

Two-attorney office in Bowman serving Bowman County and southwestern North Dakota, successor to Sadowsky & Wild at the same address. Steven Wild was admitted in 1983 and Andrew Weiss in 2012; both are currently licensed. Handles estate planning, probate, and real estate. No website; contact by phone or email.

Estate PlanningProbateReal Estate Law

Bismarck office of a regional firm, the largest of its North Dakota offices, with a second office in Williston. Guides personal representatives and trustees through asset management, estate and gift tax returns, fiduciary accountings, elective share and allowances, and beneficiary and creditor claims, and carries trust and estate disputes through appeal.

Since 1895Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateBusiness SuccessionEstate Tax Planning

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.

Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawMedicaid Planning

Virtual firm serving all of North Dakota from a Bismarck office, so clients never need to travel to meet an attorney. Trust administration works with trustees and beneficiaries through the state’s administration rules and the disputes that arise; the probate practice drafts and files what an estate requires. Free consultations.

Serves the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateReal Estate LawWills

Serves North Dakota and Minnesota from Fargo, Bismarck, and Moorhead. Probate administration covers petitions, inventories and accountings, estate tax returns, and property transfer deeds; the litigation side handles will contests, fiduciary claims, and disputed estate tax matters. Mineral probate is a named intake category.

Since 1880Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningBusiness Succession

All 11 North Dakota probate firms serving Stark 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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