Serves North Dakota and Minnesota from Valley City, Fargo, and Wahpeton. Estate work covers wills, trusts, guardianships and conservatorships, powers of attorney, and probate, and the firm takes estate disputes from both sides — challenging a will or an executor’s conduct, or defending one. Business succession is the focus; the lead attorney is a trained CPA.
Probate in Stutsman County
Probate Court Record
Stutsman County District Court
Stutsman County · Southeast Judicial District
Phone
1-701-253-6243 (option 1)
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
511 2nd Avenue Southeast, Jamestown, ND 58401
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Stutsman County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Stutsman County? →Settling an estate in Stutsman County →
Probate Firms Serving Stutsman County
Bismarck firm with a staffed branch office in Harvey, serving central and western North Dakota since 2014. Probate administration is a named practice, alongside estate litigation and will and trust disputes. Also handles guardianship and conservatorship, including emergency appointments, and the agricultural and energy-lease matters that bear on North Dakota estates.
Bismarck firm with a second office in Napoleon, serving all of North Dakota. Probate and estate administration covers inventories and accountings, federal and state estate tax returns, and property transfer deeds, with in-house accounting so an executor gets the estate accounting and the final return from one office.
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.
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.
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.
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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