North Dakota Executor & Trustee Checklist
You've been named executor or trustee in North Dakota — and probably handed no instructions. This is the ordered list of what to do, in the sequence North Dakota expects it, with the deadlines and terminology that are specific to this state. Work down it, check things off, and nothing important slips.
- Who administers the estate
- Personal Representative (UPC state)
- Court
- District Court (informal probate handled through the court clerk/registrar)
- Appointment document
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- Creditor claim window
- 3 months after first publication (3 years from death if no notice published)
- Inventory deadline
- Within 6 months after appointment
- Trustee notice deadline
- 60 days
- State death tax
- No North Dakota estate tax and no inheritance tax
If you're the Executor / Personal Representative
The probate track — administering the estate through the District Court (informal probate handled through the court clerk/registrar).
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This is the document that proves you have authority to act as Personal Representative (UPC state).
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Publication optional (NDCC 30.1-19-03). Known creditors may be given actual notice.
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Within 6 months after appointment (or 9 months after death, whichever is later); the PR either files it with the court or delivers copies to interested persons (NDCC 30.1-18-06).
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30 days — 'Notice and Information to Heirs and Devisees' within 30 days after appointment (NDCC 30.1-18-05).
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Get an EIN for the estate from the IRS (free at irs.gov, ~10 minutes) — the estate is its own taxpayer and you'll need it before a bank will open an account.
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Open a dedicated estate bank account — every dollar in or out flows through it; commingling estate money with your own is the fastest way to get into trouble.
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Keep receipts and records of every transaction and decision — not just what you did, but why; your final accounting is built from this and it's your protection if a choice is ever questioned.
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Pay valid claims and taxes before distributing anything, in the statutory order — paying family first can leave you personally liable. No North Dakota estate tax and no inheritance tax.
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Collect a signed receipt or release from every beneficiary when you distribute.
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By a sworn/verified closing statement — with published notice, filed no earlier than 3 months after first publication (NDCC 30.1-21-03).
Celestial Divide keeps the inventory, valuations, creditor claims, and beneficiary distributions organized in one place — so nothing on this checklist slips through the cracks.
14 days, no credit card
If you're the Trustee
The trust track — administering a trust outside of probate.
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Locate and read the entire trust document, including any amendments and restatements — your powers, limits, and timelines live there.
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60 days — North Dakota UTC (NDCC 59-16-13): notify qualified beneficiaries within 60 days of accepting trusteeship or of the trust becoming irrevocable.
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Publication optional (NDCC 30.1-19-03). Known creditors may be given actual notice.
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Get an EIN for the trust from the IRS — the trust becomes irrevocable at death and files its own returns from that point.
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Retitle and gather the trust assets; hunt down anything never moved into the trust — it may need probate.
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Keep trust assets separate from your own, always — separate accounts, separate records, no exceptions.
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Document every decision, valuation, and distribution as you go.
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Account to the beneficiaries at least annually and at termination.
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Distribute according to the terms of the trust and collect signed receipts and releases.
Good to know in North Dakota
Collection by affidavit / summary procedure where the estate (personal property, no real property) is $50,000 or under (NDCC 30.1-23-01).
By a sworn/verified closing statement — with published notice, filed no earlier than 3 months after first publication (NDCC 30.1-21-03).
Strong informal-probate preference — most estates close on a PR's sworn closing statement. The 3-month post-publication wait before filing the verified closing statement is the practical minimum. Inventory need not be filed if served on interested persons.
Sources — investigate further
The steps above are drawn from North Dakota's own statutes and courts. To dig deeper:
We'll email you a copy so it's always one click away. No spam — just the checklist and the occasional estate-settlement tip.
Celestial Divide keeps the inventory, valuations, creditor claims, and beneficiary distributions organized in one place — so nothing on this checklist slips through the cracks.
14 days, no credit card
General information, not legal advice. Laws change and county practice varies. When in doubt, talk to a probate attorney licensed in the relevant state.