North Dakota Administrator & Executor Bond

Probate Bonds From $100 – Set by the Court

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A North Dakota executor bond or North Dakota administrator bond — together known as a probate bond or personal representative bond — is required in certain North Dakota estates before letters issue. North Dakota adopted the Uniform Probate Code as Title 30.1: under N.D.C.C. § 30.1-17-03, no bond is required in informal probate unless a special administrator is appointed, the will expressly requires bond, or an interested person or creditor with more than $1,000 at stake demands one — and the District Court may order bond in formal proceedings. Premiums start at $100 and are paid from estate funds.

North Dakota Probate Bond Pricing

Premiums are a small percentage of the required bond amount and are paid from estate funds. Sample pricing for qualified applicants:

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Executor, Administrator, or Trustee — Which North Dakota Probate Bond You Need

All three cover a fiduciary who manages estate or trust assets. North Dakota uses UPC terminology — “personal representative” for executors and administrators — with probate in the District Court through the clerk of district court. Which bond applies depends on how you were appointed:

When Does the North Dakota District Court Require a Bond?

Probate in North Dakota is governed by Title 30.1 of the Century Code — the state's Uniform Probate Code — and handled by the District Court in each of the 53 counties (eight judicial districts), with filings through the clerk of district court. Estates open as informal probate — administrative and unsupervised — or formal probate adjudicated by a judge, with supervised administration available. Under § 30.1-17-03, informal appointments carry no bond unless the will requires it, a special administrator serves, or a demand is filed; in formal proceedings the court may order bond, excused where the will relieves it.

The demand right supplies the protection on request: under § 30.1-17-05, any person with an interest worth more than $1,000 — or a creditor owed more than $1,000 — may file a written demand, and the representative must file the required bond within 30 days or face removal. Representatives who have deposited cash or collateral with a state agency are exempt. If the representative causes a loss, valid claims are paid from the bond, and the representative must reimburse the surety. The bond protects the estate, not the representative.

How Your Bond Amount Is Set — and How to Reduce It

North Dakota uses the UPC's sworn-statement approach: under § 30.1-17-04, the personal representative files a statement of the estimated value of the estate's personal property plus the expected annual income — and the bond must be not less than that estimate, executed by a corporate surety company or individual sureties pledging personal property or real estate mortgages.

The court keeps the figure right-sized: the bond may be reduced to reflect assets deposited in restricted accounts with financial institutions, and on petition the court may excuse, increase, reduce, or otherwise modify the requirement as the estate develops.

Which North Dakota Court Handles Your Probate

Probate is filed with the clerk of district court in the county where the decedent was domiciled — North Dakota's 53 counties are organized into eight judicial districts. The directory below lists every county with its ndcourts.gov page, clerk phone, and courthouse mailing address.

How To Get Your North Dakota Probate Bond

1. Get appointed and confirm whether bond is required. Determine under § 30.1-17-03 whether the will, a demand, or the court requires bond. If it does, your amount comes from your sworn estimate of the personal property plus expected annual income under § 30.1-17-04.
2. Request your quote. Apply online or call with your court documentation. For most standard estates we can quote from the bond amount alone; larger or more complex estates may involve a review of the will and the applicant's credit.
3. Complete the short application. Provide the personal representative's information and the estate details.
4. File your bond and receive your letters. We execute the bond with the surety's Power of Attorney attached so you can file it with the clerk of district court. The court then issues your letters testamentary or letters of administration, and you can begin settling the estate.

Bond Details at a Glance

• Bond Name: North Dakota Executor Bond / North Dakota Administrator Bond (Personal Representative Bond)
• Also Known As: Probate bond, fiduciary bond, estate bond
• Bond Amount: Not less than the sworn estimate of the estate's personal property plus expected annual income; reducible by restricted-account deposits (N.D.C.C. § 30.1-17-04)
• Starting Premium: $100 for a $10,000 bond; paid from estate funds
• Obligee: Filed with the court for the protection of interested persons
• Governing Law: N.D.C.C. § 30.1-17-03 (when bond is required — UPC 3-603), § 30.1-17-04 (amount and reduction — UPC 3-604), § 30.1-17-05 (demand by $1,000+ interested persons or creditors — UPC 3-605)
• Waiver: No bond in informal probate by default; will's waiver excuses bond in formal proceedings unless a demand is filed; state-agency deposits exempt
• Court: District Court in each of North Dakota's 53 counties (8 judicial districts), through the clerk of district court
• Attorney Required: No

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a North Dakota administrator or executor bond?
A probate bond required under N.D.C.C. § 30.1-17-03 before certain personal representatives can receive letters. It guarantees faithful discharge of fiduciary duties and protects the estate's heirs, devisees, and creditors.

Can the bond be waived?
Usually it never arises: informal probates carry no bond unless the will requires it, a special administrator serves, or a demand is filed. In formal proceedings the will's waiver excuses bond unless an interested person demands it.

Do administrators need a bond in North Dakota?
Only when triggered — but any heir or creditor with more than $1,000 at stake can trigger it by written demand, with 30 days to comply or face removal, and courts may order bond in formal proceedings. Special administrators always give bond.

How much does a North Dakota probate bond cost?
Premiums start at $100 for a $10,000 bond and scale with the bond amount — $135 at $25,000, $260 at $50,000, $460 at $100,000, and up. The premium is paid from estate funds.

How is the bond amount determined?
You file a statement of the estimated value of the estate's personal property plus expected annual income, and the bond must be at least that amount (§ 30.1-17-04) — with a corporate surety company the standard security.

Can the amount be reduced?
Yes. The court may reduce the bond to reflect estate assets deposited in restricted accounts with financial institutions, and may otherwise excuse, reduce, or modify the requirement on petition.

Which North Dakota court handles probate?
The District Court of the county where the decedent was domiciled — 53 counties across eight judicial districts — with filings through the clerk of district court.

What happens if a claim is filed against the bond?
The surety pays valid claims — from mismanagement, fraud, or failure to follow the will or North Dakota law — up to the bond amount, and the personal representative must reimburse the surety in full. The bond protects the estate, not the representative.

North Dakota Probate Court Directory

Probate in North Dakota is handled by the District Court in each of the state's 53 counties, through the clerk of district court. Find your county below for the court's page, phone number, and mailing address.

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