Search North Dakota Public Records - Free Government Databases
Free links to official North Dakota state and county government records — courts, criminal histories, vital records, property, voter, business, and licenses across all 53 counties.
How to Search North Dakota Public Records
North Dakota's court, criminal, vital, property, voter, and licensing records are maintained across state agencies and the 53 counties listed below. Use the tabs to filter by record type, or jump directly to any source.
Courts: The North Dakota Supreme Court sits at the top of the system; trial-court business is handled by the District Court (7 judicial districts), Municipal Court. Most courts publish dockets and case lookups online.
Criminal history: Official background checks run through the North Dakota BCI (Attorney General); the North Dakota criminal records page covers the current fee and request process.
Vital records: Birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates are issued by Vital Records at North Dakota Health and Human Services and may also be available locally.
Property & recorded documents: Maintained at the county level by the Assessor, Recorder, or Clerk's office.
Business filings: the North Dakota Secretary of State operates the official business-entity search.
Population
796,568
Households
326,200
Median Income
$76,525
Median Home Value
$234,500
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Population Estimates Program; 2022 ACS 5-year)
North Dakota Public Records at a Glance
North Dakota packs a full records system into a small population. District court cases across all 53 counties sit in one free public index, covered on the North Dakota court records page. The BCI processes background checks, and North Dakota allows public name-based criminal history requests for convictions with a signed form and small fee. Birth and death certificates come from Vital Records at Health and Human Services — online verification of deaths is public, an uncommon courtesy. County recorders hold deeds and mineral records; with the oil patch, mineral-rights research is a bigger share of records traffic here than almost anywhere, and several counties sell remote access to their indexes. 100 official sources below.
Official Databases
100
County Pages
40
Record Categories
8
Directory Since
1997
Figures reflect sources indexed in this directory and the latest official reports. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.
North Dakota Guides
Step-by-step pages for the searches people actually run:
U.S. District Court of North Dakota PACER system bankruptcy court records. Subscription with PACER required. Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
U.S. District Court of North Dakota PACER system criminal and civil court records. PACER subscription required. Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
SearchSystems.net has not yet verified a single statewide voter records portal for North Dakota. Please check county-level resources below or report missing sources via Contact.
North Dakota Recorders Information Network database of county land records such as mortgages, UCCs, deeds, liens, affidavits, amendments, certificates, mechanics liens, notices, releases, and assignments. Requires subscription.
Search the Williams County, North Dakota Property Tax Inquiry for property information by township/city, property owner, mail to name, legal description, lot & block, township & range, or property ID.
McLean County, North Dakota Assessor's property records. Search by address, contract buyer, parcel number, deed holder, doing business as, or legal description.
Stark County, North Dakota Assessor's property records. Search by address, contract buyer, parcel number, deed holder, doing business as, or legal description.
Search the Fargo, North Dakota assessor database by parcel number or address to view corresponding info, owner, school district, value, year built, size, land use, property type, legal description, assessment and taxes.
Search the Dickinson, North Dakota City Assessor's database for property information by address, contract buyer, parcel number, deed holder, or business name.
40 North Dakota counties are indexed on SearchSystems.net — top 14 counties shown below. Browse the full directory or click any county for local court, sheriff, recorder and assessor links.
How are public records organized in North Dakota?▼
North Dakota keeps public records at three levels: federal (FBI, federal courts via PACER), state (court of last resort, state police, department of health, secretary of state), and county-level (sheriffs, clerks, recorders, assessors). Each county maintains its own court, criminal-justice, property, and vital-records offices linked from the county pages below.
Where do I start a North Dakota court-case search?▼
For statewide trial-court information, start at the ND Court System: www.ndcourts.gov. North Dakota federal cases are searched through PACER. For local case dockets, see the Court Records tab and the county page for your area.
How do I get an official North Dakota background check?▼
North Dakota's official statewide criminal-history check is run by the North Dakota BCI (Attorney General) at attorneygeneral.nd.gov. Most state-level checks require fingerprints and a fee. A nationwide FBI Identity History Summary is available separately.
Where do I obtain North Dakota birth, death, or marriage certificates?▼
Certified North Dakota vital records are issued by the Official North Dakota Vital Records at www.hhs.nd.gov. Recent local events (births, deaths, marriages) can often also be requested from the county clerk or local registrar where the event was filed.
What does it cost to access North Dakota public records?▼
Most online record indexes in North Dakota are free to search; fees apply for certified copies, fingerprint background checks, full document images at the recorder, and statewide bulk data. Each agency publishes its current fee schedule — for example the ND Court System (courts), the Official North Dakota Vital Records (vital records), the Official North Dakota Voter Records (elections), and the Official North Dakota Professional & Occupational Licenses (licenses).
