Stutsman County, North Dakota Court Filing
Fee Lookup

Court filing fees in Stutsman County, North Dakota are collected by the Stutsman County Probate Court in Jamestown according to North Dakota's statutory fee schedule, plus any local surcharges authorized by county ordinance. With 20,704 residents and ranked in the top quarter of North Dakota jurisdictions by population, Stutsman County operates within the District Court (unified — civil/family/probate) / Small Claims Court and follows both the state's base fee requirements and its own local additions.

Stutsman County is centered on Jamestown, famous for its giant buffalo statue and the National Buffalo Museum. The city sits at the junction of I-94 and Highway 281, serving as a regional hub for healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture.

These local economic characteristics shape the types of legal proceedings filed in Stutsman County — from probate of estates that include commercial property or business interests near Jamestown to civil disputes arising from the county's primary industries. The Stutsman County Probate Court handles the full range of case types for this community, with filing fees applying uniformly based on case type regardless of the underlying subject matter.

Stutsman County is known for landmarks including National Buffalo Museum, Frontier Village, Jamestown Reservoir. For residents and businesses in the areas surrounding these community anchors, knowing the applicable filing fees and court procedures in advance helps legal matters proceed efficiently at the Stutsman County Probate Court in Jamestown.

• Filing fees in Stutsman County are based on North Dakota's statutory schedule, which applies statewide, plus any local surcharges assessed by the county. For reference, the statewide base fees by case type are: probate and estate filings — $60–$110 (District Court — Probate)
• civil complaints and appearances — $80–$160 (District Court) / $10–$30 (Small Claims Court)
• family law matters (divorce, custody, support) — $80–$160 (District Court — Domestic Relations)
• small claims filings — $10–$30 (Small Claims Court). These figures represent the state-level base
• the total amount due at the Stutsman County Probate Court in Jamestown may include additional local charges.

As one of North Dakota's larger jurisdictions, Stutsman County may assess higher local surcharges than the state's rural counties, reflecting the greater administrative cost of operating a high-volume court in Jamestown.

• Beyond the initial filing fee, Stutsman County litigants and estate administrators should budget for recurring court costs throughout the proceeding: fees for filing subsequent motions and responses, charges for certified copies of letters testamentary or court orders (typically $5 to $25 per document in North Dakota), jury demand deposits in civil cases, and in probate matters, fees associated with filing the inventory, accountings, and petition for discharge.
• For a complete picture of expected court costs in Stutsman County, request the full fee schedule from the Stutsman County Probate Court clerk in Jamestown before initiating the proceeding.

North Dakota has been expanding electronic filing (e-filing) capabilities across its court system. Stutsman County is among the jurisdictions where e-filing is more established.

For a mid-to-large county, the Stutsman County Probate Court in Jamestown likely participates in the state's e-filing system, and represented parties in civil and family matters may be required to file electronically. Contact the Stutsman County Probate Court clerk directly to confirm the current e-filing requirements for your specific case type.

When e-filing is available in Stutsman County, the system charges a convenience fee per transaction — typically $2 to $8 — in addition to the applicable statutory court fees. This convenience fee is charged by the e-filing service provider rather than the court itself and is generally non-waivable even for litigants who have received a court fee waiver.

Self-represented litigants (pro se filers) are often exempt from mandatory e-filing requirements and may file in paper at the Stutsman County Probate Court clerk's window in Jamestown during regular business hours.

For probate and estate matters in Stutsman County, e-filing availability may differ from civil cases. Some North Dakota probate courts have been slower to adopt e-filing given the document-intensive nature of estate proceedings — original wills, certified death certificates, and original deeds often require in-person or mail submission regardless of whether other case types accept electronic filing.

Verify with the Stutsman County Probate Court in Jamestown which documents can be e-filed and which require physical originals before planning your filing strategy.

• Stutsman County residents who cannot afford court filing fees may apply for a fee waiver under N.D.
• Cent.
• Code § 29-26-16.
• To apply, file a declaration of financial condition with the Stutsman County Probate Court clerk's office in Jamestown at the time of your initial filing.
• The declaration lists all household income sources, monthly expenses, assets, and liabilities.
• A judge or court commissioner reviews the application and issues an order granting or denying the waiver, typically within a few days of submission.

• Eligibility for a fee waiver in Stutsman County generally requires that household income fall at or below 125% to 200% of the federal poverty level, or that the applicant is receiving qualifying public benefits — commonly Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, or public housing assistance.
• The specific income thresholds and qualifying programs are defined in N.D.
• Cent.
• Code § 29-26-16 and may have been updated by recent legislation.
• Ask the Stutsman County Probate Court clerk in Jamestown for the current income guidelines before completing your declaration.

• A granted fee waiver covers filing fees charged by the Stutsman County Probate Court — including initial filing fees and subsequent filings in the same case — but does not cover costs owed to third parties.
• In Stutsman County probate proceedings, a fee waiver does not eliminate the cost of publishing a notice to creditors in a newspaper of general circulation (a statutory requirement in most states), service of process fees paid to process servers or the sheriff's office, or costs for court-ordered appraisals.
• Budget for these additional costs separately even when a fee waiver is in effect.