North Dakota Small Estate Affidavit

Updated August 3, 2026. Quick answer: North Dakota lets a small estate be settled with a sworn affidavit, usable 30 days after death, and it is presented straight to the bank or holder — no court filing. Real estate: no — personal property only.

The verdicts

What the statute actually says

Thirty days after the death of a decedent, any person indebted to the decedent or having possession of tangible personal property or an instrument evidencing a debt, obligation, stock, or chose in action belonging to the decedent shall make payment of the indebtedness or deliver the tangible personal property… to a person claiming to be the successor of the decedent upon being presented an affidavit.

— N.D.C.C. §30.1-23-01

The dollar limit

$100,000 — collection of personal property by affidavit (N.D.C.C. §30.1-23-01, UPC 3-1201 analog). Cite confirmed via Justia survey; dollar figure from well-documented secondary sources, not re-verified on ndlegis.gov this pass.

All 51 limits, compared.

The form

We did not locate an official free state form. That does not mean none exists — many states publish forms through individual county or probate offices rather than a single statewide page, and several court websites blocked automated access entirely. Ask the probate court or register of wills in the county where the person lived before paying anyone for a form.

The waiting period is the part that voids transfers

Using the instrument before its waiting period has run is the most common way one of these fails. A bank can refuse it, and a transfer made on a defective affidavit can be unwound — with the person who signed it personally exposed, because these are sworn statements made under penalty of perjury. Wait the full period and count from the date of death.

What could not be verified

ndcourts.gov returned 403 on every path tried (root and self-help/probate), so no official form URL was confirmed. Statute text does not explicitly require notarization.

When this route is the wrong one

• The estate is over the limit. Full administration applies, and using the small-estate route anyway does not make it valid.
• There is real estate and this route does not reach it. A house needs the instrument that can actually transfer title.
• Someone disputes it. These procedures assume agreement; a contested estate belongs in front of a judge.
• Debts exceed assets. Paying the wrong creditor first can make you personally liable.

Related: how the process works, step by step · affidavit versus summary administration.

General information drawn from state statutes and official court materials, not legal advice. Probate and small-estate procedure is STATE law and differs in every state; thresholds, waiting periods and forms change, and every figure here is sourced and dated. Using the wrong instrument, or using one before its waiting period has run, can make a transfer ineffective and can expose the person who signs the affidavit to personal liability. We are not a law firm and we sell no forms.