North Dakota · Unclaimed property · Updated Oct 2026
North Dakota Department of Trust Lands, Unclaimed Property Division holds money that businesses could not return to its owners. Here is how to search, what proof you need and how long it takes.
Search North Dakota's official list of unclaimed property by name.
Search in North DakotaSearch your name on the state's unclaimed property site.
Start a claim online. Enter your current mailing address (your check goes there) and your relationship to the owner.
Check your email. It lists exactly what your claim needs.
Most claims need a signed claim form, a copy of your photo ID, and a document showing your Social Security number. Upload them or mail them to the division.
If your form needs a notary, banks often do it free, libraries often have one, and the Trust Lands office in Bismarck can notarize too.
Yes. Since late 2025 the state automatically returns verified single-owner property worth up to $1,000. If you get a letter, you don't need to do anything. A check comes in about 45 days.
Send court papers showing you are the personal representative or executor (will, court appointment or letters testamentary) and a certified death certificate. If no representative was appointed or there is no will, the state points you to the ND Legal Self Help Center (701-328-1852) for informal probate. The site also links an Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent.
A finder can charge no more than 10% of the amount recovered. Any agreement made from the time the property is presumed abandoned until 24 months after it is turned over to the state is void. The agreement must be in writing, signed by you, and say that you could get the property from the state for free. Heir finders generally need a North Dakota private investigator license. The state pays the full amount to you, not the finder.
Law: N.D.C.C. §§ 47-30.2-68, 47-30.2-69
Watch out: The state warns that some websites ask for payment to get your money back. You should never have to pay to get your money, and ND Unclaimed Property will never ask you for money.
Search every other state where you lived or worked. Some money, like old savings bonds and IRS refunds, is held by federal agencies.
Money that businesses could not return to you and had to hand over to a state, such as old bank accounts and insurance policies. USA.gov says state governments hold most unclaimed money.
Official siteOld paper or electronic U.S. savings bonds that were never cashed, including bonds that have matured and stopped earning interest (EE and I bonds earn interest for up to 30 years), plus lost, stolen or destroyed bonds.
Official siteTax refunds owed to people who never filed a federal tax return for a year, often because they earned little and were not required to file. The IRS says taxpayers usually have three years to file and claim a refund; after that the money becomes the property of the U.S. Treasury.
Official siteSearch the official database run by the North Dakota Department of Trust Lands, Unclaimed Property Division. Searching is free. Search every name you have used and every address where you lived in North Dakota.
No. The state does not charge a fee to claim. A finder can charge no more than 10% of the amount recovered. Any agreement made from the time the property is presumed abandoned until 24 months after it is turned over to the state is void. The agreement must be in writing, signed by you, and say that you could get the property from the state for free. Heir finders generally need a North Dakota private investigator license. The state pays the full amount to you, not the finder.
Send court papers showing you are the personal representative or executor (will, court appointment or letters testamentary) and a certified death certificate. If no representative was appointed or there is no will, the state points you to the ND Legal Self Help Center (701-328-1852) for informal probate. The site also links an Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent.
Last checked: Oct 2026.