Benson County Background Information
Benson County is located in North Dakota. In 2020, Benson County had a population of 5,964, as indicated by a local census. Minnewaukan is the current county seat in Benson County.
It was organized in 1884.
It was named for Bertil W. Benson, a Dakota Territory legislator at the time.
Benson County Arrest Records
All crimes in the Benson County area have records kept on them. Every single crime in Benson County is split up into two sections in the crime report. The groups in question are violent crime and property crime. Property crimes can include things such as burglary, vehicle theft, and larceny. Robbery, aggravated assault, murder, and forcible rape make up the four main violent crime categorizations. Back in 2021, there were 2 violent and 6 property crimes in Benson County. Benson County Sheriff’s Office can be contacted at:
Benson County Sheriff’s Office
311 B Avenue South
Minnewaukan, ND 58351
Phone: (701) 473-5357
Benson County Criminal Records
Benson County records its criminal activity in the form of criminal records. These records cover murders, rapes, burglaries, arson, motor vehicle theft, assaults, and crimes of a sexual nature. In Benson County and across the whole state of North Dakota, the police are necessary to keep an updated list of all records of criminals. Citizens of Benson County can use a search tool in order to get access to the records in question. Anyone on release or in jail can be searched for using the tool. Benson County sex offender register is updated constantly. Every offender living, working, attending school, or jailed in the Benson County area must be on this list. All Benson County residents may access an up-to-date copy of this register.
Members of the public living in Benson County can also search online for offenders in the area. Residents give a zip code and decide the radius of their search. The website will then list all sex offenders found within a given radius of this pinpointed location in Benson County. People may also use the tools to look up individual known offenders. The results will show all imprisoned and non-compliant offenders too.
Benson County Court Records
The criminal, civil, and family cases in Benson County are all supervised by the county courthouse. Court records in Benson County are obtained and looked after by the court clerk. The Court of Appeals of North Dakota holds power to evaluate all contested cases across the state. These lower courts often refer to one of the 53 superior or trial courts found across North Dakota’s 53 counties, including Benson County. Benson County residents can access court records at:
Benson County Courthouse
Clerk of District Court: Jill Schafer
311 B Avenue South
P.O. Box 213
Minnewaukan, ND 58351
Phone: (701) 473-5345
Fax: (701) 473-5596
Email: 03clerk@ndcourts.gov
NOTE - Normal records in Benson County can be directed by mail, email, or fax. Having said that, any official or certified records in Benson County can only be delivered via mail.
Benson County Public Records
In North Dakota state, files called vital records are kept on every last resident within the jurisdiction. All important life events are recorded in these reports. These records could include marriages, divorces, deaths, births, and more. Counties such as Benson County help to collect these reports. These counties, such as Benson County, are usually put in charge of obtaining files and sending copies to the state government.
In North Dakota, marriage records are currently accumulated by each individual county clerk. All records are saved by the North Dakota Department of Health Division of Vital Records. The main vital records obtained by the state are birth certificates, death certificates, divorce decrees, marriage licenses, divorce certificates, marriage certificates, and more. All vital state records are kept in one central registry. In the future, these vital records can be utilized for statistical analysis.
Any public record can be copied and accessed by residents in Benson County. The state of North Dakota passed the Open Records Statute back in 1957, meaning that citizens now have the fundamental right to access any public records. The most recent change to the act came in 2016. Benson County residents can obtain public records at:
Benson County Clerk’s Office
County Recorder: Rhoda Pfeifer
311 B Avenue South
Minnewaukan, ND 58351
Phone: (701) 473-5332
Fax: (701) 473-5571
However, Benson County charges a fee per record copied. For instance, birth certificates in Benson County cost $7 for the first copy. Death certificates in Benson County will set a person back $7.
NOTE - There are various rules that need to be followed to obtain records for Benson County requesters. The office is open between 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. CST from Monday to Friday to get records in-person in Benson County. Those looking to request records must also bring some form of photo identification. Both driver's licenses and state IDs would suffice. A requester must also put their public record requests in writing in Benson County.
