Wells County Background Information
North Dakota is home to Wells County. In 2021, Wells County had a population of 3,905, based on a local census. The current county seat is Fessenden.
It was created in 1873 and Organized in 1884.
It was named for Edward Payson Wells, a Jamestown banker, an early promoter of the James River Valley, and member of the legislature in 1881.
Wells County Arrest Records
In Wells County, arrest records are also kept on each individual crime within the jurisdictional area. Crimes in Wells County are put into two main categories, 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. Wells County had 3 violent and 5 property crimes back in 2021. Wells County Sheriff’s Office can be contacted at:
Wells County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff: Christopher Kluth
700 Railway Street North
Fessenden, ND 58438
Phone: (701) 547-3211
Fax: (701)547-2536
Email: chrkluth@nd.gov
Wells County Criminal Records
Wells County records their 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. The records of criminals in Wells County are consistently up to date. In Wells County, residents can use a search tool in order to get access to the records. Any individual on release or in jail can be searched for using the tool. Wells County legally keeps current sex offender registers. These include any offender living, attending school, working, or imprisoned in the Wells County area. This register is accessible by the public in Wells County.
Residents of Wells County can search for any sex offenders within a certain distance of their homes. Wells County citizens must simply enter a zip code to act as the focal point of the search. All offenders within that area will then be revealed to the searcher. People may also use the tools to look up individual known offenders. Results comprise all offenders, even those in prison or non-compliant.
Wells County Court Records
The criminal, civil, and family cases in Wells County are all supervised by the county courthouse. Court records in Wells County are obtained and taken care of by the court clerk. In the state of North Dakota, the Court of Appeals has the power to oversee any lower court case in which one party appeals. The lower courts over which the Court of Appeals oversees comprise the 53 superior or trial courts across the 53 counties, including Wells County. Wells County residents can acquire court records at:
Wells County Courthouse
700 Railway Street North #155
Fessenden, ND 58438
Phone: (701) 547-3122
Fax: (701) 547-3840
NOTE - Mail, email, or fax can all be used to send records to requesters in Wells County. In contrast, all official records can only be delivered via mail-in Wells County.
Wells County Public Records
Each individual resident in the state of North Dakota has vital records kept on them. These records refer to a person's most crucial life events. These records could consist of marriages, divorces, deaths, births, and more. Counties such as Wells County help to collect these files. Individual counties may collect records and send copies to the state.
North Dakota requires all county clerks to collect marriage records. Marriage records in Wells County are saved at the North Dakota Department of Health Division of Vital Records. The primary vital records collected by the state are birth certificates, death certificates, divorce decrees, marriage licenses, divorce certificates, marriage certificates, and more. All vital state records are saved in one central registry. In the future, these vital records can be utilized for statistical analysis.
In Wells County, citizens can access and copy these vital records because they are found in the public domain. The state of North Dakota passed the Open Records Statute back in 1957, meaning that residents now have the fundamental right to access any public records. Changes to the North Dakota Open Records Statute came in. Wells County citizens can obtain public records in-person at:
Wells County Clerk’s Office
Clerk: Carla Johnson
700 Railway Street North
Fessenden, ND 58438
Phone: (701) 547-3122
Fax: (701) 547-3840
Email: cajjohnson@nd.gov
Then again, to obtain a record copy, requesters must also pay a fee. By way of example, birth certificates in Wells County cost $7 for the first copy. Death records in Wells County cost $7 for the first copy.
NOTE - If a requester wants to obtain records face-to-face, they must follow a number of Wells County rules. The office is only open between 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m and 12:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. CST from Monday to Friday. If a requester wishes to acquire records, they must bring some form of photo identification. Examples include state IDs or driver's licenses. All public record requests must also be put in writing in Wells County.
