North Dakota probate & fiduciary bonds.
We size, underwrite & quote it.

Before the court issues letters, most fiduciaries have to file a bond.
It guarantees you’ll discharge all your duties faithfully, according to law.
The bond is set to the size of the estate — and we underwrite it.
A surety specialist reviews your file and returns a quote, usually within one business day.

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Required of fiduciaries under NDCC 30.1-17-04 unless waived by the will or court

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Amount is the value of the personal estate plus a year’s estimated income

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Underwritten on personal credit and financials; collateral may apply to a large estate

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How it works

Built for the grant of letters.

The court won’t issue letters until the bond is filed and approved, so the bond is usually the last step before you can act. Here is the whole process:

TODAY · 10 MINUTES

Send us the file

Apply online with the order or petition setting the bond, the estate’s value, and the fiduciary’s details. The estate size and any restricted assets drive the penal sum.

WITHIN 1 BUSINESS DAY

A surety specialist underwrites it

A specialist reviews the file, a personal credit check, and any financials, then returns a quote. The amount is set by the statute and the court — underwriting decides approval and any collateral on a large estate.

ON APPROVAL

Execute & file

Once you bind, we issue the executed bond on the court’s required form, ready for the court to approve so letters can issue.

About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What a fiduciary bond protects

When the court appoints you to handle someone else’s money — as a personal representative of an estate, or a conservator or guardian for a protected person — it usually requires a bond before issuing letters.

The fiduciary bond guarantees that you perform all your duties according to law: that you inventory the assets, account honestly, and don’t misuse the estate. If you breach those duties, the bond makes the estate or protected person whole — and the surety looks to you to repay it.

Because the surety stands behind the estate, the bond is underwritten on your personal credit and finances, and a large estate can require collateral or restricted-asset arrangements. We tell you what your file needs before you commit.

North Dakota StatuteNDCC 30.1-17-04 (Bond amount – Security – Procedure – Reduction) provides that where bond is required and the will or order does not specify an amount, the person qualifying files a sworn statement of the best estimate of the value of the decedent’s personal estate and the income expected from the personal and real estate during the next year, and files a bond in an amount not less than that estimate; the court may reduce the amount by the value of assets deposited with a domestic financial institution so they cannot be disposed of without court order. Under NDCC 30.1-17-06, every bond names the state of North Dakota as obligee for the benefit of interested persons and is conditioned on the faithful discharge by the fiduciary of all duties according to law. A conservator’s bond under NDCC 30.1-29-11 is set to the aggregate capital value of the estate plus one year’s estimated income.

You need this bond if you’re

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A personal representative (executor or administrator) appointed to administer a North Dakota estate

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A conservator of the property of a minor or a protected adult

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A guardian managing the affairs of someone who cannot manage them alone

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Counsel or a family member arranging the bond so the court can issue letters and you can begin administering

The application takes about ten minutes.

These are the actual underwriting fields — the estate, the bond amount the court set, the fiduciary, and your finances. Submit once and a surety specialist returns a quote, typically within one business day. Free until your bond is issued.

Start the application →

FAQs

Common questions.

If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.

What is a North Dakota probate or fiduciary bond? +

It is the bond a court requires before issuing letters to a fiduciary — a personal representative, conservator, or guardian. Under NDCC 30.1-17-04 and 30.1-17-06 (and 30.1-29-11 for conservators), it is conditioned on the faithful discharge of all the fiduciary’s duties according to law, protecting the estate or protected person from mismanagement or fraud.

How much does it cost? +

It is underwritten, not flat-rated. The statute sets the penal sum to the size of the estate — under NDCC 30.1-17-04 that is the value of the personal estate plus a year’s estimated income. A surety specialist then reviews the fiduciary’s personal credit and finances and returns a premium quote, usually within one business day.

Who decides the bond amount? +

The statute sets the measure and the court fixes the amount. Under NDCC 30.1-17-04 it tracks the value of the personal estate plus the income expected over the next year, less assets deposited under court restriction; a conservator’s bond under NDCC 30.1-29-11 is the aggregate capital value plus one year’s income. We size and underwrite the bond to whatever amount the court sets.

Can the bond be waived? +

Sometimes. The will or the court can excuse, increase, or reduce the bond under NDCC 30.1-17-04 — for example where assets are placed under court restriction. An interested person can also demand a bond under NDCC 30.1-17-05. Where it isn’t waived, the fiduciary must file an approved bond before letters issue.

How fast can the bond be issued? +

A specialist typically returns a quote within one business day of a complete application. Once you bind and any collateral is in place, the executed bond issues on the court’s form, ready for the court to approve so letters can issue.

Related bonds

Other New York bonds.

Get bonded so the court can issue letters.

Send us the estate details and the amount the court set, and a surety specialist sizes, underwrites, and quotes the bond — typically within one business day. Free until your bond is issued.

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