The Sargent County Courthouse is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
ND Response Website:
(Burn Ban Restrictions & Fire Danger Maps | ND Response)
Sargent County is located in the southeastern part of North Dakota, bordered on the south by South Dakota, on the east by Richland County, on the north by Ransom County and on the west by Dickey County. The county is 864 square miles with a total of 547, 200 acres. 523,815 acres of farm land , (which includes 2108 acres of Game and Fish land) 10, 485 acres are owned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the balance is in lakes, roads, town sites, airports, etc. There are 271 miles of county roads, 835.75 miles of township roads and 97 miles of state highways.
The Sargent County Courthouse is ADA compliant. Accessibility is located on the southwest side of the courthouse for parking and elevator access.
In the spring of 1879 a government survey party led by E. H. Antwerp came into the county at a point, which is now called the Sisseton Hills. At that time there were no white settlers, by the next year some white people, mostly Norwegians and Germans had come into the area and staked claims. From 1880 to 1890 most of the pioneers moved into the county following the building of the Soo, Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads. Sargent County was created from the southern half of Ransom County, and named in honor of H. E. Sargent, who was an official of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The railroad built its line into Milnor in 1883, across the county and into Oakes by 1900. On July 16, 1883 Territorial Governor Ordway appointed the first commissioners and designated Milnor as the county seat. The following year the first county election was held and Forman was chosen as the county seat. In 1920 the counties population peaked at 9655. At the turn of the century there were 18 towns in the county. Now there are seven cities: Cayuga, Cogswell, Forman, Gwinner, Havana, Milnor, and Rutland. There are six unincorporated villages: Brampton, Crete, Delamere, Geneseo, Stirum and Straubville. There are 24 townships. The average farm size has grown from 300 acres in the early 1900's to 1025 acres in 1995. The first farmer was John Longie of Tewaukon and the first community was Hamlin in northern Herman Township.
Artifacts have been found dating hundreds of years before the white man came to the area. The Mandan, Hidatsa, Blackfoot, Cree and Chippewa were gone before the settlers arrived. The Sioux were the only tribe left in the area. The writing rock known as the Alter Stone, arrow points, spear points, pottery, hammers and tethering stones have been found in all parts of the county. The Alter Stone was purchased by a man from Britton, SD and moved to that city.
The main industry is Doosan Bobcat in Gwinner, home of the Melroe Bobcat skid steer loader.
There are three school districts, Sargent Central in Forman, North Sargent in Gwinner; and Milnor.
There are five county commissioners, elected at large.
2025 Preliminary Budget (PDF)
Preliminary Resolutions (PDF)
(Updated 8/24/2023)
Road Closure Information (PDF)
(Updated 8/26/2024)
Expansion of the Homestead Credit for 2023 (PDF)
(Updated 8/23/2023)
Property Tax Statics
This link contains educational material on property taxes. The graphics are based off statewide data.
Public Input Meeting for the ND 13 and ND 32 intersection project: October 29th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at the Gwinner Community Center
For more information, go to the NDDOT website, under the “News & Events” tab and click on “Public Input Meetings” to get to the project specific link.
Final Budget Hearing: 10/01/2024 at 6:00 p.m.
Download 2025 Preliminary Budget (PDF)
NDACo & NDCCA County Tour: 9/11/2024
Notice (PDF)
Park Board: 9/17/2024
Download Agenda (PDF)
Board of Commissioners: 10/1/2024
Download Agenda (PDF)
Weed Board: 9/23/2024
Download Agenda (PDF)
Health Board: 9/24/2024
Download Agenda (PDF)
Personnel Board: 7/23/2024
Download Agenda (PDF)
355 Main Street South
Forman, ND 58032
Phone: 701-724-6241
Fax: 701-724-6244
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Dept. hours may vary. Please check department page for further info.
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