Each organized county, unless it has adopted one of the optional forms of county government provided by the code or has combined or separated the functions of county offices or redesignated offices as elective or appointive pursuant to chapter 11-10.2 or 11-10.3, must have the following officers:

Terms Used In North Dakota Code 11-10-02

  • Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute means the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • population: means the number of inhabitants as determined by the last preceding state or federal census. See North Dakota Code 1-01-47
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • year: means twelve consecutive months. See North Dakota Code 1-01-33

1.    One county auditor.

2.    One recorder.

3.    One county treasurer.

4.    One coroner.

5.    A board of county commissioners consisting of three or five members as provided in this title.

In addition, unless otherwise provided in section 11-10-02.3, each county must have an elected state‘s attorney and an elected sheriff. In counties having a population of six thousand or less, the recorder also serves as ex officio clerk of the district court. The required officers must be chosen by the qualified electors of the respective counties at the general election in each even-numbered year, except the recorder, county auditor, treasurer, sheriff, and state’s attorney, who must be chosen in 1966 and every four years thereafter, the members of the board of county commissioners, who must be chosen in the manner prescribed in section 11-11-02, and the county coroner, who must be chosen in the manner prescribed in section 11-19.1-03.