Guidelines for Heirfinders Doing Business in North Dakota

• You must be licensed as a private investigator by the North Dakota Board of Private Investigators if you are searching for an owner of lost property. You may contact the following address for more information on obtaining a license: ND Private Investigator and Security Board, 513 East Bismarck Expressway - Suite 5, Bismarck, ND 58504 (Phone: 1-701-222-3063).

• A list of owners may be purchased for $150.00 plus $5.00 postage and handling. This list is provided on CD-Rom in PDF format.

• The list includes all property held by the Unclaimed Property Division as of the date the list is requested. It includes the owner’s name, last known address, who reported the property, the date of last activity, and type of property. It does not include amounts. The Division assumes no responsibility to an agent for owners that have been paid or are in the process of claiming their property.

• The list is also available for public inspection at the Land Department (1707 N 9th St., Bismarck, ND).

• A Power of Attorney will be honored only to the extent that it clearly gives the agent the authority to complete the claim form. Otherwise, the Division will not honor a Power of Attorney unless the Administrator finds it in the best interest of the property owner to do so.

• When an agent is submitting a claim for payment on behalf of an owner, the agent must include a copy of their contract with the owner as part of the claim. Once a claim is approved, the entire payment will be sent directly to the owner and a copy of the correspondence forwarded to the agent.

• Pursuant to North Dakota Century Code 47-30.1-35(2), heirfinder fees may not exceed ten percent of the amount recovered. Heirfinder Contracts are only enforceable if property has been in custody of ND Unclaimed Property for at least 24 months.

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