Williams County

What Williams County does

Williams County is a political subdivision and local government entity of the State of North Dakota, established in 1883 and headquartered at 223 E Broadway in Williston, North Dakota. It delivers the full scope of county-level public services to roughly 38,000–40,000 residents in northwestern North Dakota, including law enforcement (Sheriff's Office), detention (Williams County Correctional Center), the Northwest Judicial District Court, emergency management, social services through the North Star Human Service Zone (covering Williams, Burke, Divide, and Renville Counties), agricultural and youth programming via NDSU Extension, veterans services, weed control, and the Williams County Vector Control District. The organization employs between 251 and 500 staff distributed across approximately nine offices, all located in Williston.

The county's most distinctive technical asset is the Williams County Real-time Weather Radar System, a C-band simultaneous dual-polarization Defender C350 radar manufactured by Enterprise Electronics Corporation (EEC) and installed in March 2020 at Williston Basin International Airport (XWA). Operational 24/7 with a five-minute data refresh, the radar produces volume data in standard NEXRAD L2 format along with GIS files for analysis, with public access hosted through a partnership with the ND Department of Water Resources – Data & Atmospheric Resources Division. Additional operational technology includes GIS/mapping services, spray-block mapping for vector control across 16 zones, an outdoor warning system for emergency management, and standard online service portals. Technology integrations are limited to utility providers, tower construction vendors, and the National Weather Service for forecast interpretation (the county does not issue weather warnings itself).

Funding is derived primarily from taxation: a county-wide property tax administered through the Treasurer's office, and a 1% Public Safety Sales Tax that has underwritten infrastructure projects such as the weather radar. Additional revenue streams include state and federal grant programs (Behavioral Health, Tourism, Community, Rural Catalyst, Township Loans), nominal fees for weed-control equipment rental ($25/day for UTV and ATV sprayers), and a cost-share program covering up to 80% of herbicide costs for noxious weed control. The county does not disclose revenue figures and has no shareholders, as it is publicly owned and governed by an elected Board of County Commissioners under North Dakota state law.

Name

Williams County

Legal name

Williams County, North Dakota

Website

https://williamsnd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Williams County is a North Dakota local government entity serving residents of northwestern North Dakota with public safety, courts, corrections, social services, weather radar, vector control, veterans services, and agricultural extension.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Services

NAICS

Other General Government Support (921190), Police Protection (922120), Courts (922110)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL), Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Public safety administration
• Emergency management
• Social services
• Veterans services

Headquarters

HQ city

Williston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. 1% Public Safety Sales Tax: County-wide public safety sales tax funding various infrastructure and operational projects including weather radar construction
2. Property Tax: County receives property tax revenue through the Treasurer's office with various exemptions and credits available
3. Grant Programs: County administers various grant programs including Behavioral Health Grants, Tourism Grants, Community Grants, Rural Catalyst Grants, and Township Loan Programs funded by state and federal sources
4. Weed Control Equipment Rental: $25 per day rental of UTV sprayers and ATV sprayers for weed control purposes

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Williams County delivers comprehensive local government services to residents of northwestern North Dakota, including public safety (correctional center, sheriff's office), judicial services through the Northwest Judicial District Court, social services via the North Star Human Service Zone, emergency management supported by a real-time weather radar system, agricultural extension services through NDSU partnership, veterans services, vector/mosquito control, weed control, and GIS-based mapping services.

Product overview

Williams County, ND operates a comprehensive government services portfolio rather than a commercial product. The county offers public-facing services including a real-time weather radar system (Defender C350 radar at XWA airport), correctional center operations, court system administration, human services through North Star Human Service Zone, NDSU agricultural extension, veterans services, vector/mosquito control district, weed control, and GIS mapping services. These are government programs and infrastructure, not commercial software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Williams County Real-time Weather Radar System A C-band dual-polarization weather radar (Defender C350 by EEC) located at Williston Basin International Airport (XWA), providing 24/7 radar coverage for northwestern North Dakota with data refreshed every five minutes and raw NEXRAD L2 data with GIS files available for download.
• Williams County Correctional Center County jail facility located in the Williams County Law Enforcement Center in downtown Williston, providing PREA-compliant detention services, inmate roster access, and contact services. Includes a 24/7 Sobriety Program.
• Northwest Judicial District Court Judicial district court system established in 2014 covering Williams, McKenzie, and Divide Counties, providing clerk services and access to judges for civil and criminal matters.
• North Star Human Service Zone Social services division providing adults and aging services, HCBS services, child welfare services, and program eligibility services for Burke, Divide, Renville, and Williams Counties.
• NDSU Extension - Williams County Agricultural and youth development extension office offering 4-H programming, family and community wellness education, and agriculture resources in partnership with North Dakota State University.
• Veterans Service Office County office providing VA healthcare enrollment, compensation, pension services, discharge papers assistance, and state veterans benefits.
• Williams County Vector Control District Mosquito control district providing adulticide and larvicide treatments, disease surveillance using PCR testing, and integrated vector management across 16 spray blocks in Williams County. Conducts both ground-based and aerial (USAFR 910th Airlift Wing partnership) treatments.
• Weed Control Department Noxious weed management department offering equipment rental ($25/day for UTV/ATV sprayers) and a herbicide cost-share program (up to 80% of herbicide costs and 50% of labor up to $1,500) for Williams County landowners.
• GIS/Maps Services Geographic Information System providing mapping services, property information, spray block maps for vector control, and weight restriction zone maps for Williams County.

Quantifiable outcome

• Weather radar operational 24/7 with 5-minute data refresh rate
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ND Department of Water Resources - Data & Atmospheric Resources DivisioncoreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2020Partnership for weather radar data access and visualization. DARD provides online radar maps updated every 5 minutes along with raw volume data for download. The Williams County radar data is hosted and made available to the public through DARD systems.
• McKenzie County and Divide CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Northwest Judicial District Court established in 2014 to include Williams, McKenzie, and Divide Counties, providing unified judicial services across the region.
• United States Air Force Reserve (USAFR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSAFR 910th Airlift Wing from Youngstown, Ohio conducts wide-area aerial mosquito control treatments in collaboration with Williams County Vector Control District. Treatments include aerial adulticide and larvicide applications using military aircraft.
• Enterprise Electronics Corporation (EEC)coreTechnology or IntegrationManufacturer of Defender C350 C-band simultaneous dual-polarization radar system installed at Williston Basin International Airport. Also includes partnerships with Allstate Tower (tower construction), Strata (tower engineering), Triangle Electric, Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative, Northwest Communications Co-Op (utility work), and Ulteig (site engineering and support).
• North Dakota State University (NDSU) ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDSU Extension office extends education to Williams County residents of all ages. Special emphasis on strengthening agriculture and developing youth, adults and communities. County, state and federal government funded partnership that also facilitates the 4-H program.
• Burke County, Divide County, Renville CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Star Human Service Zone (formerly Social Services) provides coordinated social services across Burke, Divide, Renville, and Williams Counties. Services designated by state of North Dakota, administered with state and federal agencies.
• National Weather ServicemajorTechnology or IntegrationNational Weather Service provides weather interpretation, forecasts, and warnings. Williams County radar operates 24/7 but does not provide weather interpretation or issue warnings - that function is handled by NWS.
• National PREA Resource CenterminorOthersFederal resource center providing guidelines and standards for PREA compliance. WCCC follows PREA standards and refers to the resource center for additional information.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Renville County, ND: Northwestern North Dakota county participating in the North Star Human Service Zone; comparable in scale and rural service mix to Williams County.
• Burke County, ND: Small northwestern North Dakota county participating in the North Star Human Service Zone alongside Williams County; comparable rural service delivery profile.
• Divide County, ND: Northwestern North Dakota county co-participating in both the Northwest Judicial District Court and the North Star Human Service Zone; similar sparse-population service delivery model.
• Mountrail County, ND: Bakken-region North Dakota county with similar rural service portfolio including road and bridge maintenance, sheriff, and social services; comparable scale and economic base.
• McKenzie County, ND: Adjacent Bakken oil-producing county in northwestern North Dakota that partners with Williams County on the Northwest Judicial District Court. Comparable in service mix (public safety, road maintenance, social services) and economic exposure.

Regional players

• Dunn County, ND: Bakken-region North Dakota county with energy-driven tax base; operates a similar rural service portfolio to Williams County in a comparable economic context.
• Ward County, ND: Larger north-central North Dakota county anchored by Minot; offers the same broad local-government service portfolio at greater scale, providing a relevant comparison point for service delivery models.
• Stark County, ND: Southwestern North Dakota county anchored by Dickinson with energy-economy ties; comparable rural-county service mix including sheriff, highway, and human services functions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/williamscountynd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/williams-county

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Williams County