◆ NORTH DAKOTA · CARRY LAW
North Dakota.
Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.
Kept in this browser only. Never sent to us.
◆ THE SHORT ANSWEREvery tile below is one of the answers further down this page, with its citation.
Concealed, no permit
Yes
Open, no permit
Yes
In a vehicle, no permit
Yes
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
Nothing in North Dakota that most visitors get caught by, but read the answers below before you rely on that.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What North Dakota requires
The state's permit is the Class 1 or Class 2 Firearm and Dangerous Weapon License, issued by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Carrying without a permit3
Can I carry concealed here without a permit?
Permitless or "constitutional" carry. "Limited" means some adults qualify and others do not. Read the qualifier.
Yes
Yes, from 18. You need only be eligible for the class 2 license and hold a driver’s license or state ID, from North Dakota OR from your own state of residence, so a visitor qualifies too.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Yes. A firearm in a wholly or substantially visible belt holster or case is not “concealed” at all, so it falls outside the licensing rule entirely.
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
Yes
Yes, from 18, and North Dakota tells you exactly where the line is. Under the seat or in the glove compartment IS concealed; locked in the trunk, or an unloaded handgun anywhere in the car, is not.
N.D. Cent. Code §§ 62.1-04-01, 62.1-04-02(2)Read at the North Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
Permits and age3
If I want this state's permit, will they issue one?
Shall-issue means the state must issue to any qualified applicant. May-issue leaves it to an official's discretion.
Yes, shall-issue
The Bureau of Criminal Investigation SHALL issue on review of the application. Two classes. Class 1 at 21, class 2 at 18, and inside North Dakota they are identical.
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
Yes
Yes, and you may not need one. North Dakota’s permitless rule already accepts a driver’s license from your own state of residence.
N.D. Cent. Code §§ 62.1-04-02(2), 62.1-04-03Read at the North Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How old do I have to be to carry here?
The floor for the least restrictive lawful route. Where permitless and permit ages differ, the qualifier says so.
18
18, for permitless carry and for the class 2 license alike. The class 1 license is 21 and buys you nothing extra inside the state.
N.D. Cent. Code §§ 62.1-04-02(2), 62.1-04-03(1)(a)Read at the North Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
If an officer stops you1
Do I have to tell an officer I am armed?
"Required" means you must volunteer it on contact. "On request" means only when asked.
Not required
No statute requires you to announce it. Answer honestly if you are asked.
No duty-to-inform provision in N.D. Cent. Code ch. 62.1-04Read at the North Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read chapter 62.1-04 in full on 2026-09-06 and searched it for inform, notify and disclose. The only notification duty found is on the licenseholder to tell the Bureau of a change of address, nothing about telling an officer.Buying and owning2
Do I need a state-issued card just to own or buy a firearm here?
Illinois' FOID is the main example. Distinct from a carry permit.
Not required
No permit or license to buy, and no state waiting period.
No purchase-permit provision in N.D. Cent. Code tit. 62.1Read at the North Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read chapters 62.1-01 and 62.1-02 on 2026-09-06. § 62.1-02-02 regulates the SALE of a handgun to a prohibited person; nothing creates a permit to acquire.Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
No limit
North Dakota sets no cap on magazine capacity.
No magazine capacity provision in N.D. Cent. Code tit. 62.1Read at the North Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read chapters 62.1-01 and 62.1-04 on 2026-09-06. The definitions and concealed-carry chapters, and found no capacity limit. § 62.1-01-03 separately voids any local ordinance more restrictive than state law, so a city cap could not fill the gap.How the state governs guns2
Can a city here write its own gun rules on top of the state's?
Full preemption means state law is the only law. Partial means some cities may go further. Check locally.
No, state law is the only law
A city or county. Including a home rule city. May not pass any firearm ordinance more restrictive than state law, and existing ones are void rather than merely unenforceable.
Does this state have a red-flag law?
An extreme risk protection order lets a court order firearms surrendered temporarily.
No, none in this state
North Dakota has no extreme-risk protection order.
No extreme-risk order in North Dakota lawRead at the North Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read chapters 62.1-01, 62.1-02 and 62.1-04 on 2026-09-06. Definitions, prohibited persons and concealed carry. § 62.1-02-01 disqualifies people by conviction and by mental-health adjudication, and no petition-based extreme-risk order sits alongside it.◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits North Dakota honors
If you are visiting North Dakota, this is whether your permit counts here.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored54
◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY
Where North Dakota permits are honored
If you live in North Dakota, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored30
Honored, with a condition3
Not honored19
Not settled2
◆ NFA ITEMS
Suppressors and NFA legality
Federal registration is required everywhere these are legal. A state can prohibit them regardless, and several do.
Can I possess a suppressor here?
Federal NFA registration is required everywhere it is legal. State law can prohibit it regardless.
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
No prohibition found in N.D. Cent. Code ch. 62.1-01, 62.1-02Read at the North Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
No prohibition found in N.D. Cent. Code ch. 62.1-01, 62.1-02Read at the North Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
No prohibition found in N.D. Cent. Code ch. 62.1-01, 62.1-02Read at the North Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. North Dakota defines a machine gun but the chapters read here do not prohibit one.
No prohibition found in N.D. Cent. Code ch. 62.1-01, 62.1-02Read at the North Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
No prohibition found in N.D. Cent. Code ch. 62.1-01, 62.1-02Read at the North Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
◆ SOURCES
Where this comes from
This is information, not legal advice. Gun law changes often and the penalty for getting it wrong is criminal. Confirm every answer with the state before you carry there.
- The authority
- the Bureau of Criminal Investigation ↗
- ATF’s index
- North Dakota firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)