Are firearms legal in North Dakota?

Q: Are firearms legal in North Dakota?

Firearms in North Dakota are permitted. No permit is needed in North Dakota at 18 or older, for residents and visitors, if you are not a prohibited person and carry a valid driver's license or state ID from your home state. This covers firearms only, not other dangerous weapons. Optional Class 1 (age 21) and Class 2 (age 18) licenses exist. Schools, places of worship and publicly owned or operated buildings are restricted, with exceptions.

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NORTH DAKOTA · FIREARMS

Firearms

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Permitted: No permit is needed in North Dakota at 18 or older, for residents and visitors, if you are not a prohibited person and carry a valid driver's license or state ID from your home state.

Permitted

Summary

No permit is needed in North Dakota at 18 or older, for residents and visitors, if you are not a prohibited person and carry a valid driver's license or state ID from your home state. This covers firearms only, not other dangerous weapons. Optional Class 1 (age 21) and Class 2 (age 18) licenses exist. Schools, places of worship and publicly owned or operated buildings are restricted, with exceptions.

Source: attorneygeneral.nd.gov → · Updated October 12, 2026

North Dakota Firearms topics

Concealed Carry in North Dakota →Permitted
No permit is needed in North Dakota at 18 or older, for residents and visitors, if you are not a prohibited person and carry a valid driver's license or state ID from your home state.
Open Carry in North Dakota →Permitted
Open carry of a handgun is legal in North Dakota at 18 or older if you are not a prohibited person and carry a valid driver's license or state ID.
Magazine Capacity in North Dakota →Permitted
No state law limits magazine capacity in North Dakota — standard-capacity and high-capacity magazines are legal to buy and possess under state law.
Gun Possession in North Dakota →Permitted
North Dakota has no red-flag law (also called an Extreme Risk Protection Order, or ERPO), and no assault-weapon ban or state-level restriction on magazines.
Transporting Firearms in North Dakota →Conditional
In North Dakota you may not keep or carry a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle unless an exception applies.
Duty to Inform Police in North Dakota →Conditional
Tell any officer who contacts you in person that you are carrying a concealed firearm.
Suppressors & Silencers in North Dakota →Conditional
Suppressors are legal in North Dakota, which has no state ban, once you complete the federal National Firearms Act (NFA) process.
Reciprocity — where is my North Dakota permit honored? →
State-by-state map of which states honor a North Dakota concealed-carry permit.

Other North Dakota laws

Firearms in nearby states

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