North Dakota Administrative Code

The term "wholesale bait pond" means any pond used to take legal live aquatic bait for wholesale. A legal description, to the quarter section, of each wholesale bait pond must be listed on the wholesaler's pond application form and all ponds must be approved by the director prior…

Equipment used to capture, transport, or hold, and shipments of, legal live aquatic bait are subject to inspections by duly appointed agents of the director. For all retail vendors, each licensee shall keep current receipts of purchase at the retail licensee's point of sale for t…

Violation of any rule not designated as having a noncriminal penalty is considered a criminal violation as established in the appropriate chapter of North Dakota Century Code title 20.1. History: Effective April 1, 2008; amended effective October 1, 2010; January 1, 2018. General…

Repealed effective December 1, 1982.

A "fishpond" as referred to in this chapter shall mean a private fish hatchery holding fish for public fishing for a fee. General Authority: NDCC 20.1-06-12 Law Implemented: NDCC 20.1-06-12

Repealed effective December 1, 1982.

Only one private fish hatchery license may be issued per individual each calendar year. History: Effective April 1, 2009. General Authority: NDCC 20.1-06-12 Law Implemented: NDCC 20.1-06-12

The game and fish director will publish a list of fish species that may be authorized for raising or holding in a licensed fish hatchery. Such list may be amended from time to time at the discretion of the game and fish director. History: Amended effective September 1, 1989; Nove…

An operator of a licensed fish hatchery may sell fish owned or raised for market or for stocking other waters. The operator also may operate the operator's fish hatchery as a fishpond and may sell fish caught from the pond by fee-paying anglers. Live fish purchased for stocking p…

Transportation of authorized fish stock into, out of, or within the state by a licensed hatchery operator in a private fish hatchery may be done only with a permit issued by the director and only in the manner approved by the director. All fish stock entering the state must be ac…

The holder of a private fish hatchery license shall furnish to each person purchasing fish from the hatchery a written receipt giving the number, length, and species of the fish purchased, retaining a copy of the receipt for a permanent record to be retained at the hatchery. Gene…

Repealed effective December 1, 1982.

Fish taken from a licensed fish hatchery used as a fishpond may be possessed, shipped, or transported within North Dakota in the same manner as fish taken by a resident under a resident fishing license, with a certificate from the owner or operator of the fishpond giving the hatc…

The operator of a licensed fish hatchery may use seines and nets in the operator's hatchery operation if the equipment is authorized by the director of the game and fish department. Tags, issued with the authorization for each piece of equipment, must be attached to the equipment…

Fish which has been stocked by a licensed hatchery operator for private, nonhatchery use in private ponds may be removed by angling with hook and line, or may be removed by a licensed fish hatchery operator possessing authorization from the director of the game and fish departmen…

All equipment used for transporting fish to and from a private fish hatchery must be free of aquatic vegetation and aquatic nuisance species and all equipment is subject to periodic inspection by a duly appointed agent of the director. History: Effective April 1, 2008. General Au…

Private fish hatcheries shall not be permitted on the following: 1. Waters managed as recreational fisheries; 2. Waters designated by the department as infested with prohibited or regulated aquatic nuisance species; 3. The department's wildlife management areas; or 4. The United …

Any private fish hatchery that violates any section of this chapter is guilty of a noncriminal offense and shall pay a one hundred dollar fee. The violation may result in license revocation. Violations may be the basis of administrative action up to and including license revocati…

Repealed effective December 1, 1982.

Repealed effective December 1, 1982.

Any structure used as a fish house or dark house, to include campers, that is required to have the owner's name and address or telephone number or a registration number issued by the department for the fish house inscribed on it, shall be constructed of material that will allow i…

Fishhouses may be placed no closer than fifty feet [15 meters] to each other in any direction and fish holes outside of any fishhouse may not be placed closer than ten feet [3 meters] from any fishhouse without consent of the fishhouse occupant. History: Amended effective April 1…

Fishhouses, when in use, shall be open for inspection. History: Amended effective October 1, 2020. General Authority: NDCC 20.1-06-07 Law Implemented: NDCC 20.1-06-07

Any person who violates any section of this chapter is guilty of a noncriminal offense and shall pay a twenty-five dollar fee. History: Effective April 1, 1986. General Authority: NDCC 20.1-02-05(24) 1 Law Implemented: NDCC 20.1-02-05(24) 2…

Repealed effective December 1, 1982.

Frogs may be taken by handheld contrivances only. The use of traps, seines, dug trenches, and bait shall be illegal at all times. General Authority: NDCC 20.1-06-17 Law Implemented: NDCC 20.1-06-17

Each licensee shall furnish a report to the commissioner by January first, of the number of frogs taken, manner in which they were taken, where they were taken, and the disposition. Failure to so report shall make the licensee ineligible to apply for a commercial frog license for…

Any person who violates any section of this chapter is guilty of a noncriminal offense and shall pay a twenty-five dollar fee. History: Effective April 1, 1986. General Authority: NDCC 20.1-02-05(24) Law Implemented: NDCC 20.1-02-05(24) 1…

Repealed effective April 1, 2024.

Repealed effective April 1, 2024.

Repealed effective April 1, 2024.

A fishing contest application must include the name of the organization sponsoring the contest, organization nonprofit or for-profit status designation, name of a person or persons responsible for organizing and conducting the fishing contest, location of the waters where the con…

1. In a watercraft (e.g. boats) tournament, the committee or sponsors shall provide launching loading assistance to tournament participants and must provide all participants with contacts and telephone numbers in case of an emergency. 2. The North Dakota game and fish department …

Repealed effective April 1, 2024.

Repealed effective April 1, 2024.

Any fishing contest applicant that violates any section of this chapter is guilty of a noncriminal offense and shall pay a two hundred fifty dollar fee. History: Effective October 1, 2010. General Authority: NDCC 20.1-02-05(20) Law Implemented: NDCC 20.1-02-05(22) 2…

Upon entering or leaving any water body or while in transit, all watercraft, watercraft motors, watercraft trailers, docks, boatlifts, and recreational and commercial equipment used in fishing, hunting, and watercrafting or construction must be free of prohibited or regulated aqu…

Aquatic vegetation includes all obligate submergent species of aquatic plants. History: Effective April 1, 2008. General Authority: NDCC 20.1-17-01 Law Implemented: NDCC 20.1-17-06

No aquatic vegetation, or parts thereof, shall be in or on watercraft, watercraft motors, watercraft trailers, and recreational, commercial, or construction equipment when out of water. Watercraft and recreational, commercial, or construction equipment on lifts suspended above th…

No person may transport any aquatic vegetation to or from any waters of the state without approval from the director. No person may transport any aquatic vegetation into the state. History: Effective April 1, 2008. General Authority: NDCC 20.1-17-01 Law Implemented: NDCC 20.1-17-…

1. Refer to the North Dakota game and fish department website for a listing of state waters infested with class I prohibited aquatic nuisance species. Fish transported and held in or on ice are allowed. 2. All water must be drained from all watercraft and recreational, commercial…

Repealed effective October 1, 2010.

Any person violating a provision of this chapter for which a penalty is not specifically provided, except subsection 3 of North Dakota Administrative Code section 30-03-06-05, is guilty of a noncriminal offense and shall pay a one hundred dollar fee. Any person violating subsecti…

Repealed effective December 1, 1982. 1

All state wildlife game or fish management areas are open for public hunting, fishing, and trapping, or other compatible public use, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, governor's proclamation, or as posted at public road entry points. Any person who violates this secti…

Repealed effective April 1, 1986.

Mallard Island on Wolf Creek WMA and Matthews Island on Detrobriand WMA are closed to the use of all motorized vehicles and aircraft. On all other wildlife management areas, the use of all motorized vehicles is restricted to those constructed roads, established trails, and parkin…