How to search North Dakota court records
North Dakota runs a single statewide case-lookup system, so one search — with the name spelled correctly — reaches courts across the entire state. There's no charge and no account required — results are visible to anyone who searches.
statewide free criminal data
Open the official North Dakota portal →
What's actually there
Free statewide District Court search covering all 53 counties and 15 municipal courts, with registers of action and civil judgments. Supreme Court appeals are on a separate docket search, not this one.
Other official lookups for North Dakota
How North Dakota's courts are organized
North Dakota keeps its court structure simple: the Supreme Court, the District Court, and municipal courts. The District Court is the state's single general trial court, with exclusive jurisdiction over criminal cases and general jurisdiction over civil, family and probate matters. It has a presence in every one of the 53 counties, which are grouped into eight judicial districts. City municipal courts handle local ordinance violations, including many traffic offenses, inside city limits.
There is no permanent intermediate appeals court, so appeals go to the North Dakota Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has its own docket search on the court system's website, separate from the trial court search.
Using the official online search
The North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry, reached through publicsearch.ndcourts.gov, is free to the general public and needs no account. It covers criminal, traffic, petty misdemeanor, civil, family and probate case information from the District Court in all 53 counties, plus 15 municipal courts: Bismarck, Beulah, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Fargo, Grafton, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Lincoln, Mandan, Minot, Valley City, Wahpeton, West Fargo and Williston. Data runs through the end of the previous day.
What you see is limited to search results, registers of action, civil judgments and calendars. It is not an official court record and the court system says it is not a complete or official criminal history. Cases can change type while they are open, so the court advises clicking into each case and reading the disposition section for the final outcome.
- Each county's data starts when that court joined the system, from December 1990 in Burleigh County to 2003 in several smaller counties; older closed cases appear only if they were reopened.
- Restricted case information is not included in results.
- Municipal courts not on the list above do not appear at all.
- Supreme Court appeals are on the separate Supreme Court docket search.
Getting copies and certified copies
Ask the clerk of district court in the county where the case was filed; the court system's Court Locations page lists each clerk's office. The statewide fee schedule effective July 1, 2025, under N.D.C.C. 27-05.2-03, sets paper copies at 10 cents per page, outgoing faxes at 25 cents per page, and electronic copies free. A certified copy of a judgment, order or other filed paper is $20 with no per-page charge, and additional certified copies of the same document are $10 each.
If you want the clerk to run a search for you, the fee is $10 per name for a criminal record search and $10 per name for a civil search such as unsatisfied judgments. Government agencies are exempt from search fees.
Records that are not public
North Dakota allows sealing of criminal records under Chapter 12-60.1 of the North Dakota Century Code. Under N.D.C.C. 12-60.1-02, a person can petition to seal a misdemeanor conviction after three years with no new conviction, a felony conviction after five years with no new conviction, or any conviction pardoned unconditionally by the governor. Offenses requiring sex offender registration are excluded, as are violent felonies while the person is still barred from having a firearm. The petition is filed in the original criminal case and served on the prosecutor, and a hearing cannot be held sooner than 45 days after filing.
The court may grant the petition only if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that the person completed imprisonment and probation, paid restitution, showed reformation, and that the benefit outweighs the presumption that records are open. Sealed records are closed to the public except by court order. This describes the statute only; talk to a lawyer or use the court system's Legal Self-Help Center.
North Dakota tip: check the start date before trusting a blank result
Because each county's online records begin on the date that court joined the system, a search that finds nothing may simply mean the case is older than the online data. Cass County (Fargo), for example, is online only from November 2002, while Burleigh County (Bismarck) goes back to December 1990. For an older case, call the clerk of district court in that county and ask for a record search.
Sources
- North Dakota Courts — Public Access
- North Dakota Courts — Public Access FAQ
- North Dakota Courts — Courts on Odyssey (coverage and start dates)
- North Dakota Courts — Supreme Court Docket Search
- North Dakota Courts — About Us
- North Dakota Court Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2025
- N.D.C.C. Chapter 12-60.1, Sealing Criminal Records
- North Dakota Courts — Court Locations
- North Dakota Courts — Legal Self-Help Center
Checked against the official sources above in October 2026. Court rules and fees change; the court's own site is the final word. This is general information, not legal advice.
Federal cases filed in North Dakota
State portals don't cover federal court. If the case you're looking for might be a federal criminal prosecution, civil suit, or bankruptcy, use CourtRecordsFree's live federal search — it queries CourtListener/RECAP directly and isn't limited to any one state.
Search tips
- Try both "Last, First" and "First Last" — courts index names inconsistently.
- Middle initials and suffixes (Jr., III) often matter for common names.
- A date of birth or case number is the only reliable way to confirm you found the right person.
- An arrest or charge shown in a docket is not a conviction — read the disposition.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to search North Dakota court records online?
Yes. North Dakota's statewide search is free to use, with no account or subscription required.
Does this include criminal records?
Yes. North Dakota's portal includes criminal case records alongside civil cases, though sealed and expunged cases are not shown.
Does one search cover the whole state?
North Dakota runs one statewide system, so a single search covers the whole state.
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