North Dakota Court Records
How North Dakota's courts are organized, where their records are kept and how to search them.
North Dakota has a unified, state-funded court system with district courts in every county. All of them use the same case management system, and the public can search cases statewide for free.
There is no permanent intermediate appeals court, but the Supreme Court can assign cases to a temporary Court of Appeals.
North Dakota's Records Inquiry covers every district court in the state and also lets you search by attorney or by citation number. Because the state is small and fully unified, a single search gives a good picture of a person's court history in North Dakota.
How North Dakota's courts are organized
North Dakota's courts have a simple structure.
North Dakota Supreme Court
Five justices hear appeals from the district courts.
Temporary Court of Appeals
Panels of judges convened to hear cases assigned by the Supreme Court.
District courts
The general jurisdiction trial courts, in eight judicial districts. They hear all civil, criminal, family, juvenile and probate cases.
Municipal courts
City courts that hear ordinance and traffic violations.
Searching North Dakota court records online
North Dakota's statewide search is free.
- North Dakota Courts Records InquiryFree statewide search of district court cases.
- North Dakota Supreme Court docketCase information and opinions for the Supreme Court.
- North Dakota Court SystemCourt directories, forms and self-help.
Getting records from the clerk's office
The clerk of district court in each county keeps the files. Clerks provide copies and certified copies for set fees.
Deeds are kept by the county recorder.
Each county has a clerk of district court, and in many smaller counties the clerk also serves other county roles. Clerks can provide copies of public documents, and many requests can be handled by email with payment by phone.
- North Dakota court directoryFind the clerk of district court in every county.
What is public, and what is not
North Dakota Supreme Court Administrative Rule 41 governs public access to court records. Most are open, but juvenile, adoption and mental health records are confidential.
North Dakota allows sealing of some criminal records after a waiting period. Sealed records are removed from public view.
Administrative Rule 41 lists records that are confidential, including juvenile, adoption, mental health commitment, and guardianship records, along with personal identifiers in filings. A court may also seal a criminal case record in limited situations, such as after a deferred imposition of sentence is completed.
- North Dakota Legal Self Help CenterForms and guidance, including on sealing records.
Older and archived records
Historical court records are held by the State Historical Society of North Dakota, which runs the state archives.
- State Historical Society of North Dakota: State ArchivesHistorical state and county records.
Criminal history and background records
A court file tells you what happened in one case in one court. A criminal history record (often called a rap sheet) pulls together arrests, charges and outcomes reported from across the state, so it is a different product kept by a different agency.
The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation keeps the state's criminal history records. Public conviction records can be requested by anyone.
- BCI criminal history recordsHow to request a North Dakota criminal history record.
- North Dakota sex offender registryPublic search of registered sex offenders.
- ND DOCRInformation about people in North Dakota state custody.
Federal court records in North Dakota
Federal cases, including federal crimes, bankruptcies, and lawsuits over federal law or between citizens of different states, are not filed in North Dakota's state courts. North Dakota is a single federal judicial district, and each has its own clerk's office:
Federal case files are searched through PACER, the federal judiciary's records system. PACER charges a small fee per page, but you pay nothing if your charges stay under the quarterly fee-waiver threshold, court opinions are free, and every federal courthouse has public terminals you can use at no cost. Many PACER documents have also been copied into the free RECAP Archive on CourtListener. Appeals from North Dakota's federal courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Tips for a faster search
- North Dakota case numbers start with a county number and the year.
- If a case is not in Records Inquiry, it may be confidential or sealed.
- Municipal court records are kept by each city.
- If a case does not appear in Records Inquiry, it may have been sealed under Rule 41 or filed before the court's electronic records begin; ask the clerk.
- Have the full names of the parties, the county and a rough date range ready. A case number is the fastest way in if you have one.
- Online indexes are not the official record. If a decision depends on it, get a copy (or a certified copy) from the clerk's office that holds the file.
Legal help and law libraries
Clerks and law librarians can explain how to find a record, but they cannot give legal advice. These organizations can point you in the right direction:
- North Dakota Supreme Court Law LibraryPublic law library in Bismarck.
- Legal Services of North DakotaFree civil legal help for eligible residents.
This guide is general information about public records, not legal advice. Court websites, fees and rules change, so confirm details with the court before you rely on them. Civics-Online.org is not affiliated with any court or government agency.