The state-level rules every owner and walker in North Dakota should know. Local leash lengths, licensing and off-leash rules are set by each city — find those on the city pages below.
North Dakota has no dog-bite statute and its Supreme Court expressly declined strict liability — liability requires scienter plus negligence, a comparatively owner-favorable standard.
North Dakota has no dog-bite statute and is one of the few states whose highest court expressly refused to adopt strict liability. In Sendelbach v. Grad (1976), the ND Supreme Court held liability rests on a combination of scienter and negligence: if a dog's traits are likely to cause injury, the owner must use reasonable care to guard against them — so even a known-dangerous dog only creates liability if the owner was also negligent. This is more owner-favorable than pure one-bite. Liability first requires the defendant to have owned or controlled the dog, extending to a keeper or harborer with custody or control, and a local leash or animal-control violation is negligence per se.
North Dakota applies modified comparative fault with a 50% bar. Dangerous-dog rules are local (Fargo and Grand Forks require $100,000 insurance and a secure enclosure). The personal-injury limit is an unusually long six years (§ 28-01-16).
This is general information about North Dakota law, not legal advice. Confirm current rules with the official state and municipal sources.