Zoning › State preemptions › North Dakota

NDCC Ch. 38-08 — Oil & Gas Downhole / Spacing / Flaring State Occupation (ND)

Tracked preemption from the North Dakota overlay bundle.

Overview

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Effective
1953-07-01
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:ND
Other North Dakota preemptions
Short-Term Rentals — No Statewide Preemption (Local Authority Preserved)NDCC §40-47-16 — Manufactured & Modular Housing Parity in Residential DistrictsNDCC Ch. 11-09.1 — County Home Rule Charter Authority ExpansionNDCC §40-47-01.1 — Extraterritorial Zoning Jurisdiction (Population-Tiered)NDCC §11-33-02 — Agricultural Land & Existing Farm Structures County Zoning Carve-OutNDCC Ch. 40-05.1 — City Home Rule Charter Authority ExpansionNDCC §40-47-07 / §11-33-08 — 20% Protest Petition Two-Thirds Vote TriggerFederal & Tribal Jurisdictional Carve-Outs (MHA Nation, USACE, Theodore Roosevelt NP, AFB AICUZ)

Trigger predicate

When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.

AND
  • city.over_bakken_formation == True
  • city.tribal_land_status ≠ tribal

Preempted fields

4 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.

FieldOpValueNote
base_districts[*].oil_gas_well_spacingwaive—Spacing units, drilling units, and forced pooling are exclusive state functions (§38-08-07)
base_districts[*].oil_gas_wellbore_setback_ftceiling_at_state_rule—Local setbacks may not functionally prohibit drilling within a state-approved spacing unit; NDAC Title 43-02-03 controls wellbore-to-receptor distances
base_districts[*].flaring_venting_standardswaive—§38-08-06.4 (reinforced by 2025 HB 1032) occupies the field for flaring, venting, and gas capture
base_districts[*].class_ii_injection_well_prohibitionwaive—Saltwater disposal / Class II injection wells are Industrial Commission permitted; local siting limited to non-pretextual generally-applicable land-use standards

Citation

Authority source
NDCC Ch. 38-08 (Control of Gas and Oil Resources); NDAC Title 43-02-03; HB 1032 (2025)
§ §38-08-04 (Industrial Commission jurisdiction); §38-08-07 (spacing/pooling); §38-08-06.4 (flaring)
https://www.ndlegis.gov/cencode/t38c08.pdf

Research notes

Bakken-driven preemption. Field-occupation as to downhole and wellpad operations; SURFACE land use (zoning districts, access roads, dust/noise/lighting, reclamation, man-camps, CUPs for well pads/tank batteries/gas plants/SWD facilities) remains LOCAL under §11-33 and §40-47-01.1 ETJ. Affected jurisdictions: Williston, Watford City (McKenzie Co.), Dickinson (Stark Co.), Stanley (Mountrail Co.), Tioga, Ray, Crosby (Divide Co.), Killdeer (Dunn Co.), New Town, Parshall. Federal conflict check enabled because Fort Berthold (MHA Nation) overlies a substantial share of Bakken production with parallel tribal/BIA jurisdiction that further preempts state authority on trust lands.