DUI and DWI Programs in North Dakota

What DUI or DWI program does North Dakota require, and who approves it?

North Dakota requires a court-ordered addiction evaluation at sentencing for every DUI offense level, under North Dakota Century Code 39-08-01, and the Behavioral Health Division of the state Department of Health and Human Services licenses the programs that provide it. The evaluation has to come from an appropriate licensed addiction treatment program.

The court may order treatment when the evaluation shows a need. The division licenses programs that treat substance use disorders and issues a separate DUI Seminar Program license for education seminars, so ask which license a provider holds before you book.

An education seminar, an evaluation and clinical treatment are three different things. A seminar covers alcohol, drugs and driving; an evaluation is a structured interview that recommends a level of care; and treatment is the counseling, group sessions or medical care that comes after. For the required length, ask the court or intake staff, since state sources list no set hours.

Online completion counts only if the sentencing court accepts it, so check with the court or your attorney before paying for a remote course. Finishing the program is one condition among several for driving again, and decisions about when privileges return belong to the court and the state agency that handles driver licenses.

• A seminar teaches about alcohol, drugs and driving.
• An evaluation screens a person and recommends a level of care.
• Treatment is the counseling, group work or medical care that follows.

The state sources behind this page do not set out required hours for first-offense, repeat-offense or underage tracks. The court order and the program’s intake staff are the place to ask about length.

Younger drivers have one added rule. North Dakota law lets anyone 14 or older consent to substance use disorder treatment without a parent or guardian, and options for that age group appear under teen rehab in North Dakota.

How does a DUI addiction evaluation decide which treatment you need in North Dakota?

A North Dakota DUI evaluation is a structured interview by a licensed addiction treatment program. It looks at alcohol and drug use, past offenses and related health needs, then recommends a level of care. The court can make that recommendation part of the sentence, which is why many people also search for court-ordered rehab in North Dakota.

Providers listing DUI and DWI services in North Dakota are mostly in towns rather than open country. About 79 percent are in town settings and 21 percent in rural ones, with Bismarck, Williston and West Fargo the most common locations. Roughly 93 percent sit within 25 miles of a river, most often the Heart, Little Muddy or Maple, at a median of 5.4 miles. Hector International in Fargo is the most frequent nearest airport, followed by Bismarck Municipal and Williston Basin International, at a median of 5 miles away.

Can you complete a DUI or DWI program online in North Dakota?

Online or virtual completion counts only if the sentencing court accepts it. The state facts behind this page include no agency statement that a remote DUI seminar or evaluation satisfies a North Dakota order, so ask the court or your attorney before paying for any online course.

Remote options are clearer for treatment after the evaluation. ND Medicaid telehealth policy, updated October 2025, covers behavioral health and substance use disorder services by video. It allows audio-only sessions when a patient cannot or will not use video. Providers offering remote sessions appear under telehealth rehab in North Dakota.

How do you pay for a DUI evaluation or court-ordered treatment in North Dakota?

The state sources behind this page include no statewide fee schedule for DUI evaluations or seminars, so ask each program for its price on the first call. Treatment that follows is usually paid the way other care is: private insurance, North Dakota Medicaid, sliding fee scales or state-funded programs. North Dakota expanded Medicaid on January 1, 2014, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota manages benefits for Medicaid Expansion members. More detail is on the Medicaid rehab coverage page.

People without insurance can look at sliding scale rehab or state-funded rehab in North Dakota.

What happens after you finish the program, and how do you get your license back?

Finishing the required program in North Dakota is one condition among several for driving again. The court and the state’s driver licensing authority decide when driving privileges return and whether conditions such as an ignition interlock device apply. Completion does not by itself change the charge or the length of a suspension.

What to bring when you contact a provider

• Your court order or sentencing paperwork
• Any earlier evaluation results
• Your completion deadline
• The name of the court or probation officer who needs proof

Questions to ask:

• Can the program do both the evaluation and the treatment it recommends?
• Does it hold a Behavioral Health Division license?
• How does it send completion records?
• Are Spanish-language sessions or an interpreter available? Listings note languages where providers report them.

Where to get help now

• 988: call or text for a mental health or substance use crisis.
• The national treatment referral line, 1-800-662-4357: free, open all hours, and can point you to local services.
• Recovery Talk, (701) 291-7901: North Dakota’s 24/7 peer support line for people in recovery.

You can also browse alcohol rehab in North Dakota, or every program type on the North Dakota listings page.