HB 1201 North Dakota House · 69th Legislative Assembly (2025-26)

AN ACT to amend and reenact section 61-04-03.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to a limitation on the amount of water not applied to beneficial use.

HB 1201 modifies North Dakota law governing bridges and culverts over drainage systems that intersect roads. It requires the water resource board to construct bridges/culverts for private land access, with costs shared between the board and land districts, and mandates counties to maintain these structures with 40% cost responsibility. For state highway culverts crossing drains spanning three or more counties, the bill requires installation of control valve systems to manage water flow. This bill directly affects counties, water resource boards, and land districts responsible for drainage infrastructure maintenance and costs.

Issues: ✓ Transportation

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House Passage

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

Signed into Law

Apr 2025

Introduced Jan 10, 2025 Signed Apr 4, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

FIRST ENGROSSMENT → Enrollment · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends North Dakota water law to limit how much water an individual can hold in conditional permits from a single source that hasn't been used beneficially. The change clarifies that no person can hold more than 720 acre-feet of unapplied water from one source and requires the Department of Water Resources to reject applications exceeding this limit. The bill also defines 'person' to include spouses and dependents for this purpose.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on water permit applications but adds specific enforcement mechanisms and clarifies who counts as a 'person' for the water limitation rules.

REQUIREMENT

Added a 720 acre-foot limit on conditional water permits from a single unapplied water source, with applications exceeding this limit to be rejected and returned to applicants.

DEFINITION

Defined 'person' for this section to include an individual's spouse and dependents, meaning the water limit applies to the entire household rather than just the individual applicant.

ENFORCEMENT

Added enforcement language requiring the Department of Water Resources to not assign priority dates to applications that violate the water limitation and to return them to applicants.

EXEMPTIONS

Maintained existing exemptions for Missouri River water permits and irrigation districts organized under the relevant title.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 25, 2025 · House Feb 25, 2025

How they voted

44–1

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 47

Mar 25, 2025

D Democratic5

5 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican42

39 Yea 1 Nay 2

92% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 7, 2025

Introduced

Filed with Secretary Of State 04/03

legislature

Apr 4, 2025

Signed into law

Signed by Governor 04/02

lower

Mar 25, 2025

Upper · Passed

Second reading, passed, yeas 44 nays 1

upper

Mar 24, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reported back, do pass, place on calendar 6 0 0

upper

Mar 20, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee Hearing 02:30

upper

Mar 7, 2025

Introduced

Introduced, first reading, referred Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee

upper

Feb 25, 2025

House · Passed

House Vote: pass (91-0)

house

Feb 24, 2025

Lower · Passed

Second reading, passed, yeas 93 nays 0

lower

Feb 24, 2025

Lower · Passed

Amendment adopted, placed on calendar

lower

Feb 21, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reported back amended, do pass, amendment placed on calendar 11 0 2

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee Hearing 09:00

lower

Jan 10, 2025

Introduced

Introduced, first reading, referred Energy and Natural Resources Committee

lower

1 primary · 10 co-sponsors