North Dakota Code § 39-08-01

Persons under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any other drugs or
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substances not to operate vehicle - Penalty.
1. a. A person may not drive or be in actual physical control of any vehicle upon a 
highway or upon public or private areas to which the public has a right of access 
for vehicular use in this state if any of the following apply:
(1) That person has an alcohol concentration of at least eight one-hundredths of 
one percent by weight at the time of the performance of a chemical test 
within two hours after the driving or being in actual physical control of a 
vehicle.
(2) That person is under the influence of intoxicating liquor.
(3) That person is under the influence of any drug or substance or combination 
of drugs or substances to a degree which renders that person incapable of 
safely driving.
(4) That person is under the combined influence of alcohol and any other drugs 
or substances to a degree which renders that person incapable of safely 
driving.
(5) That individual refuses to submit to any of the following:
(a) A chemical test, or tests, of the individual's blood, breath, or urine to 
determine the alcohol concentration or presence of other drugs, or 
combination thereof, in the individual's blood, breath, or urine, at the 
direction of a law enforcement officer under section 39 -06.2-10.2 if the 
individual is driving or is in actual physical control of a commercial 
motor vehicle; or
(b) A chemical test, or tests, of the individual's blood, breath, or urine to 
determine the alcohol concentration or presence of other drugs, or 
combination thereof, in the individual's blood, breath, or urine, at the 
direction of a law enforcement officer under section 39-20-01.
(6) Paragraph 5 does not apply to an individual unless the individual has been 
advised of the consequences of refusing a chemical test consistent with the 
Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of North Dakota.
b. The fact any person charged with violating this section is or has been legally 
entitled to use alcohol or other drugs or substances is not a defense against any 
charge for violating this section. It is an affirmative defense that a drug was used 
only as directed or cautioned by a practitioner who legally prescribed or 
dispensed the drug to that person. If the individual violated paragraph 1, 2, 3, or 4 
of subdivision a and paragraph 5 of subdivision a and the violations arose from 
the same incident, for purposes of suspension or revocation of an operator's 
license, the violations are deemed a single violation and the court shall forward to 
the department of transportation only the conviction for driving under the 
influence or actual physical control.
c. The driver of a multipassenger bicycle is subject to a violation of this section but a 
multipassenger bicycle passenger may not be charged with a violation of this 
section.
2. An individual who operates a motor vehicle on a highway or on public or private areas 
to which the public has a right of access for vehicular use in this state who refuses to 
submit to a chemical test, or tests, required under section 39 -06.2-10.2 or 39-20-01, is 
guilty of an offense under this section.
3. An individual violating this section or equivalent ordinance is guilty of a class B 
misdemeanor for the first or second offense in a seven-year period, of a class A 
misdemeanor for a third offense in a seven-year period, and of a class C felony for any 
fourth or subsequent offense within a fifteen -year period. The minimum penalty for 
violating this section is as provided in subsection 5. The court shall take judicial notice 

of the fact that an offense would be a subsequent offense if indicated by the records of 
the director or may make a subsequent offense finding based on other evidence.
4. Upon conviction of a second or subsequent offense within seven years under this 
section or equivalent ordinance, the court may order the motor vehicle number plates 
of all of the motor vehicles owned and operated by the offender at the time of the 
offense to be destroyed by the office of the police officer that made the arrest. The 
offender shall deliver the number plates to the court without delay at a time certain as 
ordered by the court following the conviction. The court shall deliver the number plates 
to the office and notify the department of the order . An offender who does not provide 
the number plates to the court at the appropriate time is subject to revocation of 
probation. The court may make an exception to this subsection, on an individual basis, 
to avoid undue hardship to an individual who is completely dependent on the motor 
vehicle for the necessities of life, including a family member of the convicted individual 
and a co-owner of the motor vehicle, or if the offender is participating in the twenty-four 
seven sobriety program.
5. A person convicted of violating this section, or an equivalent ordinance, must be 
sentenced in accordance with this subsection. 
a. (1) For a first offense, the sentence must include both a fine of at least five 
hundred dollars and an order for addiction evaluation by an appropriate 
licensed addiction treatment program.
(2) In addition, for a first offense when the convicted person has an alcohol 
concentration of at least sixteen one -hundredths of one percent by weight, 
the offense is an aggravated first offense and the sentence must include a 
fine of at least seven hundred fifty dollars and at least two days' 
imprisonment.
b. For a second offense within seven years, the sentence must include at least ten 
days' imprisonment, of which forty -eight hours must be served consecutively; a 
fine of one thousand five hundred dollars; an order for addiction evaluation by an 
appropriate licensed addiction treatment program ; and at least three hundred 
sixty days' participation in the twenty-four seven sobriety program under chapter 
54-12 as a mandatory condition of probation.
c. For a third offense within seven years, the sentence must include at least one 
hundred twenty days' imprisonment; a fine of at least two thousand dollars; an 
order for addiction evaluation by an appropriate licensed addiction treatment 
program; at least three hundred sixty days' supervised probation; and at least 
three hundred sixty days' participation in the twenty-four seven sobriety program 
under chapter 54-12 as a mandatory condition of probation.
d. For a fourth or subsequent offense within fifteen years, the sentence must include 
at least one year and one day's imprisonment; a fine of at least two thousand 
dollars; an order for addiction evaluation by an appropriate licensed treatment 
program; at least two years' supervised probation; and participation in the twenty-
four seven sobriety program under chapter 54 -12 as a mandatory condition of 
probation.
e. The imposition of sentence under this section may not be deferred under 
subsection 4 of section 12.1-32-02 for an offense subject to this section.
f. If the offense is subject to subdivision a or b , a municipal court or district court 
may not suspend a sentence, but may convert each day of a term of 
imprisonment to ten hours of community service for an offense subject to 
paragraph 2 of subdivision a. If the offense is subject to subdivision c, the district 
court may suspend a sentence, except for sixty days' imprisonment, under 
subsection 3 of section 12.1 -32-02 on the condition that the defendant first 
undergo and complete an evaluation for alcohol and substance abuse treatment 
and rehabilitation. If the offense is subject to subdivision d, the district court may 
suspend a sentence, except for one year's imprisonment, under subsection 3 of 
section 12.1-32-02 on the condition that the defendant first undergo and complete 
an evaluation for alcohol and substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation . If the 

defendant is found to be in need of alcohol and substance abuse treatment and 
rehabilitation, the district court may order the defendant placed under the 
supervision and management of the department of corrections and rehabilitation 
and is subject to the conditions of probation under section 12.1-32-07. The district 
court may require the defendant to complete alcohol and substance abuse 
treatment and rehabilitation under the direction of the treatment court program as 
a condition of probation in accordance with rules adopted by the supreme court. 
The district court may terminate probation under this section when the defendant 
completes the drug treatment program. If the district court finds that a defendant 
has failed to undergo an evaluation or complete treatment or has violated any 
condition of probation, the district court shall revoke the defendant's probation 
and shall sentence the defendant in accordance with this subsection.
g. For purposes of this section, conviction of an offense under a law or ordinance of 
another state which is equivalent to this section must be considered a prior 
offense if such offense was committed within the time limitations specified in this 
section.
h. If the penalty mandated by this section includes imprisonment or placement upon 
conviction of a violation of this section or equivalent ordinance, and if an addiction 
evaluation has indicated that the defendant needs treatment, the court may order 
the defendant to undergo treatment at an appropriate licensed addiction 
treatment program under subsection 1 of section 12.1 -32-02 and the time spent 
by the defendant in the treatment must be credited as a portion of a sentence of 
imprisonment or placement under this section. A court may not order the 
department of corrections and rehabilitation to be responsible for the costs of 
treatment in a private treatment facility.
i. If the court sentences an individual to the legal and physical custody of the 
department of corrections and rehabilitation, the department may place the 
individual in an alcohol treatment program designated by the department. Upon 
the individual's successful completion of the alcohol treatment program, the 
department shall release the individual from imprisonment to begin the 
court-ordered period of probation. If there is not any court -ordered period of 
probation, the court may order the individual to serve the remainder of the 
sentence of imprisonment on supervised probation and the terms and conditions 
must include participation in the twenty -four seven sobriety program and any 
terms and conditions of probation previously imposed by the court. Probation 
under this subsection may include placement in another facility or treatment 
program. If an individual is placed in another facility or treatment program after 
release from imprisonment, the remainder of the individual's sentence of 
imprisonment must be considered time spent in custody. Individuals incarcerated 
under this section subsequent to a second probation revocation are not eligible 
for release from imprisonment upon the successful completion of treatment.
j. If the individual has participated in the twenty -four seven sobriety program as a 
condition of pretrial release or for the purpose of receiving a temporary restricted 
operator's license under section 39 -06.1-11, the sentencing court may give credit 
for the time the individual has already served on the twenty -four seven sobriety 
program when determining the amount of time the individual must serve on the 
twenty-four seven sobriety program for the purposes of probation, if that 
individual has not violated the twenty -four seven sobriety program before 
sentencing.
6. As used in subdivisions b and c of subsection 5, the term "imprisonment" includes 
house arrest. As a condition of house arrest, a defendant may not consume alcoholic 
beverages. The house arrest must include a program of electronic home detention and 
the defendant shall participate in the twenty -four seven sobriety program . The 
defendant shall defray all costs associated with the electronic home detention. For an 
offense under subdivision b or c of subsection 5, no more than ninety percent of the 
sentence may be house arrest.

7. As used in this title, participation in the twenty -four seven sobriety program under 
chapter 54-12 means compliance with sections 54 -12-27 through 54-12-31, and 
requires sobriety breath testing twice per day seven days per week or electronic 
alcohol monitoring, urine testing, or drug patch testing. The offender is responsible for 
all twenty-four seven sobriety program fees and the court may not waive the fees. For 
purposes of this section, the twenty -four seven sobriety program is a condition of 
probation and a court may not order participation in the program as part of the 
sentence. If an individual ordered to participate in the twenty-four seven program is not 
a resident of this state, that individual shall enroll in a twenty -four seven program or an 
alcohol compliance program if available in that individual's state of residence and shall 
file proof of such enrollment.

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