Tree work rules in North Dakota

North Dakota has no statewide license for tree work, but Fargo licenses anyone paid for tree work in city limits. A Fargo license takes insurance, a bond, and North Dakota contractor and pesticide licenses when required.¹

Ask your city or county government whether removing a tree needs a permit where you live.

If a tree is touching the power line to your house, keep clear and call your utility first. Clearing the line is the utility's job, and a tree company can't start until it's done.

North Dakota law bars storing or putting up anything within 10 feet of an overhead line over 600 volts. Before working within 6 feet of the line, or with machinery that can reach within 10 feet, notify the line operator and arrange barriers, de-energizing or temporary relocation, normally at your cost.²

North Dakota's one-call law doesn't name stumps. It exempts landscaping unless it's 12 inches deep or more.³

In North Dakota commercial applicators working for hire must be certified before using pesticides, under the Pesticide Control Board and the Department of Agriculture, with training through NDSU Extension. The class is 4, Ornamental and turf pest control.^4-5