State guide
North Dakota
North Dakota’s animal control picture is more decentralized than many states: larger cities often use police community service officers or city animal control, while state guidance also tells residents to report stray, sick, and injured animals to local animal control or law enforcement. For wildlife, the state message is usually not to pick animals up at all, because possession of live wild animals is illegal and handling can worsen injury or disease risk.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Who handles animal control locally
- Usually city animal control or police/community service officers handle animal issues in larger municipalities, while state guidance also directs residents in other areas to local law enforcement.
- State wildlife agency (nuisance and injured wildlife)
- North Dakota Game and Fish Department
- Nuisance wildlife help
- Official page →
- Reporting an animal bite
- Animal bites and possible human rabies exposures should be reported to the local public health unit or state health department; state law-enforcement guidance gives Disease Control reporting numbers.
- State rabies contact
- North Dakota Health and Human Services, Disease Control Unit
Official resources in North Dakota
North Dakota HHS rabies hub with FAQs, vaccine information, guidance, and contact information.
Official FAQ covering bite response, confinement, testing, and who to notify after exposure.
Official North Dakota HHS rabies contact page with Disease Control and Division of Microbiology phone numbers.
North Dakota Game and Fish guidance explaining what to do with apparently orphaned or injured wildlife.
Key facts for North Dakota
- North Dakota HHS says to notify your local public health unit or the state health department after an animal bite or saliva exposure.
- North Dakota HHS says report stray, sick, and injured animals to local animal control authorities or law enforcement officials.
- Healthy domestic dogs, cats, and ferrets that bite a person should be confined and observed for 10 days.
- If a wild or hybrid animal bites a person, North Dakota HHS says it should be humanely destroyed and tested.
- North Dakota Game and Fish says possession of a live wild animal is illegal.
- North Dakota HHS lists the Disease Control Unit for rabies questions and exposure reporting.
Local animal control offices in North Dakota
| Office | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Fargo - Community Service Officers Cass | Fargo | Not published* | Police community service officers perform fieldwork related to animal control and ordinance enforcement. |
| Bismarck Animal Control Burleigh | Bismarck | 701-223-1212 | Bismarck Police community service officers serve as animal control wardens and enforce city animal ordinances. |
| City of Grand Forks Animal Control Contact Grand Forks | Grand Forks | Not published* | Grand Forks directs residents to police/community service officers for animal control contact. |
| City of Grand Forks Lost and Stray Animals Grand Forks | Grand Forks | Not published* | Police handle stray or injured animal calls in Grand Forks and take picked-up strays to the city impound shelter. |
| Minot Animal Control Ward | Minot | (701)-852-0111 | Animal control officers respond to neglect, lost, stray, injured, abused, unwanted, and nuisance-animal calls. |
| Minot Animal Control Directory Ward | Minot | 701-852-0111 (Option #1) | Directory page for Minot Animal Control office and staff. |
| North Dakota Game and Fish - Contact Us | Bismarck | 1-800-472-2121 | State wildlife enforcement contact for reporting violations; Game and Fish is the state wildlife agency. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- After a bite or saliva exposure, wash the wound, gather information about the animal, and call your physician plus your local public health unit or state Disease Control.
- Do not take injured or baby wildlife home; North Dakota Game and Fish says leaving the animal alone is usually best and possession is illegal.
- If the biting animal is domestic, help authorities locate and confine it quickly so observation or testing decisions can be made.
Not seeing your office or county?
Not every office publishes its rules online. Try these, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above.
- Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from North Dakota's population center, for comparison only):
- Animal Control, South Dakota · about 141 miles
- Animal Control / Community Services Division, South Dakota · about 249 miles
- Animal Control, South Dakota · about 249 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.Rabies
Website →Phone: (701) 328-2310 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the North Dakota page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.