North Dakota knife law is fairly permissive on ownership, but it is not a free-for-all. As of March 2026, no broad statewide ban on ordinary adult knife ownership was identified, including for automatic knives, but concealed carry of a knife that qualifies as a statutory “dangerous weapon” is generally regulated, and dangerous weapons are restricted in certain places such as schools, churches, publicly owned or operated buildings, and some liquor-establishment areas. N.D. Cent. Code §§ 62.1-01-01, 62.1-02-04, 62.1-02-05, 62.1-04-02.
Quick Answer
North Dakota law treats many knife issues through the state’s “dangerous weapon” statutes rather than through a separate knife code.
That matters because North Dakota does not simply ask whether an item is a knife. It asks whether the knife falls within the statutory definition of a dangerous weapon. Under N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-01-01(1), that definition includes any switchblade or gravity knife, machete, scimitar, stiletto, sword, dagger, and any knife with a blade of 6 inches or more. Once a knife falls into that category, concealed-carry rules and place restrictions become much more important. N.D. Cent. Code §§ 62.1-01-01(1), 62.1-02-04, 62.1-02-05, 62.1-04-02.
North Dakota generally allows adults to own ordinary knives, and no broad statewide ownership ban on common knife categories was identified in the current code.
That includes ordinary folding knives, fixed blades, hunting knives, utility knives, and, based on the current statutes reviewed, automatic knives and gravity knives as ownership items. The important caution is that many of those knives still qualify as dangerous weapons under N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-01-01(1), which affects concealed carry and restricted places even when ownership itself is not banned.
Open carry is generally lawful in ordinary public places, but restricted-place statutes still apply.
North Dakota’s main concealed-weapons rule is aimed at concealed carry, not ordinary open carry. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-04-02. But that does not mean every location is open. Dangerous weapons are barred at certain public gatherings, including schools or school-sponsored events on school property, churches or other places of worship, and publicly owned or operated buildings, unless a listed exception applies. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-02-05. Dangerous weapons are also restricted in the bar or gaming portion of certain liquor establishments. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-02-04.
Concealed carry of a knife that qualifies as a dangerous weapon is generally regulated and usually requires a concealed-weapons license or a statutory exception.
The key statute is N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-04-02(1), which says a person may not carry a firearm or dangerous weapon concealed unless licensed or exempted. This is an important correction to older summaries that treated North Dakota as using an intent-based concealed-knife rule. The current code does not do that. Also, the permitless-carry subsection, N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-04-02(2), is written in terms of carrying a firearm concealed, not every dangerous weapon. Based on the current text reviewed, the safer reading is that concealed carry of a knife that is a dangerous weapon remains license-based unless a statutory exception applies. N.D. Cent. Code §§ 62.1-04-01, 62.1-04-02.
North Dakota also defines “concealed” broadly. A dangerous weapon can be concealed when hidden under clothing, carried in a bundle, or transported in a vehicle under the person’s control and available to that person. A dangerous weapon is not considered concealed if it is in a wholly or substantially visible case, or if other listed exceptions apply. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-04-01.
These knife types are not broadly banned as ownership items statewide, but several are treated as dangerous weapons under North Dakota law.
Switchblades and gravity knives are expressly included in the dangerous-weapon definition. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-01-01(1). Daggers and stilettos are also expressly included. That means a switchblade, gravity knife, dagger, or stiletto can be legal to own, yet still trigger concealed-carry regulation and place restrictions. The current statutes reviewed do not identify a separate statewide ban on butterfly knives by name. If a butterfly knife is not otherwise a listed weapon and does not meet the 6-inch blade threshold, the code does not expressly classify it by name; however, knife design, blade length, and context can still matter.
North Dakota does not impose a general statewide maximum blade length for simple ownership or open carry in ordinary places, but 6 inches is a major legal threshold.
Under N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-01-01(1), a knife with a blade of 6 inches or more is a dangerous weapon by length alone. That does not create a blanket statewide ban on all knives over 6 inches. It does mean those knives are pulled into the dangerous-weapon rules governing concealed carry and restricted places. Blade length is therefore a classification threshold, not a universal statewide carry ban.
Dangerous weapons, including many knives, are restricted in several important places.
North Dakota prohibits possession of a firearm or dangerous weapon at a school or school-sponsored event on school property, a church or other place of worship, and a publicly owned or operated building, subject to statutory exceptions. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-02-05. North Dakota also prohibits knowing possession of a firearm or dangerous weapon in the part of a liquor establishment used for retail alcohol sales and on-premises consumption, or in a gaming area where bingo is the primary activity, again with statutory exceptions. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-02-04.
Correctional settings are also highly restricted. The current code separately criminalizes certain weapon or knife possession involving inmates and correctional facilities. N.D. Cent. Code §§ 12-44.1-30, 12-47-36.
The current statutes reviewed do not show a general statewide minimum age for ordinary knife ownership or a broad knife-sale prohibition to minors.
That said, North Dakota’s weapons chapter does regulate license eligibility for concealed carrying of dangerous weapons. A class 2 firearm and dangerous weapon license requires the applicant to be at least 18, and a class 1 firearm license requires the applicant to be at least 21. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-04-03(1)(a). The current code sections reviewed also focus their under-18 possession prohibitions on firearms, especially handguns, rather than on ordinary knives. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-02-01(1)(d). Because other criminal, school, and disorder-related statutes can still apply, youth possession should not be treated casually even where no broad statewide knife-age ban is identified.
North Dakota does not appear to have broad statewide knife-law preemption comparable to its firearm preemption statute.
The explicit preemption statute, N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-01-03, is written for firearms and ammunition. It does not broadly preempt local knife regulation in the same way. That means readers should not assume local knife ordinances are automatically displaced by state law.
Local rules can matter, but the current statutes reviewed show a specific state rule allowing some local policies to be less restrictive, not more restrictive, for public-gathering rules.
Under N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-02-05(3), a political subdivision or the State Board of Higher Education may enact an ordinance or policy that is less restrictive than the state public-gathering rule for firearms or dangerous weapons, and that local rule supersedes the state rule in that jurisdiction. The current code reviewed does not provide a broad statewide knife-preemption shield, so local law should still be checked where relevant. At the same time, the current statute does not itself authorize municipalities to make the public-gathering rule more restrictive than state law through that subsection.
Federal law is separate from North Dakota law and still matters in several knife-related situations.
The Federal Switchblade Act regulates switchblade knives in interstate commerce and in certain federal jurisdictions. 15 U.S.C. §§ 1241-1245. Federal postal law also treats knives that open automatically by button, inertia, or gravity as generally nonmailable, subject to specific exceptions, and applies similar restrictions to ballistic knives. 18 U.S.C. § 1716(g), (i). So even where North Dakota ownership law is relatively permissive, mailing, interstate commerce, import, and federal-jurisdiction rules may still create separate limits.
North Dakota generally allows knife ownership, but knives that count as dangerous weapons face extra rules on concealed carry and restricted places.
| Issue | North Dakota law |
|---|---|
| Knife ownership | Generally lawful for adults; no broad statewide ownership ban on ordinary knives was identified in the current code. N.D. Cent. Code §§ 62.1-01-01, 62.1-02-05. |
| Switchblades / gravity knives | Not broadly banned as ownership items statewide, but expressly defined as dangerous weapons. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-01-01(1). |
| Open carry | Generally lawful in ordinary places, but dangerous weapons are restricted in listed places such as schools, churches, publicly owned or operated buildings, and certain liquor-establishment areas. N.D. Cent. Code §§ 62.1-02-04, 62.1-02-05. |
| Concealed carry | A concealed dangerous weapon generally requires a license or statutory exception. The permitless-carry subsection is written for concealed firearms, not all dangerous weapons. N.D. Cent. Code §§ 62.1-04-01, 62.1-04-02. |
| Blade length | No general statewide maximum length for ordinary ownership or open carry was identified, but a knife with a blade of 6 inches or more is a dangerous weapon by length alone. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-01-01(1). |
| Restricted places | Schools, school-sponsored events on school property, churches, publicly owned or operated buildings, and certain liquor-establishment or bingo areas are key restrictions. N.D. Cent. Code §§ 62.1-02-04, 62.1-02-05. |
| Statewide preemption | No broad statewide knife preemption was identified. Firearm preemption exists, but it is written for firearms and ammunition. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-01-03. |
For readers comparing collector pieces, working blades, and carry-friendly designs, it may help to explore custom knives with clear attention to blade type, opening mechanism, and intended use.
North Dakota had a real knife-related change in 2025, but not every introduced bill became law.
The most important recent enacted change is HB 1588 from the 2025 regular session. It passed, was signed on April 23, 2025, and, under North Dakota’s ordinary effective-date rules for nonappropriation and nontax measures, took effect on August 1, 2025. The current code reflects that change. Among other things, the current definition of dangerous weapon now uses a 6-inch blade threshold rather than the older 5-inch threshold for knives defined by length. HB 1588 also amended the public-gathering and concealed-weapons provisions. N.D. Cent. Code §§ 62.1-01-01(1), 62.1-02-05, 62.1-04-04.
By contrast, HB 1479 from 2023 was a knife bill, but it failed in the House and did not become law. It should not be treated as current law.
No broad statewide ownership ban on switchblades was identified, but a switchblade is expressly defined as a dangerous weapon. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-01-01(1).
Not automatically. A knife with a blade of 6 inches or more is a dangerous weapon under state law, which affects concealed carry and restricted places, but the current code does not create a blanket statewide ownership ban for all 6-inch knives. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-01-01(1).
Vehicle carry can raise concealed-carry issues because a dangerous weapon transported in a vehicle and available to the person may count as concealed unless an exception applies. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-04-01. There is also an exception in the public-gathering law for a firearm or dangerous weapon carried in a temporary residence or motor vehicle. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-02-05(2)(g).
Generally no, if the knife is a dangerous weapon. North Dakota bars possession of a firearm or dangerous weapon at a school or school-sponsored event on school property unless a statutory exception applies. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-02-05.
A dangerous weapon is generally prohibited in a publicly owned or operated building unless an exception applies. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-02-05(1)(c).
Not across the board. The current code’s permitless-carry subsection is written for concealed firearms, while the broader prohibition on carrying a concealed dangerous weapon still remains in place unless the person is licensed or exempt. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-04-02.
Laws can change, local rules may still matter, and restricted places, intent, and personal status can change whether possession or carry is lawful in a specific case.
North Dakota sources
Federal sources
