North Dakota 39-08
39-08-01. Persons under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any other drugs or substances not to operate vehicle – Penalty. 1. 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: a. 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. b. That person is under the influence of intoxicating liquor. c. 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. d. 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. e. That individual refuses to submit to any of the following:
(1) 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
(2) 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; or
(3) An onsite screening test, or tests, of the individual’s breath for the purpose of estimating the alcohol concentration in the individual’s breath upon the request of a law enforcement officer under section 39-20-14. The fact that 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, unless a drug which predominately caused impairment was used only as directed or cautioned by a practitioner who legally prescribed or dispensed the drug to that person. If the individual violated subdivisions a, b, c, or d of this subsection and subdivision e of this subsection 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.
2. a. 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, 39-20-01, or 39-20-14, is guilty of an offense under this section. b. An individual is not subject to an offense under this section for refusal to submit to an onsite screening test under section 39-20-14 if the person submits to a chemical test under section 39-20-01 or 39-06.2-10.2 for the same incident. Upon the individual’s refusal to submit to an onsite screening test, the police officer shall inform the individual that the individual may remedy the refusal if the individual takes a chemical test under section 39-20-01 or 39-06.2-10.2 for the same incident.
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 Page No. 1 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 coowner 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 twentyfour 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 Page No. 2 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 drug court program as a condition of probation in accordance with rules adopted by the supreme court. 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 subdivision g of 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 shall 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.
Page No. 3 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. 39-08-01.1. Prior offenses. For purposes of this chapter, chapter 39-06.1, and chapter 39-20 a previous conviction does not include any prior violation of section 39-08-01 or equivalent ordinance if the offense occurred prior to July 1, 1981. 39-08-01.2. Special punishment for causing injury or death while operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
1. An individual is guilty of criminal vehicular homicide if the individual commits an offense under section 39-08-01 or equivalent ordinance and as a result the individual causes a death of another individual to occur, including the death of an unborn child, unless the individual who causes the death of the unborn child is the mother. A violation of this subsection is a class A felony. If an individual commits a violation under this subsection, the court shall impose at least three years’ imprisonment. If the individual violates this section after having been previously convicted of a violation of section 39-08-01 or 39-08-03, or equivalent ordinance, the court shall impose at least ten years’ imprisonment. An individual may not be prosecuted and found guilty of this and an offense under chapter 12.1-16 if the conduct arises out of the same incident.
2. An individual is guilty of criminal vehicular injury if the individual violates section 39-08-01 or equivalent ordinance and as a result that individual causes substantial bodily or serious bodily injury to another individual. Violation of this subsection is a class C felony. If an individual violates this subsection, the court shall impose at least one year’s imprisonment. If the individual violates this section after having been previously convicted of a violation of section 39-08-01 or 39-08-03 or equivalent ordinance, the court shall impose at least two years’ imprisonment.
3. The sentence under this section may not be suspended unless the court finds that manifest injustice would result from the imposition of the sentence. Before a sentence under this section applies, a defendant must be notified of the minimum mandatory sentence. The elements of an offense under this section are the elements of an offense for a violation of section 39-08-01 and the additional elements that create an offense in each subsection of this section. 39-08-01.3. Alcohol-related traffic offenses – Seizure, forfeiture, and sale of motor vehicles. A motor vehicle owned and operated by an individual upon a highway or upon public or private areas to which the public has a right of access for vehicular use may be seized, forfeited, and sold or otherwise disposed of pursuant to an order of the court at the time of sentencing if the individual is in violation of section 39-08-01, 39-08-01.2, or 39-08-01.4, or an equivalent ordinance and has been convicted of violating section 39-08-01 or an equivalent ordinance at least one other time within the seven years preceding the violation. 39-08-01.4. Driving while under the influence of alcohol while being accompanied by a minor – Penalty. It is a class A misdemeanor for an individual who is at least twenty-one years of age to violate section 39-08-01 if the violation occurred while a minor was accompanying the individual in a motor vehicle. If an individual has a previous conviction for a violation of section 39-08-01.4, Page No. 4 a violation of this section is a class C felony. An individual convicted under this section must be sentenced in accordance with subsection 5 of section 39-08-01. 39-08-01.5. Partial suspension of sentence for drug court completion. 1. Notwithstanding section 39-08-01, all but ten days of the minimum mandatory sentence required for a defendant charged with a third or subsequent violation of section 39-08-01 may be suspended on the condition the defendant successfully completes a drug court program approved by the supreme court. 2. For purposes of this section, unless the context otherwise requires, “drug court program” means a district court-supervised treatment program approved by the supreme court which combines judicial supervision with alcohol and drug testing and chemical addiction treatment in a licensed treatment program. The supreme court may adopt rules, including rules of procedure, for drug courts and the drug court program. 39-08-02. Person conveying passengers not to engage drivers addicted to intoxicants – Penalty. No person owning or having the direction or control of any vehicle for the conveyance of passengers in this state may employ or continue in the person’s employment as a driver of such vehicle any person who is known to the actor to be addicted to a controlled substance or given to the excessive use of controlled substances or intoxicating liquors. Any person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of an infraction and is liable for all damages sustained by reason of such violation.
