North Dakota Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Robot Law (HB 1613)
North Dakota · N.D. Cent. Code ch. 29-29.4; 2025 N.D. Laws (HB 1613)
North Dakota expanded its surveillance-by-drone chapter so the same rules now apply to 'robots' — powered, AI-driven machines or systems that can operate on their own. Information that law enforcement gathers using a robot is subject to the same evidentiary limits that already apply to information gathered by a drone. The law also bars law enforcement from using a robot or a drone to deploy a weapon or otherwise use force.
Technical detail
HB 1613 amended N.D. Cent. Code ch. 29-29.4 (sections 29-29.4-01 through -06) to add 'robot' alongside unmanned aerial vehicles, extending the chapter's warrant/evidentiary restrictions to robot-gathered information and limiting law-enforcement weaponization via robot or drone.
Who is protected: Individuals subject to North Dakota criminal investigations and the general public who could be surveilled by, or have force deployed against them by, a law-enforcement robot or drone.
Who must comply: North Dakota law enforcement agencies and officers.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | North Dakota |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Status | In effect |
| Protection strength | Limited protection |
| Effective date | 2025-08-01 |
| Enacted | 2025-04-28 |
| Citation | N.D. Cent. Code ch. 29-29.4; 2025 N.D. Laws (HB 1613) |
| Enforced by | North Dakota courts (via suppression of improperly obtained evidence); no dedicated administrative enforcement agency. |
| Penalties | None specified; the chapter operates primarily through evidentiary exclusion and operational limits. |
| Topics | police and surveillance AI · government use of AI |
| Last verified | 2026-06-16 |
| Official source | North Dakota Century Code Chapter 29-29.4 (Surveillance by UAV; Robots) / HB 1613 ↗ |
More AI rules in North Dakota
- ND Sexually Explicit Deepfake Law · In effect
- ND 12.1-17-07 (using a robot/AI to harass is a crime) · In effect
- ND 12.1-17-07.1 (stalking via robot/AI, e.g. tracking, is a crime) · In effect
- ND HB 1167 (political ads using AI to impersonate must say so) · In effect
- ND HB 1386 (CSAM laws cover computer-generated/AI images of minors) · In effect
Related police and surveillance AI rules elsewhere
- TRAIGA · In effect
- Utah S.B. 180 (AI-written police reports need a disclaimer + officer sign-off) · In effect
- Va. Code 19.2-11.14 (humans, not AI, must decide bail/sentencing/parole) · In effect
- California SB 524 (AI-written police reports must be disclosed + audited) · In effect
- NYPD POST Act · In effect
- SF Facial Recognition Ban · In effect
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