Jobs for Felons in North Dakota

The state, counties, cities and park districts cannot ask about or consider your record until you are picked for an interview. The rule does not cover school districts, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, or jobs where a law requires a background check. A public employer can still tell you up front that a law or its own policy rules out people with a certain kind of record for a certain job.

As far as we can find, private employers are not covered by any North Dakota ban-the-box law, so they can ask on the application.

Under federal law, a background check company can report a conviction no matter how old it is. Arrests that did not lead to a conviction generally drop off after seven years (the limit does not apply to jobs paying $75,000 a year or more). We found no North Dakota law that shortens that for convictions. That is why sealing and planning what you say matter more than waiting it out.

You can petition the court to seal a misdemeanor after 3 years with no new conviction, or a felony after 5 years with no new conviction. A governor's unconditional pardon also qualifies. Violent or intimidation felonies (while you are still barred from having a gun) and registry offenses are not covered.

The judge decides. You must have finished all prison and probation, paid all court-ordered restitution, and shown by “clear and convincing evidence” that you have good cause and have reformed. The judge looks at how long ago it was, your rehabilitation, and your work history and community involvement. There is no fill-in court form for this; you write your own petition (the court's research guide walks you through it) or get a lawyer.

Sealing covers court and prosecutor records. It does not seal your record at the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). A sealed record is still released to employers and others with a legal duty to run a background check, and licensing boards can still consider it. Sealing still helps on most court-record searches, so it is worth doing.

If your case was dismissed or you were found not guilty on or after August 1, 2025, the court closes the court record on its own after 61 days. If it happened before August 1, 2025, you can petition to close it for free, and the court must act within 10 days if you qualify. A dismissal that was part of a plea deal on another charge does not qualify.

A North Dakota state licensing agency cannot turn you down “solely because” of a conviction. It can deny you only if it finds you are not sufficiently rehabilitated or the offense has a direct bearing on the job. Five years after final discharge from prison, parole or probation, with no new conviction, counts as evidence that you are rehabilitated. A denial must be in writing, state the reasons, and be sent to you by certified mail.

Federal EEOC guidance from 2012 warns employers that blanket “no felons” policies can violate Title VII, but since April 2025 a federal executive order has told agencies to deprioritize this kind of case. We found no North Dakota law limiting private employers, so your leverage is sealing, the licensing rules, and picking the right employer.