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HB 1053

AN ACT to amend and reenact section 24-01-01.2 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the length of the state highway system.

69th Legislative Assembly (2025-26)

Amends NDCC 24-01-01.2 to cap the state highway system at 7% of total road mileage and 7,700 miles, binding DOT and local authorities on road transfers and additions.

Filed with Secretary Of State 04/23
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Bill Summary · HB 1053

HB 1053 — North Dakota (Transportation Committee; at the request of the Department of Transportation)

Title: An Act to amend and reenact section 24‑01‑01.2 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the length of the state highway system.

Main purpose / intent

The bill clarifies and restates the statutory limit on the total mileage of roads that may be designated part of North Dakota’s state highway system. It preserves a dual constraint: (1) the system may not exceed seven percent of the state’s total road mileage (including township, county, and state roads) and (2) in no case may the system exceed a fixed numerical cap of 7,700 miles (12,391.95 km).

Key provisions and changes

  • Amends and reenacts NDCC § 24‑01‑01.2 to state explicitly:
    • “The state highway system may not exceed seven percent of the entire road mileage of the state… and in no case may such highway system exceed seven thousand seven hundred miles [12,391.95 kilometers] in length.”
  • Procedural history in committee stages shows alternative language at times (including versions that proposed repeal of the section), but the enrolled/first‑engrossed version preserves a statutory mileage cap as described above.
  • The bill was submitted at the request of the North Dakota Department of Transportation (DOT) and carried through the Transportation Committee.

Who or what is affected

  • Primary: North Dakota Department of Transportation — the provision constrains DOT’s ability to add mileage to the state highway system.
  • Secondary: county and township road authorities and local governments — designation or transfer of roads to the state system (or from the state to local control) is subject to the statewide percentage and absolute‑mile limits.
  • Indirectly affects planning, maintenance responsibility, and funding allocation decisions tied to which roads are part of the state system.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Introduced (Transportation Committee) during the Sixty‑ninth Legislative Assembly at the request of DOT.
  • Committee amendments and first engrossment history include versions proposing repeal, but the final enrolled version amends and reenacts the statute with the 7% / 7,700‑mile limits.
  • Enrollment records show passage votes recorded (House 93–0; Senate 45–2) and the bill was certified/enrolled; status listed as filed with the Secretary of State on April 23 (per provided materials).

Practical impact

By reaffirming both a percentage cap and an absolute mileage cap, the statute limits future expansion of the state highway system and requires DOT and local governments to consider these constraints when proposing transfers, additions, or reclassifications of road mileage.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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