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North Dakota • Live Local Time

Current Time in North Dakota

North Dakota has two current local times. Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot and much of the state use Central Time on today in North Dakota. Southwestern North Dakota, including Dickinson, Medora and Bowman, uses Mountain Time and is normally one hour behind. Both North Dakota time zones currently observe U.S. daylight saving time.

Most of North DakotaCentral Time
Southwestern North DakotaMountain Time
Daylight SavingChecking…
North Dakota City Clocks Compare North Dakota Time Open World Clock

What Time Is It in North Dakota Right Now?

North Dakota uses both Central Time and Mountain Time. Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot and many communities use Central Time. Southwestern North Dakota includes Mountain Time communities such as Dickinson, Medora and Bowman.

The live state clock above uses America/Chicago because Bismarck and many of North Dakota's largest population centers use Central Time. A separate live southwestern North Dakota clock uses America/Denver. The two clocks are normally one hour apart.

If you searched for time in ND, time in Dickinson North Dakota or what time is it in Bismarck North Dakota, check the destination before assuming one statewide clock. The federal boundary crosses western North Dakota and follows rivers, county lines and State Highway 31.

See North Dakota City ClocksTime in the United States

North Dakota Time Compared With You

CalendarHours is detecting your browser time zone. Your comparison uses Bismarck / most of North Dakota as the primary Central Time reference.

Your TimeLocal time
Most of North DakotaCentral Time
DifferenceCalculating…

Your browser time zone is used only for this comparison. Mountain Time North Dakota is normally one hour behind the primary North Dakota reference.

North Dakota Time at a Glance

Quick facts for North Dakota's Central and Mountain Time regions, including date-aware abbreviations, UTC offsets and daylight-saving status.

Full North Dakota Time Zone guide →
Much of North DakotaCST / CDTBismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot and many communities.
Central UTC OffsetDate-awareUTC−6 standard · UTC−5 daylight.
Southwestern North DakotaMST / MDTIncludes Dickinson, Medora and Bowman.
Mountain UTC OffsetDate-awareUTC−7 standard · UTC−6 daylight.
Central IANAAmerica/ChicagoRepresentative for Bismarck and Central Time North Dakota.
Mountain IANAAmerica/DenverRepresentative for southwestern North Dakota.
Zone ReferenceNorth Dakota Time ZoneBoundary, UTC offsets and DST details. Date UtilityToday's DateCheck the current date and common date formats.

North Dakota State Facts

Useful state details for travelers, callers and anyone coordinating time with North Dakota. The coordinates below use Bismarck as the state-capital reference point.

See Bismarck Time →
State CapitalBismarckCapital of North Dakota · Central Time.
U.S. RegionMidwest · West North CentralNorthern Great Plains.
Coordinates46.8083° N100.7837° W · Bismarck reference.
MapOpen in Google MapsBismarck capital reference.
State AbbreviationNDU.S. postal abbreviation.
CountryUnited StatesNational current-time reference.
StatehoodNovember 2, 1889Admitted with South Dakota; the signing order was intentionally obscured.
State NicknamePeace Garden StateOfficial nickname used by North Dakota.
One State • Two Time Zones

Does All of North Dakota Have the Same Time?

No. North Dakota is divided between Central and Mountain Time. The federal boundary in 49 CFR §71.7 begins at the Montana–North Dakota border at Canada, follows the Missouri, Yellowstone and Little Missouri river system, then continues through county boundaries and State Highway 31 before reaching South Dakota. Bismarck is on Central Time, while Dickinson, Medora and Bowman are on Mountain Time.

North Dakota Time ZoneTime Zones Hub
Central North Dakota · CST / CDT Bismarck · Central Time Fargo · Central Time Dickinson · Mountain Time Medora · Mountain Time DST · Date-aware

Current Time in Major North Dakota Cities

North Dakota cities span Central and Mountain Time. Use the live clocks below to confirm the destination before scheduling or traveling.

Browse U.S. City Times →
BismarckCentral TimeState capital · current local time
FargoCentral TimeEastern North Dakota · current local time
Grand ForksCentral TimeRed River Valley · current local time
MinotCentral TimeNorth-central North Dakota · current local time
DickinsonMountain TimeSouthwestern North Dakota · current local time
MedoraMountain TimeBadlands / Theodore Roosevelt National Park area

North Dakota Time Difference

The table uses Bismarck / much of North Dakota as the Central Time reference. Dickinson, Medora and other Mountain Time locations are normally one hour behind.

Full Time Zone Converter →
LocationCurrent Local TimeDifference From Central North DakotaPlanning Note
Dickinson / Mountain North DakotaCurrent timeCalculating…Mountain North Dakota is normally one hour behind Bismarck and Fargo.
ChicagoCurrent timeCalculating…Chicago normally shares Central Time with Bismarck and Fargo.
DenverCurrent timeCalculating…Denver normally matches Dickinson and is one hour behind Central North Dakota.
New York CityCurrent timeCalculating…New York City is usually one hour ahead of Central North Dakota.
PhoenixCurrent timeCalculating…Arizona's no-DST rule makes the difference seasonal.
Los AngelesCurrent timeCalculating…Los Angeles is usually two hours behind Central North Dakota.
LondonCurrent timeCalculating…The gap changes briefly when U.S. and UK clock-change dates do not align.
TokyoCurrent timeCalculating…Japan stays on standard time while North Dakota changes seasonally.
Best Time to Call North Dakota

Convert Your Time to North Dakota Time

Choose a U.S. time zone or major global financial center, then select a date and time to see that moment in both Bismarck / Central North Dakota and Dickinson / Mountain North Dakota.

Full Time Zone Converter →
9:00 AM New YorkLoading…
9:00 AM ChicagoLoading…
5:00 PM LondonLoading…

Sample times use today's date in each source city and automatically account for the applicable daylight-saving offset in both the source location and North Dakota.

Convert North Dakota Time to Your Local Time

Enter a time for today's date in Bismarck / Central North Dakota. CalendarHours converts that wall clock to the time zone reported by your browser. For Mountain Time North Dakota or another date, use the full Time Zone Converter.

North Dakota Central Input9:00 AM PT
Your Local TimeConvert
Your DateLocal date

For other dates, locations and directional pairs, use the full converter.

Why North Dakota Can Show Two Different Times

North Dakota is divided between Central and Mountain Time by the federal boundary in 49 CFR §71.7. Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot use Central Time, while Dickinson, Medora and Bowman use Mountain Time. Both regions currently follow the same U.S. daylight-saving schedule, so the difference is normally one hour.

Central North DakotaCentral Time changes seasonally between CST and CDT.
Mountain North DakotaMountain Time changes seasonally between MST and MDT.
Federal boundaryThe legal line uses the Montana border, Missouri/Yellowstone/Little Missouri river corridors, county boundaries and State Highway 31 before reaching South Dakota.
Open Full ConverterNorth Dakota Time Zone

North Dakota Civil Time & Daylight Saving

North Dakota is divided between the U.S. Central and Mountain standard time zones. The current federal boundary is defined in 49 CFR §71.7. Both North Dakota zones observe daylight saving time; in 2026, U.S. DST runs from March 8 at 2:00 a.m. local time to November 1 at 2:00 a.m. local time where observed.

eCFR — North Dakota Central/Mountain BoundaryNIST — Daylight Saving Time Rules

How CalendarHours Calculates North Dakota Time

The primary state clock uses America/Chicago for Bismarck and Central Time North Dakota. Mountain Time comparisons use America/Denver for Dickinson and southwestern North Dakota. The reviewed data baseline is tzdb 2026c.

When available, this page checks the same-origin CalendarHours HTTP Date header and otherwise falls back to the visitor's device clock. Time-zone offsets and daylight-saving status are calculated with standards-based IANA zone data.

IANA — Time Zone Database
Travel Utility

Planning a Trip to North Dakota?

Use Central Time for Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot. If your itinerary includes Dickinson, Medora, Bowman or other southwestern destinations, confirm the Mountain Time clock before hotel check-ins, park visits, events or meetings.

Find stays in North Dakota →U.S. Holidays

Affiliate link. CalendarHours may earn a commission from qualifying bookings. Booking.com is not a source for the time information on this page.

Explore North Dakota Time in More Detail

Choose the tool that matches what you need next.

Current time in North DakotaUse the Central and Mountain North Dakota clocks, city clocks and comparison tools on this page.
North Dakota time zones, UTC offsets & DSTOpen North Dakota Time Zone for the detailed boundary and zone reference.
Central & Mountain TimeUse Central Time Zone and Mountain Time Zone for the broader U.S. zone guides.

Sources & Methodology

The live clocks, current abbreviations, UTC offsets and time differences update automatically. The sources below cover North Dakota's federal Central/Mountain boundary, U.S. daylight-saving rules, state facts and the IANA data used for date-aware calculations.

Time-zone boundary: 49 CFR §71.7. DST: NIST. Time-zone data: IANA tzdb. State facts: North Dakota state government and the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

eCFR — North Dakota Central/Mountain BoundaryNIST — Daylight Saving Time RulesIANA — Time Zone DatabaseNorth Dakota State Government — Fun FactsState Historical Society of North Dakota — Statehood

Reviewed August 14, 2026. IANA data baseline: tzdb 2026c. Live time, date, abbreviation, UTC-offset comparisons and visitor-local calculations update automatically.

Current Time in North Dakota FAQ

What time is it in North Dakota right now?

North Dakota has two current local times. Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot use Central Time, while Dickinson, Medora and Bowman use Mountain Time.

What time zone is North Dakota in?

North Dakota uses both Central Time and Mountain Time. Much of the state is Central, while a southwestern portion is Mountain.

Is Bismarck on CST or CDT right now?

The current abbreviation is calculated live above using America/Chicago. Bismarck uses CST during standard time and CDT during daylight saving time.

Is Dickinson, North Dakota in Mountain Time?

Yes. Dickinson uses Mountain Time, using MST during standard time and MDT during daylight saving time.

Does all of North Dakota have the same time?

No. North Dakota is divided between Central and Mountain Time.

Does North Dakota observe Daylight Saving Time?

Yes. Both North Dakota time zones currently observe U.S. daylight saving time. In 2026, DST runs from March 8 at 2:00 a.m. local time through November 1 at 2:00 a.m. local time.

Is Fargo the same time as Bismarck?

Yes. Fargo and Bismarck both use Central Time.

Is Medora the same time as Dickinson?

Yes. Medora and Dickinson both use Mountain Time.

Can I convert North Dakota time to my local time?

Yes. Use the converter above for Bismarck / Central North Dakota, or use the Time Zone Converter for Mountain North Dakota, another date or another destination.