Why does North Dakota have America/North_Dakota IANA zones?

North Dakota has state-specific IANA identifiers for historical boundary changes: America/North_Dakota/Center for Oliver County, America/North_Dakota/New_Salem for Morton County and America/North_Dakota/Beulah for Mercer County.

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North Dakota • Central + Mountain • Official Boundary Data

North Dakota Time Zone Map

Q: Where does the time zone change in North Dakota?

The current Central–Mountain boundary is defined in 49 CFR 71.7(a). It uses portions of the Missouri, Yellowstone and Little Missouri rivers, then county and township lines, the western line of Mercer County, the southwestern boundary of Morton County, the northern boundary of Sioux County and State Highway 31 to South Dakota.

Q: Is Bismarck in Central or Mountain Time?

Bismarck is in Central Time. It uses CST during standard time and CDT during daylight saving time.

Q: Is Dickinson in Central or Mountain Time?

Dickinson is in Mountain Time. It uses MST during standard time and MDT during daylight saving time.

Q: Where does the time change on I-94 in North Dakota?

I-94 crosses the Central–Mountain boundary at the Stark–Morton county line southwest of Hebron. Eastbound travelers enter Central Time and westbound travelers enter Mountain Time.

Q: Which North Dakota counties are in Mountain Time?

Eight counties are entirely in Mountain Time: Adams, Billings, Bowman, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Slope and Stark. Dunn, McKenzie and Sioux counties are split between Central and Mountain Time.

Q: Does North Dakota observe daylight saving time?

Yes. Both Central and Mountain Time areas in North Dakota currently observe the U.S. daylight-saving schedule.

Q: Can I print or download the North Dakota time zone map?

Yes. Use the Print Map, Download SVG or Download PNG controls. The export reflects the selected map view, date and visible city layer.

North Dakota uses two time zones: Central Time across most of the state and Mountain Time across the southwest and parts of the west. Use the interactive map to trace the federal Central–Mountain boundary, explore all 53 counties, compare Bismarck and Dickinson, locate the I-94 time change and see date-aware UTC offsets.

2 time zones53 countiesOfficial ND GIS boundary3 split countiesI-94 crossingPrint & download

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JavaScript is required for the interactive North Dakota map. The county table, city reference, legal boundary explanation and source material below remain available.

Time-zone boundary and county geography: North Dakota GIS Hub. Road corridors are simplified for orientation. Selected dates update offsets and abbreviations, not historical boundary geometry.Sources & methodology · Need the reference guide? North Dakota Time Zone

North Dakota Time Zones at a Glance

Most of North Dakota uses Central Time, but the southwest and portions of three western counties use Mountain Time.

2 time zonesCentral Time and Mountain Time are both used in North Dakota.

42 Central countiesForty-two counties are entirely on the Central side of the current federal boundary.

8 Mountain countiesEight counties are entirely on Mountain Time, including Stark, Billings and Bowman.

3 split countiesMcKenzie, Dunn and Sioux counties contain both Central and Mountain Time areas.

Where Does the Time Zone Change in North Dakota?

The legal Central–Mountain boundary is defined in 49 CFR § 71.7(a). It begins at the Montana–North Dakota line at Canada, runs south to the Missouri River, then follows portions of the Missouri, Yellowstone and Little Missouri rivers before continuing through township and county-line segments.

Farther south, the line reaches the western boundary of Mercer County, follows the southwestern boundary of Morton County, then runs along the northern boundary of Sioux County to State Highway 31 and follows ND 31 to South Dakota. This produces a much more irregular boundary than a simple east/west line.

North Dakota Time Zone Guide U.S. Time Zone Map

Boundary Places to Know

These locations make the North Dakota boundary easier to understand on the map.

Dunn CountyThe county is split: Killdeer is on Mountain Time while northern areas are on the Central side.

McKenzie CountyThe county is split; Watford City is on Central Time while the federal line follows river geography through the county.

Sioux CountyThe boundary follows part of the county’s north edge and ND 31; Fort Yates remains on Central Time.

North Dakota Time Zone Map by County

All 53 North Dakota counties are listed below. McKenzie, Dunn and Sioux are marked as split because the current federal boundary passes through them.

Full North Dakota time-zone reference →

County	Time Zone	Standard Time	Daylight Time	Boundary Context
Adams County	Mountain Time	MST · UTC−07:00	MDT · UTC−06:00	Mountain North Dakota
Barnes County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Benson County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Billings County	Mountain Time	MST · UTC−07:00	MDT · UTC−06:00	Mountain North Dakota
Bottineau County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Bowman County	Mountain Time	MST · UTC−07:00	MDT · UTC−06:00	Mountain North Dakota
Burke County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Burleigh County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Cass County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Cavalier County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Dickey County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Divide County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Dunn County	Split · Central + Mountain	CST / MST	CDT / MDT	Split by the federal boundary; Killdeer is on Mountain Time
Eddy County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Emmons County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Foster County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Golden Valley County	Mountain Time	MST · UTC−07:00	MDT · UTC−06:00	Mountain North Dakota
Grand Forks County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Grant County	Mountain Time	MST · UTC−07:00	MDT · UTC−06:00	Mountain side of the federal boundary
Griggs County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Hettinger County	Mountain Time	MST · UTC−07:00	MDT · UTC−06:00	Mountain North Dakota
Kidder County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
LaMoure County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Logan County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
McHenry County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
McIntosh County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
McKenzie County	Split · Central + Mountain	CST / MST	CDT / MDT	Split by the federal boundary; Watford City is on Central Time
McLean County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Mercer County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central since 2010; historical IANA zone America/North_Dakota/Beulah
Morton County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Entire county Central since 2003; historical IANA zone America/North_Dakota/New_Salem
Mountrail County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Nelson County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Oliver County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central since 1992; historical IANA zone America/North_Dakota/Center
Pembina County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Pierce County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Ramsey County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Ransom County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Renville County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Richland County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Rolette County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Sargent County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Sheridan County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Sioux County	Split · Central + Mountain	CST / MST	CDT / MDT	Split by ND 31 / Missouri River boundary; Fort Yates is on Central Time
Slope County	Mountain Time	MST · UTC−07:00	MDT · UTC−06:00	Mountain North Dakota
Stark County	Mountain Time	MST · UTC−07:00	MDT · UTC−06:00	Mountain side of the federal boundary
Steele County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Stutsman County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Towner County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Traill County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Walsh County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Ward County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Wells County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota
Williams County	Central Time	CST · UTC−06:00	CDT · UTC−05:00	Central North Dakota

North Dakota Time Zone Map with Cities

Major North Dakota cities span both zones. Live values below update for the selected map date and clock format.

City	County	Time Zone	Selected Time	UTC Offset
Bismarck	Burleigh	Central Time	Live	CST / CDT
Fargo	Cass	Central Time	Live	CST / CDT
Grand Forks	Grand Forks	Central Time	Live	CST / CDT
Minot	Ward	Central Time	Live	CST / CDT
Williston	Williams	Central Time	Live	CST / CDT
Watford City	McKenzie	Central Time	Live	CST / CDT
Beulah	Mercer	Central Time	Live	CST / CDT
Center	Oliver	Central Time	Live	CST / CDT
New Salem	Morton	Central Time	Live	CST / CDT
Fort Yates	Sioux	Central Time	Live	CST / CDT
Dickinson	Stark	Mountain Time	Live	MST / MDT
Killdeer	Dunn	Mountain Time	Live	MST / MDT
Bowman	Bowman	Mountain Time	Live	MST / MDT
Medora	Billings	Mountain Time	Live	MST / MDT

North Dakota Time Zone Map with I-94

I-94 is the clearest highway for seeing North Dakota’s time change. Eastbound travelers cross from Mountain Time in Stark County into Central Time at the Stark–Morton county line southwest of Hebron. Westbound travelers make the reverse change.

The road layer also shows simplified reference corridors for I-29, US-2 and US-85. I-29 stays in Central Time in eastern North Dakota, while I-94 connects Dickinson in Mountain Time with Mandan, Bismarck, Jamestown and Fargo in Central Time.

Road Planning Quick Guide

I-94 · Stark ↔ MortonMountain Time in Stark County; Central Time in Morton County and eastward.

Dickinson → BismarckDickinson is Mountain Time; Bismarck is Central Time, so eastbound travel adds one hour at the boundary.

I-29 · eastern North DakotaFargo and Grand Forks remain in Central Time along the interstate corridor.

Central vs. Mountain Time in North Dakota

The current legal boundary does not move during the year, but abbreviations and UTC offsets change with daylight saving time. Central North Dakota uses CST (UTC−06:00) in standard time and CDT (UTC−05:00) in daylight time. Mountain North Dakota uses MST (UTC−07:00) and MDT (UTC−06:00).

Both regions currently follow the same U.S. daylight-saving schedule, so Mountain Time remains one hour behind Central Time throughout the seasonal changes.

Central Time Mountain Time Daylight Saving Time

Why Does North Dakota Have Beulah, Center and New Salem IANA Zones?

North Dakota’s time-zone boundary has changed several times in recent decades. Oliver County moved to Central Time in 1992, Morton County became entirely Central in 2003, and Mercer County moved to Central Time in 2010.

IANA preserves those historical changes with America/North_Dakota/Center, America/North_Dakota/New_Salem and America/North_Dakota/Beulah. For current dates these locations follow Central Time, but the separate identifiers let software calculate older timestamps correctly.

The map displays the current federal boundary. Choosing an older date changes IANA-derived clock rules in the detail panel; it does not redraw a historical boundary map.

North Dakota Time References

North Dakota Time Zone Central Time Zone Mountain Time Zone Time Zone Abbreviations

Continue from North Dakota to the national map, the two zone maps that meet here, or nearby state boundary maps.

Parent mapU.S. Time Zone MapNational zones, states and boundaries Zone mapCentral Time Zone MapCentral Time geography Zone mapMountain Time Zone MapMountain Time geography Nearby state mapSouth Dakota Time Zone MapCentral / Mountain boundary south of North Dakota Related state mapNebraska Time Zone MapCentral / Mountain boundary farther south

Printable • Downloadable

Print or Download the North Dakota Time Zone Map

Print the current view or save it as SVG or PNG. Exports preserve the selected date, map layer and visible city markers.

For reference use only. Time-zone boundaries are legal/civil constructs and can change. Do not use a web map as a property, county or legal boundary survey.

North Dakota Time Zone Map vs. North Dakota Time Zone Guide

Use this page when geography is the question. It is designed to show where North Dakota changes between Central and Mountain Time, which counties are split, and how cities and road corridors relate to the current federal line.

Use the North Dakota Time Zone guide for deeper reference on abbreviations, offsets, IANA identifiers, DST rules and legal details.

North Dakota Time Zone U.S. Time Zones

Looking for the Current Time in North Dakota?

North Dakota does not have one statewide clock because the state uses Central and Mountain Time. Open the statewide current-time page for live clocks across both regions.

Current Time in North Dakota Central Time Zone Map Mountain Time Zone Map World Clock

North Dakota Daylight Saving Time in 2026

Both North Dakota time zones follow the same federal seasonal schedule, so the Central–Mountain difference remains one hour.

Spring forwardMarch 8, 2026 · 2:00 a.m.

Central North Dakota moves from CST to CDT; Mountain North Dakota moves from MST to MDT.

Fall backNovember 1, 2026 · 2:00 a.m.

Central North Dakota returns to CST; Mountain North Dakota returns to MST.

Difference1 hour

Mountain North Dakota remains one hour behind Central North Dakota before, during and after the 2026 seasonal changes.

Sources & Methodology

The map separates four questions: current time-zone boundary, county geography, road orientation and date-aware civil-time rules. The North Dakota GIS Hub publishes the statewide political-boundaries service with a dedicated Time Zone Boundary layer and a Counties layer.

The federal Central–Mountain boundary is checked against 49 CFR § 71.7(a). Major-road lines in the interactive fallback are simplified for orientation rather than used as survey geometry. Date-aware abbreviations and offsets use IANA identifiers through the browser’s Intl implementation.

North Dakota GIS Hub — Time Zone Boundary North Dakota GIS Hub — Counties 49 CFR § 71.7 — Central / Mountain Boundary U.S. DOT — Uniform Time & Time-Zone Oversight U.S. DOT — Recent Time-Zone Proceedings NIST — Daylight Saving Time Rules IANA — Time Zone Database

Reviewed August 23, 2026. Official North Dakota boundary and county layers load when available. If a remote layer is temporarily unavailable, the map keeps a built-in fallback so the state outline and current time-zone boundary remain visible.

North Dakota Time Zone Map FAQ

How many time zones are in North Dakota?

North Dakota uses two time zones: Central Time and Mountain Time. Most of the state is Central, while the southwest and parts of the west use Mountain Time.

Where does the time zone change in North Dakota?

The federal line is defined in 49 CFR § 71.7(a). It follows river, township, county and highway segments from the Montana border to South Dakota.

Is Bismarck in Central or Mountain Time?

Bismarck is in Central Time. It uses CST in standard time and CDT during daylight saving time.

Is Dickinson in Central or Mountain Time?

Dickinson is in Mountain Time. It uses MST in standard time and MDT during daylight saving time.

Where does the time change on I-94 in North Dakota?

I-94 crosses the boundary at the Stark–Morton county line southwest of Hebron. Eastbound travelers enter Central Time; westbound travelers enter Mountain Time.

Which North Dakota counties are in Mountain Time?

Adams, Billings, Bowman, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Slope and Stark are entirely Mountain Time. McKenzie, Dunn and Sioux counties are split.

Why does North Dakota have state-specific IANA time zones?

Oliver, Morton and Mercer counties changed time-zone assignment in 1992, 2003 and 2010. IANA preserves their histories with Center, New Salem and Beulah identifiers.

Does North Dakota observe daylight saving time?

Yes. Both Central and Mountain portions currently observe the U.S. daylight-saving schedule.

Can I print or download the North Dakota time zone map?

Yes. Use the print, SVG or PNG controls above. The export reflects the selected date, current layer and visible city markers.