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North Dakota • Live Time-Zone Reference

North Dakota Time Zone

North Dakota has two time zones. Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, Williston and most of the state use Central Time (CT). Southwestern North Dakota—including Dickinson, Medora and Bowman—uses Mountain Time (MT).

Quick answer: Most North Dakota residents use Central Time. The Mountain Time area includes eight entire southwestern counties plus parts of McKenzie, Dunn and Sioux counties. Mountain Time is normally one hour behind Central Time.
Time zones2Central + Mountain
Most of North DakotaCentral TimeCST / CDT
SouthwestMountain TimeMST / MDT
North Dakota Time Zones at a Glance North Dakota Time Zone Map Current Time in North Dakota
Search a North Dakota city, county, related state, time-zone name, abbreviation or UTC offset.
Popular: U.S. Time Zones Central Time Mountain Time North Dakota Time Now North Dakota Time Zone Map Daylight Saving Time

North Dakota Time Zone at a Glance

North Dakota's legal Central–Mountain boundary follows rivers, township lines, county boundaries and State Highway 31 rather than a simple longitude or straight county-only split.

CT

Central Time in North Dakota

Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, Williston and most of North Dakota use Central Time.

Central Time details → MT

Mountain Time in North Dakota

Eight full southwestern counties plus parts of McKenzie, Dunn and Sioux counties lie on the Mountain side.

Mountain Time details → DST

North Dakota Daylight Saving Time

Both North Dakota zones currently change clocks in March and November under the U.S. DST schedule.

See DST rules → ⌖

North Dakota Time Zone Map

See the legal Central–Mountain boundary, eight full Mountain counties and the split-county areas.

View North Dakota map → ◷

Current Time in North Dakota

Compare the live Central and Mountain clocks used across North Dakota.

See North Dakota time now → ⇄

North Dakota Time Converter

Convert Central or Mountain North Dakota time to another location for a specific date and time.

Convert North Dakota time →

North Dakota Time Zones by Major City

Major population centers span both zones. Bismarck and Fargo are Central; Dickinson, Medora and Bowman are Mountain.

Current time across North Dakota →
North Dakota LocationCurrent TimeCurrent AbbreviationCurrent UTC OffsetReference
Bismarck · Burleigh CountyLive——State capital time
Fargo · Cass CountyLive——Eastern North Dakota
Grand Forks · Grand Forks CountyLive——Northeast North Dakota
Minot · Ward CountyLive——North-Central North Dakota
Williston · Williams CountyLive——Northwest North Dakota
Dickinson · Stark CountyLive——Mountain Time
Medora · Billings CountyLive——Mountain Time
Bowman · Bowman CountyLive——Mountain Time
Central Time Zone Mountain Time Zone North Dakota Time Zone Map

North Dakota Time-Zone Guides & Related References

Continue with the two zone families, official related states, current North Dakota time and the dedicated state boundary map.

All U.S. time zones →
Primary North Dakota zoneCentral TimeUsed by Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, Williston and most of the state.→ Southwestern zoneMountain TimeUsed by Dickinson, Medora, Bowman and other southwestern areas.→ Central standard timeCSTUTC−06:00 during standard time.→ Central daylight timeCDTUTC−05:00 while DST is active.→ Official related stateMinnesotaCentral Time neighbor to the east.→ Official related stateSouth DakotaAnother Central–Mountain state to the south.→ Live statewide timeCurrent Time in North DakotaCentral and Mountain clocks side by side.→ Dedicated state mapNorth Dakota Time Zone MapSee the legal boundary and split counties visually.→ Zone mapCentral Time Zone MapSee most of North Dakota in the broader Central region.→ Zone mapMountain Time Zone MapSee southwestern North Dakota in the wider Mountain region.→ Seasonal rulesDaylight Saving TimeCurrent U.S. clock-change dates and rules.→ U.S. directoryU.S. Time ZonesAll state references and major U.S. zones.→
Two North Dakota Clocks

Central & Mountain Time in North Dakota Now

Both North Dakota zones follow the same U.S. daylight-saving schedule, so Mountain Time North Dakota normally remains one hour behind Central Time North Dakota. Current abbreviations and UTC offsets are calculated from the date.

Central Time CST CDT Mountain Time MST MDT
Bismarck · CentralLive timeAmerica/Chicago · current abbreviation and offset
Dickinson · MountainLive timeAmerica/Denver · current abbreviation and offset
UTC ReferenceLive timeCoordinated Universal Time · UTC+00:00
North Dakota Zone Difference1 hourMountain Time is normally one hour behind Central Time.

North Dakota UTC Offsets: Central vs Mountain

North Dakota does not have one statewide UTC offset. The correct offset depends on location and date.

Explore UTC offsets →
North Dakota AreaIANA ZoneCurrent TimeCurrent UTC OffsetSeasonal Rule
Bismarck / Central North DakotaAmerica/ChicagoLive—CST UTC−06 → CDT UTC−05
Fargo / Eastern North DakotaAmerica/ChicagoLive—CST UTC−06 → CDT UTC−05
Williston / Northwest North DakotaAmerica/ChicagoLive—CST UTC−06 → CDT UTC−05
Dickinson / Stark CountyAmerica/DenverLive—MST UTC−07 → MDT UTC−06
Medora / Billings CountyAmerica/DenverLive—MST UTC−07 → MDT UTC−06
Bowman / Bowman CountyAmerica/DenverLive—MST UTC−07 → MDT UTC−06

North Dakota Standard Time vs Daylight Time

Both North Dakota time zones currently observe the U.S. daylight-saving schedule, preserving their normal one-hour difference throughout the year.

Daylight Saving Time guide →
North Dakota ZoneStandard TimeStandard OffsetDaylight TimeDaylight Offset
Central Time · most of North DakotaCSTUTC−06:00CDTUTC−05:00
Mountain Time · southwestern North DakotaMSTUTC−07:00MDTUTC−06:00
North Dakota DST Rules When DST Starts When DST Ends DST by State

Compare North Dakota Central & Mountain Time

Compare Bismarck with Dickinson, or switch either side to another U.S. or world location. The live comparison uses each location's current civil-time rules.

Live time
Current abbreviation and UTC offset
Live time
Current abbreviation and UTC offset
Open Full Converter Time Zone Difference

How North Dakota Time Zones Work

Six facts explain nearly every North Dakota time-zone question, including the eight full Mountain counties, split counties, historical county changes and current DST rules.

01 · Majority

Most of North Dakota Uses Central Time

Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, Williston and most residents are on the Central side.

02 · Mountain

Eight Counties Are Fully Mountain Time

Adams, Billings, Bowman, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Slope and Stark are entirely in Mountain Time.

03 · Split Counties

McKenzie, Dunn & Sioux Cross the Boundary

The federal line divides portions of these counties, so county name alone is not always enough for a precise answer.

04 · History

Morton & Mercer Are Now Central

Morton completed its move to Central Time in 2003; Mercer moved from Mountain to Central Time in 2010.

05 · IANA

North Dakota Has Historical IANA Zones

Center, New_Salem and Beulah preserve post-1970 county transition history in addition to the current Chicago/Denver rule families.

06 · DST

Both North Dakota Zones Observe DST

Central and Mountain North Dakota currently change clocks on the same federal schedule, preserving their normal one-hour difference.

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. Parts of McKenzie, Dunn and Sioux counties are also on the Mountain side of the federal boundary.

The legal line in 49 CFR §71.7(a) enters North Dakota at the Montana border, follows the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, crosses township and range lines, follows the Little Missouri and Missouri rivers, then uses county boundaries and State Highway 31 before reaching South Dakota. Because that path cuts through counties, the dedicated map is the safest visual reference near the boundary.

8 full Mountain countiesAdams, Billings, Bowman, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Slope and Stark.
Split countiesMcKenzie, Dunn and Sioux contain areas on both sides of the Central–Mountain boundary.
Boundary municipalities49 CFR §71.7(g) assigns municipalities located on the boundary line to Mountain Standard Time.
See the North Dakota Time Zone MapMountain Time Zone

Why North Dakota's Time-Zone History Matters for IANA IDs

For straightforward current and future civil-time calculations, America/Chicago works for Central North Dakota and America/Denver works for Mountain North Dakota. Historical applications can require more precision because several counties changed zones after 1970.

IANA therefore maintains America/North_Dakota/Center for Oliver County's 1992 change, America/North_Dakota/New_Salem for Morton County's 2003 change, and America/North_Dakota/Beulah for Mercer County's 2010 change. Those IDs preserve historical transitions that a generic current-zone choice can miss.

Time Zone Abbreviations UTC Offsets Time Zone Converter Time Zone Chart
Visual Geography

North Dakota Time Zone Map

North Dakota's boundary is more complex than a simple southwest corner. It follows major rivers, survey lines, county edges and State Highway 31, while McKenzie, Dunn and Sioux counties require boundary-level context. The dedicated state map owns visual North Dakota time-zone questions.

North Dakota Time Zone Map Central Time Zone Map Mountain Time Zone Map

Looking for the Current Time in North Dakota?

This page explains North Dakota time zones, UTC offsets, abbreviations, the federal boundary and DST. If your main question is what time it is right now, use the statewide current-time page with both Central and Mountain clocks.

Statewide current timeCurrent Time in North Dakota
Primary zoneCentral Time Zone
Southwestern zoneMountain Time Zone
Visual boundaryNorth Dakota Time Zone Map

Sources & Methodology

CalendarHours uses location-aware, date-aware time-zone logic rather than hardcoding one North Dakota offset. America/Chicago is used for representative current Central Time locations such as Bismarck and Fargo; America/Denver is used for representative current Mountain Time locations such as Dickinson and Medora.

The current legal Central–Mountain boundary is checked against 49 CFR §71.7(a). U.S. daylight-saving dates are checked against NIST. Historical county changes are checked against U.S. Department of Transportation proceedings, including Morton County in 2003 and Mercer County in 2010. Current daylight-saving proposals are checked against North Dakota Legislative Branch records.

IANA — Time Zone Database eCFR — 49 CFR §71.7 Central–Mountain Boundary U.S. DOT — North Dakota Time Zone Proceedings NIST — Daylight Saving Time Rules North Dakota Legislature — HB 1227 North Dakota Legislature — HB 1259

Reviewed August 20, 2026. This URL is evergreen; live clocks, current abbreviations and UTC offsets update automatically from supported browser time-zone data.

North Dakota Time Zone FAQ

What time zone is North Dakota in?

North Dakota uses two time zones. Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, Williston and most of the state use Central Time, while southwestern areas including Dickinson, Medora and Bowman use Mountain Time.

How many time zones are in North Dakota?

North Dakota has two official time zones: Central Time and Mountain Time.

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. Parts of McKenzie, Dunn and Sioux counties are also on the Mountain side.

Is Dickinson, North Dakota in Mountain Time?

Yes. Dickinson is in Stark County, which is entirely in Mountain Time. Dickinson uses MST during standard time and MDT during daylight saving time.

Is Bismarck in Central Time?

Yes. Bismarck uses CST (UTC−06:00) during standard time and CDT (UTC−05:00) during daylight saving time.

Is Fargo in Central Time?

Yes. Fargo uses Central Time and follows the same CST/CDT schedule as Bismarck, Grand Forks and Minot.

Is Williston in Central Time?

Yes. Williston uses Central Time. The legal boundary runs south and west of the city through the Missouri, Yellowstone and Little Missouri river corridor.

Does North Dakota observe daylight saving time?

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

What is North Dakota's UTC offset?

Central North Dakota is UTC−06:00 during CST and UTC−05:00 during CDT. Mountain North Dakota is UTC−07:00 during MST and UTC−06:00 during MDT.

What IANA time zones should I use for North Dakota?

Use America/Chicago for current/future Central Time calculations and America/Denver for current/future Mountain Time calculations. Historical work may require America/North_Dakota/Center, America/North_Dakota/New_Salem or America/North_Dakota/Beulah.

Did Morton and Mercer counties change time zones?

Yes. Morton County moved fully to Central Time in 2003, and Mercer County moved from Mountain Time to Central Time in 2010.

Is North Dakota ending daylight saving time?

No change is in force as of August 20, 2026. HB 1227 was withdrawn from further consideration, and HB 1259 failed in the Senate in 2025. North Dakota still follows the normal seasonal DST schedule.