North Dakota Child Support Enforcement Resource Center

• North Dakota Support Enforcement Measures
• Who Can Enforce Court Ordered Child Support in North Dakota
• North Dakota Child Support Enforcement Caseload Statistics
• Interest on Missed Child Support Payments
• Statute of Limitations on Back Child Support
• Statute of Limitations for Determination of Paternity
• Age of Emancipation / Age of Majority
• How Are Child Support Payment Amounts Determined in North Dakota?
• Custody and Visitation Issues

Even if the non-custodial parent lives outside the state of North Dakota, the law requires cooperation between states. The non-custodial parent is legally required to make regular child support payments, regardless of where they live.

North Dakota Support Enforcement Measures

If a non-custodial parent does not pay child support, he or she is subject to enforcement measures in accordance with Federal and North Dakota child support law to collect regular and past-due payments.

• License Suspension - (driver's, hunting, professional, and occupational, including business permits)
• Vehicle Registration Suspension - (car, truck, boat, and airplane registrations)
• Income Witholding - employers are ordered to withold payments from paychecks
• Lottery Offset - if $600 or more is owed, any lottery winnings will be applied toward the unpaid child support.
• Disclosure of Identity - if more than $25,000 of unpaid child support is owed, name, last-known address, date of birth, occupation, photograph, amount owed, the number and ages of the children, may be released to the public to assist in location. Release may occur in a variety of ways, including through web sites, newspapers, and posters.
• Intercept of state and federal tax refunds
• Reporting of outstanding balances to credit report agencies
• Placement of liens on, and force the sale of, property
• Passport applications may be denied
• Contempt of court charges which may include jail time

Who Can Enforce Court Ordered Child Support in North Dakota?

The North Dakota Child Support Enforcement is the state-run child support enforcement office for North Dakota. The North Dakota Department of Human Services is required by federal law to provide services through Child Support Enforcement (CSE) and is funded by the federal government and the state of North Dakota.

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Interest on Missed Child Support Payments

North Dakota provides for interest to be charged on late child support payments at a rate that is set every January 1st by the State Administrator and may not be compounded. For interest to be charged on arrears (missed payments) which accrue prior to July 1, 2002, the court must order the interest be calculated by some individual or entity other than the IV-D program and the court must then approve the calculated amount.

North Dakota's Statute of Limitations on Back Child Support Payments (Arrears)

Effective April 2, 1999, North Dakota's enforcement of past due child support is no longer subject to Statute of Limitations. Past due child support which had been affected by the Statute of Limitations to enforce a child support order, prior to April 2, 1999, is not revived. However, application of the Statute of Limitations to enforce a child support order, while it serves to bar certain judicial enforcement rememdies, does not extinguish the debt.

North Dakota's Statute of Limitations for Determination of Paternity

In North Dakota paternity must be established within 3 years of the child reaching the age of majority.

Age of Emancipation / Age of Majority in North Dakota

The age of emancipation in North Dakota is 18 years of age if child is enrolled and attending high school and child resides with person to whom duty of support is owed. The court can extend child support obligation until the child is 19 or graduates from high school, whichever occurs first. (N.D.C.C. section 14-09-08.2)

How Are Child Support Payment Amounts Determined in North Dakota?

Support payments are calculated by courts using North Dakota's Child Support Guidelines. These guidelines apply in any action in North Dakota in which a child support obligation is being established or changed. The Supreme Court's technology division has developed a web-based guidelines calculator to assist in estimating an obligation.

Custody and Visitation Issues

Child support and visitation rights are separate issues. The court determines both and will usually order the non-custodial parent to pay support and the custodial parent to make the child available for visits.

The custodial parent must obey the court order for visitation, even if the non-custodial parent cannot or will not pay child support. The court can enforce any of its orders against either parent.