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North Dakota · Permit test

The North Dakota driver's manual

The study book for the permit test is NDDOT's Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Class D, for 2025‑2027. It's a free 56-page PDF, and NDDOT calls it the study guide for the Rules of the Road test. The North Dakota driver's manual covers cars and light trucks only. Motorcycles and commercial vehicles have manuals of their own.

Download the manual (PDF)

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What's in the North Dakota driver's manual?

PagesSectionWhat it covers
1‑8Your operator's licenseTesting checklist, permits, rules for minors, documents, restrictions, renewals, license classes
9‑18Signs, signals and road markingsRegulatory, warning and guide signs, work zones, signals, lane markings, railroad crossings
19‑26Rules of the roadRight of way, speed limits, passing, turning, roundabouts, interstates, night driving, parking, crash reports
27‑34Driving skills and emergency situationsWinter driving and snowplows, skids, floods, blowouts, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, seat belts
35‑36Drinking, drugs and drivingAlcohol concentration limits, implied consent, DUI penalties, open containers
37‑39Pedestrians and recreational vehiclesPedestrian rules, motorized bicycles, off-highway vehicles, snowmobiles
40‑45Parent and guardian coaching tipsThe point system, teen driving risks, practice tips and the supervised driving log

The manual asks parents of drivers under 18 to read pages 1 to 6 and 40 to 45.

Other versions of the manual

  • A text version of the 2025‑2027 manual on NDDOT's manual page.
  • An audio version on YouTube, one video per section. It's the 2023‑2025 edition, dated June 2024, and NDDOT says the 2025‑2027 audio is coming soon.
  • A Spanish PDF, also the 2023‑2025 edition. NDDOT's page says the new Spanish edition "estará disponible pronto" (will be available soon).
  • A paper copy to look at in any driver license site, which NDDOT's permit page mentions.
NDDOT: Manual page with audio and Spanish versions ↗NDDOT: Audio manual playlist (YouTube) ↗

Is the Rules of the Road book the same thing?

Yes. NDDOT's permit page calls the test the Rules of the Road knowledge test and refers to the Rules of the Road manual, and links to the same Noncommercial Driver License Manual as its online study guide. Rules of the Road is also the name of the manual's own section on pages 19 to 26.

Numbers in the manual worth learning

  • Speed limits unless posted: 20 mph near schools at set times and at blind crossings and intersections, 25 in towns, 55 on gravel roads, 65 on rural two-lane highways posted for it, 70 on divided highways, 80 on rural interstates.
  • Signal for the last 100 feet before a turn. Be back in your lane at least 200 feet before meeting oncoming traffic when you pass.
  • Dim your high beams at least 500 feet before meeting a car and within 300 feet when following.
  • Fines named in the manual: $100 for texting while driving, $250 for entering a closed road, $500 for littering, and an $80 minimum for work zone speeding with workers present.
  • A crash with injury, death or $4,000 or more in total damage must be reported.
Sources: NDDOT and 2 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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