Does North Dakota have the death penalty?
Fully abolished
North Dakota abolished the death penalty in 1973.
North Dakota is classified “Fully abolished” for the death penalty, as are 23 of the other 49 states and the District of Columbia. For the United States as a whole, the classification is “Retained / in use”.
Source
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Read from the source’s state-by-state coverage; the topic is published only once hand-verified reference states match it.
Across the United States
- Retained / in use 16 states.
- Not used in practice 11 states.
- Fully abolished 23 states and the District of Columbia, including North Dakota.
Nearby states
- Minnesota
- Fully abolished Minnesota abolished the death penalty in 1911.
- South Dakota
- Retained / in use The death penalty is legal and executions are not suspended.
- Nebraska
- Retained / in use The death penalty is legal and executions are not suspended.
- Wisconsin
- Fully abolished Wisconsin abolished the death penalty in 1853.
- Iowa
- Fully abolished Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965.
- Wyoming
- Not used in practice The death penalty remains in law, but executions are suspended (de facto moratorium).
Other laws in North Dakota
- Abortion
- Illegal (with exceptions)
- Euthanasia
- Illegal
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Marriage legal
- Sex Work
- Illegal
- Gun Laws
- Permissive
- Cannabis
- Legal (Medical)
The death penalty in the United States → · Which countries have the death penalty? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.