Doug Leier: North Dakota electronic posting enrollment deadline July 15

One of the most widely discussed topics and legislative issues is commonly referred to as “electronic posting.” In short, the 2021 North Dakota Legislature passed a bill to allow electronic posting of private land, giving landowners another option for posting private property.

This system is currently available to enroll lands, with the law going into effect Sunday, Aug. 1.

In addition to the current posting laws allowing landowners to post lands with physical signs or leave lands unposted, electronic posting will add the option to digitally post land. The digital posting system will interface with county tax parcel information.

Those interested in posting electronically for the 2021-22 hunting season can do so by logging into their account on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. New accounts can be created as well. The deadline for landowners to digitally post land is Thursday, July 15.

• Current: Electronic posting enrollment open.

• July 15: Deadline for landowners to digitally post land.

• Aug. 1: Electronic posting laws go into effect.

A benefit of electronic posting is the ability for hunters to determine a valid point of contact when requesting access. The name of the landowner, or authorized individual who posted the land, is included on the map applications. Additional contact may be included to help establish contact.
As with any new legislation or program, there are many questions. While space doesn’t allow for all potential questions, here are a few Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Are landowners required to use the electronic posting application to post their lands?

A: No. Electronic posting is an additional option for landowners to post land to prohibit hunting access. Landowners can still use traditional posting with physical signage.

Q: I prefer to use my existing signs or physical signs. Can I still try the electronic posting system?

A: Yes. Land can be posted with physical signs and electronically.

Q: I only post some of my land. Can I leave some lands unposted and use electronic posting on others?

A: Yes. Landowners can use any of the options to post land parcels or leave land parcels unposted.

Q: Do I need to post my land every year?

A: Yes. To ensure land has not been sold or leased to another individual, it is necessary to post annually. The posting system will allow an import of previous postings.

Q: I entered information to search land parcels and do not get results.

A: Land records must be searched by selecting a county and one of the following:

1. Owner name as it appears on the tax statement.

2. Parcel id (371239900094000; 37-123-99-000-94-000).

3. Section/township/range.

Other possibilities for not getting results:

• The name or parcel ID does not match the county tax records.

• Try searching by the county and section/township/range only.

• The electronic posting application is limited to rural or unincorporated tax parcels.

• If using the landowner name, ensure the exact spelling and punctuation is used.

• Land may be posted by another account. Refer to the map application to view posting.

• The information for the specific parcel may not be available from the county tax records.

For more information, call the Game and Fish Department’s Bismarck headquarters at (701) 328-6300. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Leier is an outreach biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Reach him at dleier@nd.gov.