North Dakota Defensive Driving Course: Eligibility, Benefits, and Approved Options

A North Dakota defensive driving course can reduce existing points, prevent points from an eligible citation, or qualify you for an insurance discount. Choose the course for the benefit you need: NDDOT controls approval for points, while the North Dakota Highway Patrol approves insurance courses.13

That choice matters before you pay. Taking a class on your own does not complete the court election for preventing ticket points, and a provider’s point course may differ from its insurance course.

General information only: This guide explains North Dakota’s course options. Your citation, driving record, court directions, and insurance policy determine which steps apply to you.

Start with the result you need

Use the table to identify the approval and recipient before comparing courses.

The first three routes have different rules. A course certificate alone does not show that you met all of them.23 If a court or agency sent you, ask which class it will accept before you pay.

Existing points: understand the three-point reduction

North Dakota law lets a licensee reduce the point total by three during a twelve-month period. You must send a certificate showing that you passed a director-approved driver training course. Only points you had before finishing the required training count toward the reduction.2

The reduction applies to points already on your record. You cannot save it for a future ticket.

Repeated courses have a longer-term limit. You cannot reduce more than nine points through courses during the three-year period that starts with entry of the last points on your record.2 If you have taken several classes, ask Driver Record Services whether you still qualify before buying another one.

Timing becomes especially important near a license penalty. If your record has twelve or more points when the director receives the certificate, the reduction applies after the required suspension. The same rule applies to a minor whose record has six or more points and requires cancellation.2

Check your license status as well as your point total. If you have received a suspension or cancellation notice, contact Driver Record Services about your record and outstanding requirements. NDDOT’s reinstatement system lets you check those requirements; restoring driving privileges requires both the required time and the outstanding conditions to be satisfied.4

There is a separate reduction for periods without new points. NDDOT describes one point reduced for each three months without new point violations. The statutory period starts from entry of the last points, rather than the date you received the ticket.12 Ask NDDOT to explain your actual total if the dates or reductions on your record are unclear.

A recent citation: elect training before the points are entered

The course-in-lieu-of-points route is a court election under North Dakota Century Code Section 39-06.1-10.1. For an eligible citation, it prevents assessment of the citation’s point penalty rather than subtracting three points already on your record.2

The statute requires you to notify the court of the election when posting the bond. That bond is forfeited even when you choose the course, and you pay the course sponsor separately. Proof of completion must reach the department within thirty days after you notify the court of the election.2

The thirty-day clock is tied to that notification. Buying a course later does not establish a new deadline. Ask the court how to make and document the election before you act on a provider’s enrollment instructions.

The statute excludes an election if:

• You made an election under this section within the twelve months preceding issuance of the new summons or notice to appear.
• The offense carries six or more points.
• The offense is among those listed in Section 39-06.1-05.2

An offense carrying under six points meets only one eligibility condition. Have the court confirm that your specific citation qualifies and explain how your bond, election, and deadline will be handled.

The election also affects other reductions: Section 39-06.1-10.1(2) says making this election forfeits any point-reduction option under Section 39-06.1-13. That section covers both the one-point reduction for each three months without new points and the three-point course reduction.2 Discuss the effect on your existing record with NDDOT before choosing this route. The provision does not say when that forfeiture ends. Do not assume you can combine the election with a separate reduction later.

Keep a copy of the election and the completion proof you submit. Those documents let you ask a specific question if the expected point treatment does not appear on your record.

Insurance savings: check the separate approval and policy rules

North Dakota law requires an appropriate premium reduction in motor vehicle liability and physical damage rate filings. It applies to qualifying principal operators who finish an NDHP-approved accident prevention course. The general period is at least two years. A driver fifty-five or older is entitled to three years.3

The law does not set a single statewide percentage. Ask your insurer for the dollar savings and the coverages to which it will apply before paying for a course.

The benefit has limits. It does not apply to an operator subject to experience rating or a driver-education premium reduction. If your policy covers more than one vehicle, only the one you principally drive qualifies.3

The vehicle must be a private passenger vehicle, or a pickup or van with gross vehicle weight below 10,000 pounds. Delivery or transport of goods is excluded unless incidental to the operator’s business.3 Ask the insurer about your vehicle’s use if this limit could affect you.

Ask the insurer to explain how those conditions apply to your policy. In particular, disclose the ticket if you are considering the course after a violation. Reducing licensing points does not establish the insurer’s rating treatment.

NDHP recommends checking with the insurance provider before enrolling.6 Useful questions are:

• Does this exact course qualify for my policy and age?
• Does experience rating or an existing driver-education reduction affect eligibility?
• Which vehicle and coverage charges receive the reduction?
• What will I save in dollars, and when will the reduction begin?
• How should I submit the certificate, and when should I take another course to maintain the benefit?

Use the quoted dollar savings to decide whether the course cost makes sense for you. An advertised percentage is less useful than an insurer’s explanation of the charges it actually reduces.

The law requires separate disclosure of the reduction on premium billing.3 After submitting proof, check the bill and ask the insurer to explain any missing or unexpected adjustment.

Find approved options without confusing the course products

Start with the list for your goal:

• Points: NDDOT’s defensive driving course list.
• Online insurance courses: NDHP’s online approval list.
• Classroom insurance courses: NDHP’s classroom approval list.8

Some organizations appear on both agencies’ lists. AARP, North Dakota Safety Council, and Safe2Drive are examples. That overlap is a place to begin checking; it does not establish that every product sold by the organization qualifies for both benefits.17

NDHP identifies particular insurance courses and publishes approval periods, including some course-specific expiration dates. Follow the current agency listing to the course, then compare the enrollment name with the name on that listing.7

Safe Streets offers an example of the product distinction. Safe Streets Academy appears on NDDOT’s point-course list. Its own North Dakota product page describes a four-hour online point course and says that product cannot fulfill court orders or be used for citation diversion or dismissal. For insurance, it directs customers to a separate Defensive Driving America course.111 NDHP lists the latter insurance product separately.7

An NDDOT listing does not answer whether a course fits a particular court requirement. If you need training for the court election, ask the court and provider about that specific use rather than relying on a general “state-approved” label.

This guide does not rank providers. Use the approving agency to establish the benefit, and use the provider’s own terms to compare the practical details: instruction time, certificate delivery, support, course access, and refunds.

Save the course title and the terms you relied on when enrolling. If the registration page offers several North Dakota products, check which one is in your cart before submitting payment.

Can you take the course online, and how long does it take?

Online courses are available: NDDOT publishes an approved online point-course list, and NDHP maintains online and classroom insurance lists.16 A court or agency order needs its own acceptance check, even if a course is approved for voluntary use.

Course length depends on the purpose and product. North Dakota’s insurance-course rule requires at least four hours of instruction.9 That rule governs insurance crash-prevention courses; it should not be used as proof of the duration of every point course or court assignment.

Providers may offer longer courses. North Dakota Safety Council, for example, advertises an approximately five-hour, self-paced online course and directs court-ordered participants to confirm that online training will meet the court’s requirements.12

When time is tight, ask about the certificate as well as the instruction. Find out whether it is available immediately, how you receive it, and whether any identity or completion steps remain after the last lesson. Leave time to submit proof and address a missing document before your deadline.

For classroom training, confirm the actual class date and location before paying. A directory listing does not reserve a seat in a class.

Submit proof and check that the benefit was processed

NDDOT directs point-course certificates to DRS@nd.gov. The state’s transportation FAQ says documents should be emailed as PDF attachments.15 For a citation election, the department must receive proof within the statutory thirty-day period described above.2

Providers handle reporting differently. Safe Streets says it emails the digital certificate to DRS on your behalf; NDSC tells point-course participants they are responsible for sending their certificate.1112 Ask who will submit it, get your own copy, and retain evidence of the submission.

For an insurance benefit, provide the completion certificate to your insurer using its instructions.6 Approved insurance-course sponsors must issue a completion certificate, but issuance is different from having the insurer apply the benefit.10

Afterward, verify the result you sought:

1. Existing-point reduction: check your current NDDOT point total and ask DRS about a missing adjustment.
2. Citation point prevention: confirm receipt of the proof and the expected treatment of that citation with NDDOT; retain the court election record.
3. Insurance reduction: check the premium billing and the insurer’s explanation of the amount and duration.
4. Court or agency assignment: confirm acceptance with the recipient identified in your directions.

NDDOT’s limited online driving record includes the current point total. A complete record requires the Request for Driver Abstract, SFN 51386.4 If the online total does not show what you expected, contact Driver Record Services at 701-328-2604 with your certificate and submission details.45

Questions that can change your course choice

Does the course dismiss my ticket or erase the violation?

NDDOT says completing defensive driving does not remove violations from the driving record.5 The statutory citation election concerns the assessment of points, and the bond is still forfeited.2 Treat a promise to “dismiss your ticket” as a reason to ask the handling court exactly what outcome is available.

What if my license is from another state?

Check with the agency that issued your license. North Dakota says an out-of-state driver’s citation is entered on a North Dakota driving record and reported to the licensing state, which applies its own rules. Defensive driving certificates are not forwarded to other states.5 Ask your home-state agency whether it recognizes the course before purchasing it for a record benefit there.

What if I have a CDL or commercial learner’s permit?

Ask NDDOT about the record and benefit involved before enrolling. Federal law prohibits states from masking qualifying CLP/CDL convictions on the CDLIS record, including offenses in personal vehicles; parking, vehicle-weight, and vehicle-defect violations are exceptions.13 That rule does not itself establish that every North Dakota point-total reduction is unavailable. It does mean that a promise to hide a commercial driver’s conviction needs careful scrutiny.

Can one certificate give me both points and insurance benefits?

Check the exact course on both approval lists and confirm insurance eligibility separately. Also account for the statutory forfeiture if you choose the court election. A provider’s broad description of “points and insurance” does not resolve those individual conditions.132

Before paying, write down the benefit you want, the exact course approved for it, your submission deadline if one applies, and the recipient of your certificate. Keep that record until you can confirm the expected outcome.

Related Reading

• How to check whether online traffic school is legitimate
• How traffic school insurance discounts work
• Whether traffic school removes a ticket from your record
• Compare traffic school rules by state

Sources

1. NDDOT — Driver License Points Reduction and Points Schedule.
2. North Dakota Century Code, Chapter 39-06.1, Sections 39-06.1-05, 39-06.1-10.1 and 39-06.1-13, especially PDF pages 9-12 for the two course mechanisms.
3. North Dakota Century Code, Section 26.1-25-04.1.
4. NDDOT — Driver Record Services and Suspensions.
5. North Dakota State Government — Transportation FAQ.
6. North Dakota Highway Patrol — Insurance Premium Reduction Courses.
7. North Dakota Highway Patrol — Approved Online Insurance Courses.
8. North Dakota Highway Patrol — Approved Classroom Insurance Courses.
9. North Dakota Administrative Code, Section 38-08-02-01.
10. North Dakota Administrative Code, Section 38-08-04-01.
11. Safe Streets Academy — North Dakota Defensive Driving Class.
12. North Dakota Safety Council — Five-Hour Online Defensive Driving Course.
13. 49 CFR Section 384.226 — Prohibition on Masking Convictions.

Last updated: October 10, 2026