North Dakota Time Zone Map
Central Time; the southwest corner is Mountain.
Time zones in North Dakota
| Zone | IANA | Standard | Daylight | Abbr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Time | America/Chicago | UTC−6 | UTC−5 | CST / CDT |
| Central Time | America/North_Dakota/Center | UTC−6 | UTC−5 | CST / CDT |
| Central Time | America/North_Dakota/New_Salem | UTC−6 | UTC−5 | CST / CDT |
| Central Time | America/North_Dakota/Beulah | UTC−6 | UTC−5 | CST / CDT |
| Mountain Time | America/Denver | UTC−7 | UTC−6 | MST / MDT |
North Dakota is on Central Time except its southwest corner — roughly the area south and west of the Missouri River, including Dickinson and Bowman — which is on Mountain Time. Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, and Williston are all Central.
The line has moved east to west over the years: Oliver County (1992), rural Morton County (2003), and Mercer County (2010) switched from Mountain to Central. The IANA database records those moves as America/North_Dakota/Center, New_Salem, and Beulah — all ordinary Central Time today.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is North Dakota in?
Mostly Central Time. The southwest corner, around Dickinson and Bowman, is on Mountain Time. Fargo, Bismarck, Minot, and Williston are Central.
Where does Mountain Time start in North Dakota?
Roughly south and west of the Missouri River, west of Mandan. Heading west from Bismarck on I-94, you set the clock back an hour before reaching Dickinson.
What time zone is Fargo in?
Central Time (CST/CDT), IANA zone America/Chicago.
Sources: zone boundaries from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s time zone regulations (49 CFR Part 71); offsets and daylight saving rules from the IANA time zone database. See Data Sources for how this site uses them.