North Dakota has no veteran business preference (2026)
North Dakota has no state-level certification, procurement preference or set-aside for veteran-owned businesses. This is a confirmed absence, not a page we ran out of time on — we checked the statute that would have created one and established it is not in the code. Most sites cannot tell the difference between a benefit that does not exist and one they failed to find, which is why so many of them list a North Dakota programme anyway.
North Dakota's state purchasing chapter runs to nearly forty thousand words and never once mentions veterans. The preference it does contain is for a resident North Dakota bidder. North Dakota's veterans' preference chapter is real and substantial — it even reaches into PRIVATE employment, which is unusual — but every provision in it is about hiring, not contracting.
| Verified programs | 0 |
|---|---|
| State certification | None |
| Procurement preference | None |
| Status | Absence confirmed against the state procurement code |
| Last verified | 2026-08-12 |
What we checked, and what we found
North Dakota Century Code Chapter 54-44.4, State Purchasing Practices, governs procurement of commodities and services for state agencies and institutions. Its only preference provision directs that, where evaluation scores are equal, preference must be given to a resident North Dakota bidder, seller or vendor. There is no veteran-owned business category, certification or set-aside. The chapter people find instead — NDCC 37-19.1, "Veterans' Preferences" — is an employment statute.
- NDCC Chapter 54-44.4 (State Purchasing Practices), read in full, contains the word "veteran" zero times. Its preference provision is residency-based: preference to a resident North Dakota bidder, seller or vendor where evaluation scores are otherwise equal.
- NDCC Chapter 37-19.1 is titled "Veterans' Preferences" and its operative sections are § 37-19.1-02 public employment preference to veterans, § 37-19.1-03 preferences to veterans' spouses, § 37-19.1-04 refusal to give preference and remedies, and § 37-19.1-05 private employment veterans' preference. Every one concerns hiring.
- Searches for a North Dakota veteran-owned business certification return private certifiers and national directories rather than any state programme.
Sources
- North Dakota Century Code Chapter 54-44.4 — State Purchasing Practices
- North Dakota Century Code Chapter 37-19.1 — Veterans' Preferences (an employment chapter)
Verified 2026-08-12. Legislatures change their minds — if North Dakota enacts a veteran business preference, this page becomes a benefit page.
What to chase instead
SBA VetCert governs federal set-asides and is unaffected by North Dakota having no state preference — it is the certification worth your time here. Then look at the North Dakota State Agency for Surplus Property: federal Public Law 115-416 requires surplus programmes to serve SBA-verified veteran-owned small businesses, which means vehicles, machinery and equipment at surplus prices with no bid to win. Also worth knowing as an employer: NDCC 37-19.1 extends a veterans' preference into PRIVATE employment, which is rare, and it applies to you if you are hiring.
What to do next
With no state programme to certify into, federal certification is the whole game here. Start with whether you actually qualify as an SDVOSB — that determination is identical in every state and is what unlocks real set-aside dollars.
More verified states
Questions people actually ask
Does North Dakota have a veteran-owned business certification?
No. North Dakota runs no state-level veteran-owned business certification. Private companies sell certificates using the state's name; none of them are issued or recognised by North Dakota, and none grant access to a state programme, because there is no state programme. Confirmed 2026-08-12.
Does North Dakota give veteran-owned businesses a contracting preference or set-aside?
No. North Dakota Century Code Chapter 54-44.4, State Purchasing Practices, governs procurement of commodities and services for state agencies and institutions. Its only preference provision directs that, where evaluation scores are equal, preference must be given to a resident North Dakota bidder, seller or vendor. There is no veteran-owned business category, certification or set-aside. The chapter people find instead — NDCC 37-19.1, "Veterans' Preferences" — is an employment statute.
So what should a veteran business owner in North Dakota do instead?
SBA VetCert governs federal set-asides and is unaffected by North Dakota having no state preference — it is the certification worth your time here. Then look at the North Dakota State Agency for Surplus Property: federal Public Law 115-416 requires surplus programmes to serve SBA-verified veteran-owned small businesses, which means vehicles, machinery and equipment at surplus prices with no bid to win. Also worth knowing as an employer: NDCC 37-19.1 extends a veterans' preference into PRIVATE employment, which is rare, and it applies to you if you are hiring.