This site contains information about public access on school lands. You can find out which
tracts are posted and what the official signs look like. Please enjoy our state's natural resources
and respect school trust lands and our lessees' personal property.
Public Use Facts
School Trust Lands are generally open to non-vehicular public access,
unless posted with signs furnished free of charge by the State Land Department. Following are
some facts about access on school trust lands.
- School trust lands are dedicated to producing income for the schools and designated trust funds of North Dakota.
- Over 700,000 acres are managed by the State Land Department.
- The current public access policy has been in effect since 1983. Public access is allowed
provided it does not conflict with the constitutional mandate to produce income for the
trusts.
- Three signs are available from the State Land Department for posting, 1) Closed to Public Access,
2) Notify the Lessee Before Entering, and 3) Walking Access. Lands may be posted with these signs for
management reasons.
- More than 99% of all school trust lands are open for public access. Less than 1% of school trust
lands are closed.
- 99% of school trust lands are leased to farmers and ranchers.
- You can use your GPS to locate school trust lands using these arial photographs with latitude and longitude of the section corners printed on the maps.
- School trust lands are identified on 1/4 Scale County Atlas Set or Individual County selections, on the North Dakota Plots Guide, plat books and on maps
available from various commercial sources.
- The State does not guarantee that school trust lands are legally accessible. In some cases,
terrain and other natural obstructions may make access difficult.
For the protection of the land and the natural resources that we all enjoy, access to school trust
lands is strictly non-vehicular. You must park your vehicle and walk. Trails are used only for
management purposes and may not be used by the public for vehicular travel.
