Business Licensing & Operations in Grand Forks, ND (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Grand Forks, North Dakota, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Grand Forks requires a city clerk-issued license before anyone opens a sexually oriented business, and the Grand Forks City Code keeps every one at least 500 feet from another such business, a church, a public park, or an R-1 through R-4 residential parcel, and 1,000 feet from any school. Businesses must also close between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. to noon on Sundays.
Sexually Oriented Business Rules, Grand Forks
Significant RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code § 21-3015
21-3015. - Location of sexually oriented businesses. (1)It shall be unlawful to establish, operate, or cause to be operated a sexually oriented business in the City of Grand Forks, unless said sexually oriented business is at least:(A)Five hundred (500) feet from any parcel occupied by another sexually oriented business; and(B)Five hundred (500) feet from any parcel occupied by a church, synago...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Grand Forks City Code Article 10 of Chapter XIII requires anyone operating a body art establishment, or working as a body art operator, to hold a separate license issued through the city auditor and approved by the city health officer. Body art on a minor requires the written, in-person consent of a parent or legal guardian, and operators must be at least 18.
Grand Forks Body Art Establishment Licensing
Significant RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code §§ 13-1002, 13-1011, 13-1012
(1)No operator shall establish, operate, conduct, maintain or manage any establishment or place where body art is practiced or where body art is allowed to be conducted without first obtaining a body art establishment license.(2)No person shall be allowed to operate, conduct, maintain or place body art without first obtaining a body art operator license. ... (1)No person shall perform body art ...
Tobacco Retail License
Every retail tobacco dealer in Grand Forks, including sellers of vapes and e-cigarettes, needs a city license before offering any tobacco product for sale. Sales to anyone under 21 are barred, and violations bring escalating administrative penalties that run from a $100-$300 fine up to license revocation.
Grand Forks Tobacco and E-Cigarette Retail License
Significant RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code §§ 21-2801(2), 21-2802, 21-2806(4)
21-2801. - Definitions. ... (2)E-cigarette shall mean any electronic oral device, such as one composed of a heating element, battery and/or electronic circuit, which provides a vapor of nicotine or other substances, and the use or inhalation of which simulates smoking. ... 21-2802. - License required. No retail tobacco dealer, wholesaler, or distributor shall directly or indirectly or by means ...
Secondhand Dealers
Grand Forks City Code has no stand-alone secondhand-dealer license chapter. The only citywide rule naming dealers in secondhand goods directly sits inside the pawnbroker article: a daily duty to copy their transaction register and deliver it to the chief of police before midnight.
Grand Forks Secondhand Dealer Reporting Duty
Light RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code §§ 21-0806, 21-0807
Every person so licensed as aforesaid shall keep at the licensee's place of business, a book or register, in which the licensee shall enter in writing a brief description of all personal property or choses in action received on deposit, pledge, or purchase, as hereinbefore set forth, the time when they were so received and particularly mentioning any prominent or descriptive mark that may be on...
Pawnbrokers
In the City of Grand Forks, running a pawnbroker business requires a city license backed by a $500 bond or equivalent surety. Applicants must show good moral character and pass a police chief background investigation, and the license expires every December 31 unless revoked sooner.
Grand Forks Pawnbroker License Requirements
Significant RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code §§ 21-0802, 21-0804, 21-0805, 21-0811
It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to carry on or conduct the business or calling of pawnbroker within the city without first having obtained a license to do so. ... Before a license shall be issued to any person or persons to carry on or conduct the business of pawnbroker any persons so applying for said license shall execute a bond, irrevocable letter of credit or other surety acc...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Grand Forks singles out automotive repair as the one home occupation that cannot expand into a garage or accessory building: Section 18-0204(C) lets other home businesses use accessory structures but carves out 'automotive repair and commercial kennels' from that allowance. Auto repair still has to fit inside the same 30 percent floor-area cap and no-retail-sales rule as any other home occupation.
Grand Forks Bars Home Auto Repair Shops
Significant RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code § 18-0204(2)(C)
18-0204. - Rules and definitions. ... Home occupation. An occupation conducted on residential premises provided that: ... (C)Home occupations (other than automotive repair and commercial kennels) may be conducted in any accessory buildings.
Towing Companies
In the City of Grand Forks, no tow truck operator may remove a vehicle from private property without the owner's consent unless licensed under City Code Article 9. The Grand Forks Police Department issues, oversees and can revoke both the towing business license and individual driver's licenses, and sets insurance and payment standards for every non-consent tow.
Grand Forks Non-Consent Towing License Rules
Some RestrictionsGrand Forks City Code §§ 21-0901, 21-0907, 21-0914
21-0901. - Towing license—Required. No person, firm, entity, partnership, or corporation shall operate or be permitted to operate any tow truck or other vehicle for the purpose of towing or removing a motor vehicle, without the consent of the motor vehicle's owner or authorized operator, from private property within the city, without having first obtained a license under the provisions of this ...