What North Dakota actually pays
No statewide film incentive. City or county programs may still apply.
What qualifies
No statewide incentive. ND Dept. of Commerce Tourism Division (Film North Dakota) offers location scouting, permitting and a film directory only. Last competitive grant ($600K, 2023-25 biennium) expired 6/30/2025 amid Ethics Commission scrutiny; no renewal appropriated.
The rule to remember
No ND incentive and no film office. 2021/2023 grants were one-off, ND-resident-org only, expired 6/30/2025; $0 in 2025-27 (SB 2018). No 2025 film bill; no interim study or 2027 draft found — Dec 2025 LAFRC testimony only concerned grant oversight. Next chance: 2027 session.
Common questions
- Does North Dakota have a film tax incentive?
- North Dakota has no statewide film incentive as of our last review on 2026-09-25. City or county programs may still apply, and neighboring states often do offer programs worth structuring around.
Verify before you budget. These figures come from our own incentives database and each shows when it was last reviewed — but programs change between funding cycles and legislative sessions. Confirm with the film office, or ask us, before a number goes into a budget.
Compare with
Programs in a similar rate band. The mechanism matters as much as the percentage — a transferable credit at 30% is not the same money as a cash grant at 30%.
Maine
5%Non-transferable creditJamaica
10%RebateArizona
15%up to 20%Refundable creditGeorgia
20%Transferable credit
STAY CURRENT
Tracking changes to this program?
We re-verify North Dakota against the film office and the statute, and write when something moves that would change a budget. One email, no cadence you didn't ask for.