North Dakota
North Dakota has no film office and no general filming permit; Tourism handles film inquiries and permitting is local, with federal sites the main exception.
Guidance, not legal advice
Permit
Conditional
Issuer: North Dakota Tourism (Department of Commerce), which handles film inquiries in lieu of a film office
Cost: No general state permit; local and land-manager fees vary
North Dakota currently has no film commission or film office; the Tourism Division of the Department of Commerce fields film inquiries and can assist with locations and contacts, but issues nothing itself. No general permit is offered or required to film in the state. Municipal and public locations expect permitting paperwork through the relevant city or county, typically filed at least a week ahead. The state parks system is managed by the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department; it publishes no standing commercial photography permit schedule, so contact the department or the individual park directly for commercial shoots. The high-profile exceptions are federal: Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the state's national historic sites require NPS permits.
Drone / airspace
Commercial drone work requires FAA Part 107
North Dakota is a major UAS research state, but that does not change the rules for photographers: FAA airspace rules plus land-manager restrictions apply. For Part 107 and state drone law, see Drone Authority.
Street / public space
Yes: you can photograph what is visible from public space in the US
Private property sets its own rules regardless of state law; much of the badlands viewshed outside the national park is private ranchland.
Practical notes
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park is the state's marquee landscape and it is federal; budget for the NPS permit process, not a state one.
- With no film office, the practical move is to call the city or the land manager directly; there is no intermediary to route you.
Sources
Keep shooting
Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side: