The Bar School

North Dakota · Updated Oct 2026

How to become a bartender in North Dakota

North Dakota doesn't require a state bartender license, but you still need to know how to do the job. Here's your path from zero experience to your first shift, plus the rules and pay to know.

Quick answer

North Dakota doesn't issue a bartender license. The venue holds a state liquor license from the Attorney General plus a local license from its city, county or tribal authority. Several cities, including Fargo, Grand Forks, West Fargo, Williston and Dickinson, require servers and bartenders to complete city-approved server training and hold a training card or certificate, renewed every 3 years. You must be 21 to bartend; at 18 you can serve only in restaurants, with a supervisor. Learn the job first, then check which server training applies where you'll work.

Start step 1: learn to bartendBar Ready · 100% online · $197 one-time

Your path

5 steps to bartending in North Dakota

  1. Learn to bartend

    Take Bar Ready online: tools, pours, spirits, cocktails, service and how to get hired.

  2. Earn your certificates

    Watch every lesson in full to unlock each course's certificate of completion in your dashboard. It shows employers you trained. It isn't a license.

  3. Check your city's rules

    Fargo, Grand Forks, West Fargo, Williston and Dickinson require city-approved server training. Ask your employer what applies where you'll work.

    See local rules ↓

  4. Go apply

    Put your training and certificates on your resume and apply to bars and restaurants near you.

  5. Start pouring

    Pour, serve and earn tips. In North Dakota, tipped staff get at least $4.86/hr, and tips must bring them to $7.25/hr.

North Dakota rules

North Dakota bartending rules at a glance

Age

You must be 21 to bartend in North Dakota. At 18 to 20, you can serve alcohol and take payment for it only in a restaurant, under the direct supervision of someone 21 or older, and you can't mix or pour drinks.

N.D. Cent. Code ch. 5-02

License

North Dakota doesn't issue a bartender license. The venue holds a state liquor license from the Attorney General plus a local license from its city, county or tribal authority. Several cities, including Fargo, Grand Forks, West Fargo, Williston and Dickinson, require servers and bartenders to complete city-approved server training and hold a training card or certificate, renewed every 3 years.

ND Attorney General: retail alcoholic beverage license ND HHS: North Dakota server training ordinances

Rules change and can vary by city or county. Last checked October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm with the North Dakota Attorney General, Licensing Section and your employer before you apply.

Local rules

Where to check the rules

Cities and counties issue their own liquor licenses and can pass stricter local rules for bars. Ask your employer or the city or county licensing office what applies where you work.

ND Attorney General: retail alcoholic beverage license N.D. Cent. Code ch. 5-02

State alcohol agency

North Dakota Attorney General, Licensing Section

The agency that licenses and regulates alcohol sales in North Dakota.

Open the official website

Your employer can also tell you which rules apply where you'll work.

Pay

How much do bartenders make in North Dakota?

Median hourly$13.96$29,040 a year
Average hourly$16.05$33,390 a year
Top 10% earn more than$27.43$57,050 a year
Bartenders employed3,960May 2025 estimate
Tipped base pay$4.86/hrTips must bring you to $7.25/hr

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (North Dakota, Bartenders 35-3011) and N.D. Cent. Code §34-06-22. BLS wages include tips reported by employers. What you earn depends on the venue, your shifts and your location, and isn't guaranteed.

I'm ready to get startedStep 1: Bar Ready · 100% online · $197 one-time

Jobs

Where to find bartending jobs in North Dakota

Open bartender listings near you on Indeed. Barback and server openings are worth a look too: they're a common way behind the bar.

Behind the bar at The Bar School, answering whether the course is a license
Is this a license to bartend?1:33

The question we hear most

Is Bar Ready a North Dakota bartending license?

  • No, and North Dakota doesn't issue one. The venue holds the alcohol license, not the bartender.
  • Server training depends on where you work. Check the local rules above and ask your employer.
  • Each course ends with a certificate of completion. It shows employers you trained, but it isn't a license or a state certification.

Questions people ask

Becoming a bartender in North Dakota: your questions, answered

Do you need a license to be a bartender in North Dakota?

North Dakota doesn't issue a bartender license. The venue holds a state liquor license from the Attorney General plus a local license from its city, county or tribal authority. Several cities, including Fargo, Grand Forks, West Fargo, Williston and Dickinson, require servers and bartenders to complete city-approved server training and hold a training card or certificate, renewed every 3 years. You can learn the job first, then check whether your employer wants server training.

ND Attorney General: retail alcoholic beverage license ND HHS: North Dakota server training ordinances

How old do you have to be to bartend in North Dakota?

You must be 21 to bartend in North Dakota. At 18 to 20, you can serve alcohol and take payment for it only in a restaurant, under the direct supervision of someone 21 or older, and you can't mix or pour drinks. Employers can set a higher minimum age, so check with the bar.

N.D. Cent. Code ch. 5-02

Do you need TIPS or ServSafe certification to bartend in North Dakota?

North Dakota doesn't require server training statewide, but several cities do. Fargo requires it before you start work, Grand Forks within 60 days of hire, and West Fargo, Williston and Dickinson within 90 days, renewed every 3 years. Elsewhere, employers may still ask for it, since trained staff count in a bar's favor after a first violation.

N.D. Cent. Code ch. 5-02 Fargo Cass Public Health: server training ND HHS: North Dakota server training ordinances

Do local rules apply in North Dakota?

Cities and counties issue their own liquor licenses and can pass stricter local rules for bars. Ask your employer or the city or county licensing office what applies where you work.

See local rules ↑ ND Attorney General: retail alcoholic beverage license N.D. Cent. Code ch. 5-02

How much do bartenders make in North Dakota?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025), North Dakota bartenders earned a median of $13.96 an hour and a mean of $16.05 an hour ($33,390 a year), including tips reported by employers. The top 10% earned more than $27.43 an hour. Employers can pay tipped staff $4.86 an hour if tips bring them to at least $7.25 an hour; if not, the employer makes up the difference. Pay varies by venue, shifts and location.

BLS N.D. Cent. Code §34-06-22

Can I get a bartending job in North Dakota with no experience?

Experience is up to each employer. Learning the fundamentals first, and being able to show you finished training, helps you stand out when you apply. That's what step 1 is for.

Where can I find bartending jobs in North Dakota?

Search job boards like Indeed for bartender, barback and server openings in your city, check the websites and social pages of bars you'd like to work at, and drop off a resume in person when it's quiet. Barback and server jobs are a common way in. Medora, near Theodore Roosevelt National Park, hires extra summer staff, and lake towns such as Devils Lake get busy in summer.

Find jobs by city ↑

Do you have to go to bartending school in North Dakota?

No. North Dakota doesn't require bartending school. An online course lets you learn the tools, pours, cocktails and service at your own pace.

Does The Bar School offer job placement?

No. We don't place students in jobs. Bar Ready shows you what the job involves and how to get hired, with a resume guide and template and what to expect when you apply. Then you apply to bars and restaurants near you.

How long does it take to become a bartender in North Dakota?

Bar Ready is self-paced, so you go as fast as your schedule allows. After that, timing depends on your local rules and the jobs near you.

Is the Bar School certificate a North Dakota license or TIPS certification?

No. Your Bar School certificates of completion, one for each Bar Ready course, show employers you finished our training. They aren't a government license or permit, and they don't replace TIPS, ServSafe or any state or local requirement.

Ready to start bartending in North Dakota?

Step 1 is learning the job. Start Bar Ready online today, at your own pace.

Start step 1: learn to bartend

Bar Ready · 100% online · $197 one-time · Certificates of completion

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