Sixty-ninth Legislative Assembly of North Dakota
In Regular Session Commencing Tuesday, January 7, 2025
HOUSE BILL NO. 1394
(Representatives Heinert, Bosch, Hauck, Karls, Meier, Porter)
(Senators Axtman, Cleary, Roers)
AN ACT to amend and reenact sections 23-27-01 and 23-27-02 of the North Dakota Century Code,
relating to the licensing of emergency medical services operations.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF NORTH DAKOTA:
SECTION 1. AMENDMENT. Section 23-27-01 of the North Dakota Century Code is amended and
reenacted as follows:
23-27-01. License required - Licensing of emergency medical services operations -
Exception - Waiver.
1.The department of health and human services shall license emergency medical services
operations and may designate their service areas. The department shall limit the issuance of a
license for any new emergency medical services operation based on the needs of the service
area. A license for an emergency medical services operation is nontransferabletransferable
upon approval of the department.
2.Emergency medical services may not be advertised, offered, or provided to the public except
by an emergency medical services operator that provides the emergency medical services
through emergency medical services personnel.
3.Except as otherwise provided under subsection 4, anAn emergency medical services
operatorservices operation must be separately licensed for each of the operator's emergency
medical services operations and an operation that is headquartered from a separate location
must be considered a separate operationthe designated service area of the operation. Under
this subsection, an operation with a single headquarters site may dispatchposition vehicles
and emergency medical services personnel fromat more than one location if calls requesting
services are received and orders for vehicle dispatch are made at the single headquarters
sitewithin the designated service area of an emergency medical services operation.
4.Notwithstanding subsection 3, an operator of an emergency medical services operation may
operate one or more substation ambulance services operations under a single license if:
a.The substation ambulance services operation was designated before December 31,
2024, and remains continuously designated;
b.The headquarters ambulance services operation is not a substation ambulance services
operation of another emergency medical services operation;
b.c.The substation ambulance services operation area borders the headquarters ambulance
services operation area or borders another substation of the headquarters ambulance
services operation;
c.d.The headquarters ambulance services operation and the substation ambulance services
operation are dispatched by the same entity; and
d.e.The operator of the emergency medical services operation pays a license fee for each of
its substation ambulance services operations. H. B. NO. 1394 - PAGE 2
5.The provisions of this chapter do not apply to an operator from another state which is
headquartered at a location outside of this state and transports patients across state lines, but
the operator may not treat patients within this state or pick up patients within this state for
transportation to locations within this state, except as provided by rule.
6.The department of health and human services shall adopt rules for special licenses and
waiver provisions for an operator of an emergency medical services operation intended for
industrial sites not available to the general public.
SECTION 2. AMENDMENT. Section 23-27-02 of the North Dakota Century Code is amended and
reenacted as follows:
23-27-02. Definitions.
For the purpose of this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
1."Department" means the department of health and human services.
2."Emergency medical services" means the prehospital medical stabilization or transportation,
including interfacility transportation, of an individual who is sick, injured, wounded, or
otherwise incapacitated or helpless, or in a real or perceived acute medical condition, by a
person that holds oneself out to the public as being in that service or that regularly provides
that service. The term includes:
a.Assessing, stabilizing, and treating life-threatening and non-life-threatening medical
conditions; or
b.Transporting a patient who is in a real or perceived acute medical condition to a hospital
emergency room or other appropriate medical destination.
3."Emergency medical services operation" means an entity licensed to offer and provide
emergency medical services by emergency medical services personnel with physician
oversight. The term includes basic life support ambulance services, advanced life support
ambulance services, air ambulance services, and quick response unit services.
4."Emergency medical services personnel" means individuals who provide emergency medical
services for emergency medical services operations. The term includes emergency medical
services professionals, drivers, and department-certified emergency medical services
providers, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation drivers and first responders.
5."Emergency medical services professional" means an individual licensed by the department
under this chapter.
6."Substation ambulance services" means an ambulance station that has its own service area
designated by the department and is not individually licensed as an emergency medical
services operation. H. B. NO. 1394 - PAGE 3
____________________________ ____________________________
Speaker of the House President of the Senate
____________________________ ____________________________
Chief Clerk of the House Secretary of the Senate
This certifies that the within bill originated in the House of Representatives of the Sixty-ninth Legislative
Assembly of North Dakota and is known on the records of that body as House Bill No. 1394.
House Vote: Yeas 80 Nays 10 Absent 4
Senate Vote:Yeas 46 Nays 0 Absent 1
____________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Received by the Governor at ________M. on _____________________________________, 2025.
Approved at ________M. on __________________________________________________, 2025.
____________________________
Governor
Filed in this office this ___________day of _______________________________________, 2025,
at ________ o’clock ________M.
____________________________
Secretary of State