North Dakota 2025 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Dakota Senate Bill SB2061 Prefiled / Bill

Filed 12/24/2024

                    25.8045.01000
Sixty-ninth
Legislative Assembly
of North Dakota
Introduced by
Transportation Committee
(At the request of the Department of Transportation)
A BILL for an Act to amend and reenact section 39-10-43 of the North Dakota Century Code, 
relating to railroad crossings.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF NORTH DAKOTA:
SECTION 1. AMENDMENT. Section 39-10-43 of the North Dakota Century Code is 
amended and reenacted as follows:
39-10-43. Certain vehicles must stop at all railroad grade crossings.
1.The driver of a bus carrying passengers, or of a schoolbus, or of a vehicle carrying 
chlorine, empty or loaded cargo tank vehicles used to transport dangerous articles or 
any liquid having a flashpoint below two hundred degrees Fahrenheit [93.33 degrees 
Celsius], cargo tank vehicles transporting a commodity having a temperature above its 
flashpoint at the time of loading, certain cargo tank vehicles transporting commodities 
under special permits issued by the hazardous materials regulations board, and every 
motor vehicle which must have the following placards: "explosives", "poison", 
"flammable oxidizers", "compressed gas", "corrosives", "flammable gas", "radioactive", 
or "dangerous", before crossing at grade any track of a railroad, shall stop the vehicle 
within fifty feet [15.24 meters] but not less than fifteen feet [4.57 meters] from the 
nearest rail of the railroad and while stopped shall listen and look in both directions 
along the track for any approaching train or other on-track equipment, and for signals 
indicating the approach of a train or other on-track equipment and may not proceed 
until the driver can do so safely. After stopping as required and upon proceeding when 
safe to do so, the driver of the vehicle shall cross only in such gear of the vehicle that 
there will be no necessity for manually changing gears while traversing the crossing 
and the driver may not shift gears manually while crossing the track.
Page No. 1	25.8045.01000
 SENATE BILL NO. 2061
    
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23 Sixty-ninth
Legislative Assembly
2.A stop is not required at a crossing if traffic is controlled by a police officer. For the 
purposes of this section, a United States marshal is considered a police officer.
3.A stop is not required at a crossing that the director has designated as an 
out-of-service or exempt crossing and which is clearly marked by signs bearing the 
words "Tracks out of service" or "Exempt" in conspicuous places on each side of the 
crossing.
4.The designation must be limited to use at a crossing where track has been abandoned 
or its use discontinued.
5.The director shall notify the road authority and any railway company of a crossing 
under the jurisdiction of that railway company which the director has designated as an 
out-of-service crossing under this section and the road authority shall erect signs 
bearing the words "Tracks out of service" or "Exempt" in conspicuous places on each 
side of the crossing.
6.5.All signs must conform to the manual on uniform traffic-control devices as provided 
under section 39-13-06.
Page No. 2	25.8045.01000
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15