The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.North Dakota SB 2118 revises stream crossing design reviews and liability rules for highway construction
Last action · January 20, 2025: Second reading, failed to pass, yeas 0 nays 47
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What This Bill Proposed
Senate Bill 2118 modifies the process by which the Department of Water Resources reviews stream crossing designs and calculates discharge capacities for newly constructed or reconstructed highways over waterways. It establishes that a petitioning or requesting party must be aggrieved by the placement of a before filing, and shields road authorities from liability for water damage if crossings meet established department standards.
Determines when local landowners, county commissioners, township supervisors, or water resource boards can trigger formal state reviews of highway culvert and bridge sizes, and alters legal liability protections for road authorities facing water damage claims.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Landowners in affected areas
Landowners must now meet an aggrieved party requirement before petitioning for a stream crossing review and are subject to modified review procedures.
Department of Water Resources
The department is tasked with conducting stream crossing design reviews, determining design discharge, and notifying aggrieved parties and road authorities.
Road authorities (Department of Transportation, counties, and townships)
Road authorities gain liability protection from water damage claims if their highway crossings comply with state stream crossing standards.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can request a review of a stream crossing design?
Are road authorities liable for water damage if a highway floods a property?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Failed in the Senate.
Procedural history
4 actions- Jan 20, 2025SenateSecond reading, failed to pass, yeas 0 nays 47
- Jan 16, 2025SenateCommitteeReported back, do not pass, placed on calendar 7 0 0
- Jan 16, 2025SenateCommitteeCommittee Hearing 10:45
- Jan 7, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, first reading, referred Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Connected Entities
Sources
ndlegis.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 45)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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