§ 39-20-01 — Implied consent to determine alcohol concentration and presence of drugs

1. Any individual who operates a motor vehicle on a highway or on public or private areas
to which the public has a right of access for vehicular use in this state is deemed to
have given consent, and shall consent, subject to the provisions of this chapter, to a
chemical test, or tests, of the blood, breath, oral fluid, or urine for the purpose of
determining the alcohol concentration or presence of other drugs, or combination
thereof, in the individual's blood, breath, oral fluid, or urine. As used in this chapter, the
word "drug" means any drug or substance or combination of drugs or substances
which renders an individual incapable of safely driving, and the words "chemical test"
or "chemical analysis" mean any test to determine the alcohol concentration or
presence of other drugs, or combination thereof, in the individual's blood, breath, or
urine, approved by the director of the state crime laboratory or the director's designee
under this chapter.
2. The test or tests must be administered at the direction of a law enforcement officer
only after placing the individual under arrest for violation of section 39-08-01 or an
equivalent offense. For the purposes of this chapter, the taking into custody of a child
under section 27-20.4-05 or an individual under twenty-one years of age satisfies the
requirement of an arrest. The law enforcement officer shall determine which of the
tests is to be used.
3. a. The law enforcement officer shall inform the individual North Dakota law requires
the individual to take a chemical test to determine whether the individual is under
the influence of alcohol or drugs and refusal of the individual to submit to a test
directed by the law enforcement officer may result in a revocation of the
individual's driving privileges for a minimum of one hundred eighty days and up to
three years.
b. If an individual refuses to submit to testing under this section, proof of the refusal
is not admissible in any administrative proceeding under this chapter if the law
enforcement officer fails to inform the individual as required under subdivision a.
4. When an individual under the age of eighteen years is taken into custody for violating
section 39-08-01 or an equivalent ordinance, the law enforcement officer shall attempt
to contact the individual's parent or legal guardian to explain the cause for the custody.
Neither the law enforcement officer's efforts to contact, nor any consultation with, a
parent or legal guardian may be permitted to interfere with the administration of
chemical testing requirements under this chapter. The law enforcement officer shall
mail a notice to the parent or legal guardian of the minor within ten days after the test
results are received or within ten days after the minor is taken into custody if the minor
refuses to submit to testing. The notice must contain a statement of the test performed
and the results of that test; or if the minor refuses to submit to the testing, a statement
notifying of that fact. The attempt to contact or the contacting or notification of a parent
or legal guardian is not a precondition to the admissibility of chemical test results or
the finding of a consent to, or refusal of, chemical testing by the individual in custody.