The rule
High school activities in North Dakota are governed by the North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA). The rule is the June 2022 interpretation attached to Section II of Article VIII, Amateurism, in Part II of the NDHSAA Constitution and By-Laws (the live online edition), adopted on final reading at the Board meeting of June 7, 2022; the Board regulation the interpretation refers to was not found in the association's published documents. Everything on this page is taken from the NDHSAA's own text, linked under Sources.
| Question | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Allowed? | Yes, since June 2022, by interpretation |
| Who must be told | Nothing in the published text |
| School and NDHSAA marks | Nothing in the published text |
| Banned categories | Nothing in the published text |
| Professionalism | Accepting remuneration, directly or indirectly, for playing on athletic teams (Section II) |
| Recruiting | Pay to influence a family to live in a district or attend a school brings ineligibility, and the school is suspended for a term of not less than a year (Section IV), including funds created by gift or subscription |
| Agents | The only agent wording concerns school staff acting as an agent with Organized Baseball |
| Penalty | Reinstatement may be sought one calendar year after the student is declared ineligible (Section V) |
| College | The article exists in part to protect the student's amateur standing as a prospective college athlete |
What the rule says
- The sentence. "A student may benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL) consistent with current NDHSAA regulations." It is an interpretation attached to Section II of Article VIII, dated June 2022; the June 7, 2022 minutes record the final reading as "Motion carried unanimously."
- The regulation that is not published. The April 2022 minutes say "A NIL Board regulation with further details would be available to NDHSAA member schools as needed." A search of the association's eligibility, forms, FAQ and bulletin pages and its 2021-22 and 2025-26 minutes did not find it. Nothing reported about it elsewhere is stated here.
- Professionalism. "Professionalism is defined as accepting remuneration, directly or indirectly, for playing on athletic teams" (Section II).
- Inducement. Under Section IV, pay used to influence a family to live in a district or attend a school, including from "funds created by gift or by subscription," brings ineligibility for the student and a suspension of the school "for a term of not less than a year."
- College. The article exists in part to protect the student's "amateur standing as a prospective college athlete."
- The penalty. Reinstatement may be sought "one calendar year after" the student is declared ineligible (Section V).
- Re-check. July 2027, after the June 2027 Board meeting; the Board regulation is the document to ask the NDHSAA for.
What sits on top of it
- Your school and district. A school or district can set a stricter policy than the NDHSAA. The athletic director is the person who knows it.
- Private and non-member schools. The rule covers NDHSAA member schools. A school in another association follows that association's rule.
- College rules later. A deal that is fine in high school can still matter to the NCAA, NJCAA or NAIA. At Division I, third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go, and prospects report from the first day of junior year. The NIL guide has the college windows and NIL Go has its own page.
- Agents. The state's athlete-agent law applies to high school athletes; can a high school athlete have an agent? and the state-by-state registration table cover it.
- Taxes. NIL pay is taxable at any age. NIL taxes in plain words.
- The contract itself. What each clause means.
How Leave fits
In Leave, every deal thread carries a rules summary for the athlete's state, level and age, and a disclosure packet for the school comes with a countdown to the deadline. It is a summary, not a ruling; your school decides. Athletes 13 to 17 use Leave through an account a parent or guardian creates, and are visible to businesses only when the guardian has turned that on and the state allows high school NIL. Leave is software, not an agent. You decide, you send.
Questions about high school NIL in North Dakota
Can high school athletes sign NIL deals in North Dakota?
Yes. The NDHSAA's interpretation of Article VIII, dated June 2022, says a student may benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness consistent with current NDHSAA regulations. That one sentence is the published rule.
What are North Dakota's NIL conditions?
The published constitution gives none. The April 2022 Board minutes say a Board regulation with further details would be available to member schools as needed; it is not posted on the association's site or in its bulletins or minutes. Restrictions reported in the press in 2022 do not appear in any NDHSAA text that could be opened, so this page does not state them. The association's office and the school's athletic director are where the regulation lives.
Do I have to report an NIL deal in North Dakota?
Nothing in the published text requires it. A school or district can set its own policy, and the unpublished Board regulation may.
What does the amateur rule still bar in North Dakota?
Pay for playing, which the constitution defines as professionalism, and money used to influence a family to live in a district or attend a school, which brings ineligibility for the student and a suspension of at least a year for the school. Reinstatement may be sought one calendar year after a student is declared ineligible.
Be your own agent. Leave.