Is Pornhub blocked in North Dakota?
Yes. Pornhub has blocked North Dakota since August 1, 2025. North Dakota law (HB 1561 and SB 2380) took effect August 1, 2025.
Since August 1, 2025, websites with more than a third sexual material harmful to minors must verify that North Dakota visitors are adults, and parents can sue sites that let minors in. Pornhub went dark in North Dakota the day the law took effect. A device and app-store age-signal mandate in an early draft of the companion bill was dropped before passage.
The law
| Status | Law in effect |
|---|---|
| Law | HB 1561 and SB 2380 (text) |
| Citation | N.D. Cent. Code § 51-07-32 |
| Signed | April 10, 2025 |
| In effect | August 1, 2025 |
| Who it covers | Commercial entities that knowingly publish or distribute sexual material harmful to minors on a website where more than 33 1/3 percent of total material is such material. Internet service providers, search engines, cloud providers and app stores are not liable merely for providing access; bona fide news content and news-gathering organizations are exempt. |
| Accepted ID methods | digitized identification card; commercial age verification system using government-issued identification; commercial age verification system using a commercially available database regularly used for age and identity verification; commercial age verification system using public or private transactional data |
| Data rules | The commercial entity or third party that performs the verification may not retain any identifying information after access has been granted; an individual whose information is retained may sue. |
| Enforcement | Private right of action only: a parent or guardian whose minor child was allowed access, or an individual whose identifying information was retained, may sue the site or its third-party verifier. No state enforcement provision. |
| Penalties | Injunctions, compensatory and exemplary damages, and costs and fees including reasonable attorney fees. |
Why is Pornhub blocked in North Dakota?
Pornhub disabled access for all North Dakota users on Aug. 1, 2025, when the law took effect; PCMag still listed North Dakota as blocked in June 2026.
When did Pornhub block North Dakota?
Pornhub stopped serving North Dakota on August 1, 2025. North Dakota law (HB 1561 and SB 2380) took effect August 1, 2025.
Is porn banned in North Dakota?
No. North Dakota doesn't ban porn. North Dakota law (HB 1561 and SB 2380) sets age-verification rules for adult sites, and Pornhub chose to block North Dakota rather than follow them.
What does HB 1561 and SB 2380 require?
Commercial entities that knowingly publish or distribute sexual material harmful to minors on a website where more than 33 1/3 percent of total material is such material. Internet service providers, search engines, cloud providers and app stores are not liable merely for providing access; bona fide news content and news-gathering organizations are exempt.
Enforcement: Private right of action only: a parent or guardian whose minor child was allowed access, or an individual whose identifying information was retained, may sue the site or its third-party verifier. No state enforcement provision.
Is it illegal to watch porn in North Dakota?
No. North Dakota law (HB 1561 and SB 2380) puts its duties on websites, not on the people who visit them. Watching legal adult content is not a crime under it.
Separate state and federal laws on obscenity and child sexual abuse material apply everywhere, whatever a state's age-verification rules.
How do I verify my age for adult sites in North Dakota?
North Dakota law (HB 1561 and SB 2380) accepts these methods: digitized identification card; commercial age verification system using government-issued identification; commercial age verification system using a commercially available database regularly used for age and identity verification; commercial age verification system using public or private transactional data. Each site chooses which ones to offer.
Can porn sites keep my ID in North Dakota?
The commercial entity or third party that performs the verification may not retain any identifying information after access has been granted; an individual whose information is retained may sue.
Is it illegal to use a VPN in North Dakota?
North Dakota law (HB 1561 and SB 2380) sets duties for websites. It does not create a penalty for people who use a VPN.
Why does Pornhub think I'm in North Dakota?
Websites estimate where you are from your IP address, not your street address. Mobile carriers and some internet providers route traffic through regional hubs that can sit across a state line, so a phone in Minnesota can appear to be in North Dakota.
When a site shows another state's notice, the cause is usually where your network's IP address is registered, not the law where you are.
Timeline
- The governor signs HB 1561, creating a new section of N.D. Cent. Code ch. 51-07 on age verification for sites with sexual material harmful to minors. [3]
- The governor signs SB 2380, a parallel bill that also lists commercial age and identity databases as an accepted method; an earlier draft's device and app-store age-signal mandate had been removed before passage. The Century Code text (§ 51-07-32) follows SB 2380. [5]
- The age-verification requirement (N.D. Cent. Code § 51-07-32) takes effect. [9]
- Pornhub blocks visitors in North Dakota. [9]
Related laws
- HB 1351 (2025) (effective Aug 1, 2025). Makes creating or distributing nonconsensual sexual images, including deepfakes, a misdemeanor, with civil damages up to $10,000. in effect
Sources
- N.D. Cent. Code ch. 51-07 (including § 51-07-32), North Dakota Legislative Branch (ndlegis.gov) Statute · accessed Oct 26, 2026
- HB 1561 (69th Legislative Assembly) bill overview (ndlegis.gov) Legislature · accessed Oct 26, 2026
- HB 1561 (69th Legislative Assembly) bill actions (ndlegis.gov) Legislature · accessed Oct 26, 2026
- HB 1561 enrolled text (25.0968.03000) (ndlegis.gov) Legislature · 2025
- SB 2380 (69th Legislative Assembly) bill overview (ndlegis.gov) Legislature · accessed Oct 26, 2026
- SB 2380 bill versions (introduced version with device and app-store provisions; enrolled 25.1138.05000) (ndlegis.gov) Legislature · accessed Oct 26, 2026
- HB 1561 (69th Legislative Assembly) legislative history file (ndlegis.gov) Legislature · accessed Oct 26, 2026
- North Dakota to require age verification for pornography sites (Route Fifty / North Dakota Monitor) (route-fifty.com) News · May 27, 2025
- Pornhub goes dark in North Dakota after age verification law takes effect (Inforum) (inforum.com) News · Aug 1, 2025
- Sorry, No Pornhub Access in 24 States and 3 Countries (PCMag, via Yahoo Tech) (tech.yahoo.com) News · Jun 12, 2026
This page is general information, not legal advice. Last verified October 26, 2026 by the Editorial Team. See something wrong or out of date? Report a correction. How we work: methodology.