North Dakota Foster Care Home Study: What the Inspection Covers

The foster care home study is the part of the licensing process that most families dread before they've done it and feel much better about after. It's not a white-glove inspection looking for reasons to reject you. It's a structured safety assessment designed to confirm that a child coming from a difficult situation will land in a genuinely safe physical environment.

North Dakota's home study requirements are grounded in NDAC 75-03-14 — the state's administrative code chapter specifically governing family foster homes. Understanding what's in that chapter before your licensing specialist comes through the door is the practical approach to getting licensed without delays.

Who Conducts the Home Study

In North Dakota, home studies are conducted by CFS Licensing Specialists — state employees, not county workers, following the 2022 redesign that centralized licensing under the Children and Family Services (CFS) section of HHS. If you're pursuing Treatment Foster Care licensure through Nexus-PATH Family Healing, a Nexus licensor may conduct a parallel assessment, but the CFS Licensing Unit in Bismarck still issues the license.

Independent home study companies — common in private adoption — are not used for state foster care licensing in North Dakota. There's one system, one process.

What the Home Study Actually Involves

The home study is not just a walkthrough of your house. It's a multi-part assessment that includes:

Individual and couple interviews. The licensing specialist will meet with each adult in the household separately and together. The questions cover your upbringing, your reasons for fostering, your parenting philosophy, your experience with children, and how you handle conflict and stress.

Child and household member interviews. Every person living in your home will be interviewed, including your own children. The specialist wants to understand whether the entire household is on board, and whether children already living in the home understand what a foster placement means.

Autobiography. You'll be asked to complete SFN 889, a personal history narrative. This covers your childhood, significant life events, and your motivation for fostering. It's used to assess self-awareness and emotional readiness, not to screen for difficult backgrounds.

Three personal references. At least two must be unrelated to you. These are typically people who can speak to your parenting capacity and character. The agency will contact them using SFN 902.

Financial review. The specialist will verify that your household income is sufficient to support your family independently of any foster care reimbursements. Pay stubs, tax returns, or documentation of other income sources are typical evidence.

Physical inspection. This is what most people picture when they hear "home study," and it's the piece NDAC 75-03-14 speaks to most specifically.

Physical Standards: What Gets Inspected

The physical inspection covers the entire home and, for rural properties, the grounds. The standards come from NDAC 75-03-14-03 and supplemental policy 622-05-25-05.

Bedroom requirements are among the most specific.

• Every foster child must have an individual bed with appropriate bedding. Bed-sharing with a foster child is prohibited.
• Children aged six and older may not share a bedroom with a child of the opposite sex.
• Adult household members — age 18 and older — may not share bedroom space with a foster child. The only exception is same-sex siblings in specific Continued Care situations.
• Children under two may share a room with the foster parents, but only with explicit approval from the Licensing Unit.
• Bedrooms must be "outside rooms" with adequate window space. Each bedroom needs two means of egress: a door and a window. Windows must meet minimum dimensions — typically at least 24 inches high and 20 inches wide — to function as emergency escape routes.

Fire safety is non-negotiable and heavily specified.

North Dakota requires a 2A-10BC rated fire extinguisher on every level of the home. This is the specific rating — not just any extinguisher, and not a smaller rating. The specialist will check both that the extinguisher exists and that it's properly charged. Keep the receipt as proof of purchase.

Smoke detectors are required in every bedroom and near the kitchen. Carbon monoxide detectors are required if the home has gas appliances or an attached garage. A written fire evacuation plan must be posted in the home and discussed with any child old enough to understand it.

Water safety. If your property has a well, you'll need a water test showing the water is safe for consumption. If the water fails, licensing is paused until the issue is treated and retested. For properties with ponds, stock tanks, or agricultural dugouts, the specialist will assess whether these represent a drowning hazard for young children. Open water on the property may require fencing if you're licensed to care for children under six.

Pets and animals. Dogs, cats, and other household animals are allowed, but vaccination records must be in your licensing file. If any animal has a history of aggression or biting, the specialist may require a behavioral assessment or may flag the animal as a licensing concern.

Firearms and weapons. All firearms must be stored in locked cabinets or safes, with ammunition stored separately. This is a non-negotiable safety requirement regardless of rural custom or hunting use.

Rural and Agricultural Properties: The Extra Considerations

North Dakota has more farm-based foster homes than most states, and NDAC 75-03-14 reflects that. If you're applying for a foster license on an agricultural property, expect the inspection to include assessment of:

• Farm equipment and machinery proximity to living areas
• Grain bin access (suffocation risk for children)
• Agricultural chemical storage (herbicides, pesticides, fuels)
• Out-building habitability — Quonset huts, shops, or barns that children may access
• Livestock containment and any fencing separating play areas from working farm areas

Most rural properties pass with minor modifications — relocating chemical storage, adding a lock to a grain bin access ladder, or fencing a portion of the yard. The state's goal isn't to disqualify rural families; it's to identify hazards and address them before placement.

Heating Systems

North Dakota's climate means heating systems get scrutiny. Wood stoves and propane heaters must be properly vented, with heat shields where required. If you have a wood stove or pellet stove, the specialist will want to see that it's been professionally inspected and that it has appropriate clearances from combustible materials.

The License Validity and Annual Visits

A full North Dakota foster care license is valid for two years. However, the CFS Licensing Unit conducts an Annual Onsite Visit during the off-year using SFN 851. This visit is lighter than the initial home study, but it does involve a physical walkthrough and a household interview to confirm continued compliance with safety standards.

If you make significant changes to your home — major renovations, adding household members, acquiring animals — you're expected to notify your licensing specialist rather than wait for the annual visit.

What to Do Before the Inspection

The checklist the state uses is SFN 1037, the Licensing Packet. You can access this form through hhs.nd.gov before your home study is scheduled. Going through it room by room, checking off fire extinguishers, verifying smoke detectors, and confirming bedroom window dimensions will catch the issues that create delays long before a specialist sets foot in your home.

The families who hit problems during the home study are almost always dealing with things that could have been fixed in an afternoon — a fire extinguisher with the wrong rating, expired smoke detectors, or a bedroom window that doesn't open fully. These are correctable. The earlier you find them, the faster your license moves forward.

For the full licensing process — including eligibility requirements, PRIDE training, and background checks — see the complete guide at /us/north-dakota/foster-care/.

See more United States guides →