North Dakota DEQ
North Dakota environmental lab certification, DEQ and NDAC 33.1-23.
Who certifies your lab in North Dakota, which programs and methods the rule covers, how out-of-state labs are recognized, and what auditors look for in your initial calibrations.
At a glance
How environmental lab certification works in North Dakota.
North Dakota is not a NELAP state. The Department of Environmental Quality runs one certification program under its own rules, covering drinking water, Clean Water Act, waste and other programs.
State program (non-NELAP)
- Program
- Laboratory Certification Program, North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, under North Dakota Century Code section 23.1-01-14
- Rules
- NDAC chapter 33.1-23-02, Environmental Laboratory Certification Program, effective July 1, 2020 and amended effective January 1, 2022, with proficiency testing in chapter 33.1-23-03
- Who needs it
- Labs that analyze public water system samples for Safe Drinking Water Act compliance, and labs whose results must be reported to the department to meet permit conditions or other department program requirements, unless the permit or program exempts the parameter or method
- Programs
- Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act, RCRA, Potable Water, Non-Potable Water, Solids and Hazardous Waste, Biosolids and Coal Combustion Residuals
- Drinking water microbiology
- The DEQ page refers microbiology certification to the state health department’s microbiology laboratory. EPA’s August 2025 list names North Dakota Health and Human Services for microbiology and DEQ for chemistry.
- Out-of-state labs
- DEQ does not directly certify out-of-state labs. It considers recognition of EPA regional or other state certifications case by case, and reciprocal certification is valid for up to 365 days.
- NELAP status
- Not a NELAP accreditation body. DEQ does require proficiency test studies from a TNI accredited provider.
The accreditation cycle
From application to renewal.
The steps below summarize NDAC 33.1-23-02 and 33.1-23-03 and the DEQ certification page for in-state labs. Your certificate and DEQ correspondence govern the specifics for your lab.
-
Apply by program and method
Submit a written request naming the programs, parameters and methods sought, with your instrumentation, quality assurance plan, SOPs, personnel qualifications and a facility description.
-
Proficiency testing
At least one successful proficiency test per field of testing, completed no more than six months before an initial application or twelve months before a renewal application.
-
On-site evaluation
In-state labs must pass an onsite evaluation before any certification can be granted.
-
Three-year term
Primary certification is valid for three years unless suspended, revoked or voluntarily discontinued (NDAC 33.1-23-02-25). An expired certification requires an application for renewal.
Initial calibration
What auditors check in your initial calibrations.
North Dakota’s rule sets no numeric calibration criteria of its own. It requires the federal methods for each program and a documented quality system, so calibration expectations come from those methods and the department’s program manual.
A range that brackets what you report
The lowest standard should sit at or below your reporting limit and the highest at or above the top concentration you report. Results outside the calibrated range need to be qualified.
Error at the low end, not r² alone
A correlation coefficient of 0.999 can still hide a low standard that back-calculates 30 percent off. Auditors look at relative error, especially at the lowest levels.
Records that rebuild the curve
Raw responses, the model and weighting used, any excluded points with the reason, and the verification that followed. An auditor should be able to reconstruct every initial calibration from the record.
Federal methods inside a written quality system
NDAC 33.1-23-02 requires 40 CFR 136 methods for Clean Water Act samples and 40 CFR 141 methods plus EPA’s drinking water certification manual for Safe Drinking Water Act samples. Section 14 adds a quality assurance plan, SOPs, and traceability, documentation and recordkeeping.
Source: NDAC 33.1-23-02-05, 33.1-23-02-10 and 33.1-23-02-14
Section 33.1-23-02-14 points to the North Dakota Environmental Laboratory Certification Program Manual for the quality system criteria. Ask the Laboratory Certification Program for the current version before your evaluation.
Self-check
Are your initial calibrations ready for a North Dakota assessment?
Tick what your lab could show an auditor today. Nothing you select is saved or sent anywhere.
6Checks to work through
Select each item your lab could show an auditor today.
A self-assessment to help you prepare, not a compliance determination.
North Dakota specifics
Certification follows the data you report to DEQ.
North Dakota law requires all environmental laboratories that conduct tests or prepare data for submittal to the department to be certified, unless the department exempts them. The department’s certification rules in chapter 33.1-23-02 took effect July 1, 2020.
The rule ties certification to the permit or department program that requires the data, parameter by parameter and method by method. DEQ asks labs to contact its Division of Water Quality and Division of Waste Management to confirm whether certification is required. Calibration is then judged against the federal method for that program, inside the lab’s own documented quality system.
Out-of-state labs work on a different clock. Reciprocal certification is valid for up to 365 days, against three years for primary certification, and the parent program must be deemed substantially equivalent and inspect at least once every three years. As of October 2026, the official code shows chapter 33.1-23-02 last amended effective January 1, 2022.
How WLTR helps
Calibration evidence ready for a North Dakota evaluation.
WLTR independently reviews the calibration your instrument software produced. Your analyst still makes the final call. What changes is that the evidence is complete, consistent across analysts, and ready before the auditor asks for it.
- Each analyte reviewed one at a time in the instrument software.
- The model and weighting are whatever the batch was processed with.
- r² is the number most people look at, even though it does not measure error at the low end.
- QA signs off without an independent check on the curve.
- Every analyte and every candidate model side by side in the Calibration Intelligence dashboard.
- Diagnostics run automatically and the best fit curve is identified, with the reasons recorded.
- Relative error at every level, including the lowest standard, shown on one screen.
- A traceable record your QA manager can review, sign and hand to a state auditor.
See how your own ICAL data looks when every analyte and model is laid out for review.
Questions
North Dakota accreditation FAQs
Is North Dakota a NELAP state?
No. The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality is not on TNI’s list of NELAP accreditation bodies. It certifies labs under its own rules in NDAC article 33.1-23, though it requires proficiency test studies from a TNI accredited provider.
Who certifies drinking water labs in North Dakota?
The Department of Environmental Quality certifies labs analyzing public water system samples for Safe Drinking Water Act compliance. For microbiology, DEQ refers labs to the state health department’s microbiology laboratory, which EPA lists as North Dakota Health and Human Services.
Do wastewater labs need certification in North Dakota?
Yes, when their results must be reported to the department to meet permit conditions or other program requirements, unless the permit or program exempts the parameter or method. Clean Water Act samples must be analyzed by 40 CFR 136 methods.
Can an out-of-state lab report data in North Dakota?
DEQ does not directly certify out-of-state labs. It considers recognition of EPA regional or other state certifications case by case. The parent program must be substantially equivalent and audit the lab on site at least once every three years, and reciprocal certification lasts up to 365 days.
Does North Dakota have its own initial calibration rule?
No numeric rule. NDAC 33.1-23-02 requires the federal methods for each program and a quality system with a QA plan, SOPs and traceable records, so assessors look at the method criteria and whether your records support every curve.
Sources
Primary sources for this page.
- ND DEQ, laboratory certification (opens in a new tab)
- NDAC 33.1-23-02, Environmental Laboratory Certification Program (official) (opens in a new tab)
- NDAC 33.1-23-03, proficiency testing (official) (opens in a new tab)
- NDCC chapter 23.1-01, including section 23.1-01-14 (opens in a new tab)
- ND DEQ, Division of Chemistry (opens in a new tab)
- TNI, NELAP recognized accreditation bodies (opens in a new tab)
- EPA, state drinking water laboratory certification programs (August 2025) (opens in a new tab)
This page summarizes public program information to help labs prepare. Requirements change, and the agency’s current rules and guidance always take precedence. WLTR is not affiliated with or endorsed by the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. Spot something out of date? Tell us at admin@wltr.tech.
Before your next assessment
See your North Dakota ICALs the way an auditor will.
Bring a recent initial calibration. We will walk you through every analyte and candidate model in the Calibration Intelligence dashboard, the best fit, and the record your QA manager would sign.
Request a demoHow the methodology works
Running environmental methods? See how WLTR works for environmental testing labs and water and wastewater utility labs.