The contentious “no trespass” bill passed the North Dakota Senate 28-18 Tuesday afternoon. The amended version of SB 2315 approved by senators calls for all land to be entered into a database that would identify whether or not the land is open to hunting, closed to hunting or hunting with permission only.

The bill provides for the formation of a “hunters access advisory group” to determine exactly how to implement the new directive and in what form. The bill suggests that through electronic access to county maps land open to hunting would be colored green, closed to hunting red and hunting with permission only colored yellow.

Senators say legislative intent is that several counties will be included in the database by the fall hunting season of 2020 and that all counties be included by Sept. 1, 2022. In the interim existing law that requires landowners to post their land if they wish it to be closed to hunters remains in effect.

How landowners enter their preferences into the database, who compiles it and how hunters and others will access is to be determined by the advisory group. SB 2315 stipulates the hunter’s access advisory group will consist of eight members which will include the agriculture commissioner, a representative of the association of counties, two members of agriculture organizations and two members of sportsmen organizations.

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for their consideration.

Also on Tuesday the House voted 64-29 to prohibit law enforcement officers from entering onto private land without permission of the landowner or lessee of the land. Exceptions are made for probable cause, search warrants and emergency situations.