N.D. Cent. Code § 40-47-09
The board of adjustment shall fix a reasonable time for the hearing of the appeal and shall give due notice thereof to the parties. It shall decide the appeal within a reasonable time. Upon the hearing, any party may appear in person or by agent or by attorney. The board may reverse or affirm, in whole or in part, or may modify, the order, requirement, decision, or determination appealed from, and shall make such order, requirement, decision, or determination as in its opinion ought to be made in the premises, and to that end, the board shall have all the powers of the officer from whom the appeal is taken. If there is practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship in the way of carrying out the strict letter of the ordinance, the board, in passing upon an appeal, may vary or modify any of the regulations or provisions of the ordinance relating to the use, construction, or alteration of buildings or structures or the uses of land so that the spirit of the ordinance shall be observed, public safety and welfare secured, and substantial justice done.
N.D.C.C. § 40-47-09