How building permits work in North Dakota
These rules apply across North Dakota. Each local guide above covers what is specific to that city or county: its building department and contacts, permit types, fees and inspections.
One State Building Code, enforced locally by choice
North Dakota has a State Building Code, but whether it is enforced where you build is a local choice. The State Building Code, under North Dakota Century Code chapter 54-21.3, is a uniform standard built on the International Codes, and a city, county or township that elects to enforce a building code must adopt it — so the enforcing jurisdictions share one code rather than a patchwork of editions. But enforcement is not mandatory. No state office enforces the code on private work: state agencies must make sure their own buildings meet it, and schools and local government buildings must meet it even where no local code is enforced. Some rules run statewide regardless: a state contractor’s licence for larger jobs, and the state boards that regulate the electrical and plumbing trades.
The statewide layer has three parts. A contractor’s licence from the Secretary of State is required for any job whose value exceeds $4,000, in four classes by project value. Electrical work is regulated by the North Dakota State Electrical Board, which licenses electricians and adopts the National Electrical Code; for work of $500 or more the licensed electrician files a wiring certificate with the board before work starts, and the work is inspected. Plumbing runs through the State Plumbing Board where the building is on a public water or sewer system. And a building used for agricultural purposes is exempt from the State Building Code, unless people live in it or the public uses it.
Whether a building code is enforced where you are building
North Dakota’s code is uniform but its enforcement is local and optional. Inside a city that has established a building department — the larger cities have — the city administers the State Building Code with any local amendments and issues the permit, within its zoning area, which can reach past the city limits. A city or township enforces only within its own area; a county administers the code in the parts of the county no city or township covers, and a city may relinquish its authority to the county. Where no city, township or county enforces the code, there is no building code permit or inspection for private work, though a county or city zoning permit may still be needed; the state contractor licence and state electrical rules still apply, and so do the state plumbing rules where the building is on a public water or sewer system.
The state permits and boards that run alongside the local permit
Alongside a North Dakota building permit, several state processes run in parallel. For electrical work of $500 or more the licensed electrician files an electrical wiring certificate with the State Electrical Board before work starts; a state district inspector inspects it, except in Bismarck, Fargo and Grand Forks, which have their own city electrical inspectors, and the electrician collects the state inspection fee from the owner. The State Plumbing Board governs plumbing on public water or sewer systems, through a plumbing installation certificate or a city plumbing permit where the city inspects plumbing. And on any job over $4,000 the Secretary of State contractor’s licence must be current.
Contractor and trade licences
North Dakota licenses at two levels. A general contractor needs a state contractor’s licence from the Secretary of State for any job over $4,000, issued in four classes — Class A with no value limit, then Class B, C and D by decreasing project value — and renewed each year by the first of March; it needs liability insurance and Workforce Safety and Insurance coverage but no state exam or bond. The trades are separate and stricter: electricians are licensed by the State Electrical Board and plumbers by the State Plumbing Board, both by examination. There is no state board for mechanical or heating contractors; some cities license these trades by local ordinance, so check with the city.
Electricians and plumbers hold state licences. The state boards inspect their work unless the city runs its own electrical or plumbing inspections, as Bismarck, Fargo and Grand Forks do for electrical work. A general contractor holds a Secretary of State licence keyed to the value of the job.