In unincorporated Barnes County, the Planning & Zoning Administrator (701-845-8188, Room 300 of the courthouse at 230 4th St NW, Valley City) issues building permits under the county’s 2025 Development Code. Any new, added-on or moved building over 150 sq ft needs one, farm buildings and grain bins included; a residential or recreational building valued over $25,000 is charged $50 plus $1 for each additional $1,000 of value. Valley City and the other organized cities, and townships that do their own zoning, are outside the county code.
What needs a permit in Barnes County?
Section 12.2.3 of the Development Code requires a permit from the Zoning Administrator before anyone builds, rebuilds, adds to or relocates a building larger than 150 sq ft, and before any excavation for it starts. Section 2.1 adds structures that are converted, enlarged or structurally altered.
Permit required
- New houses, garages, shops and storage buildings over 150 sq ft
- Additions and moved-in buildings
- Mobile homes
- All farm structures, including grain bins and hopper bins, whether or not they sit on a permanent foundation (no fee)
- Buildings in the floodplain, which also fall under the county floodplain ordinance
No permit
- Structures of 150 sq ft or less
- Replacing roofs, siding, windows or decks, as long as the replacement is no larger than the original
The agricultural exemption in section 1.8 does not reach building permits, road setbacks, new septic permits and inspections, or floodplain rules, so a farmyard building still goes through the permit process.
Who issues building permits in Barnes County?
The Board of County Commissioners appoints the Planning & Zoning Administrator, who prepares building permits and Development Code permits for the county Planning & Zoning Board. The Development Code says the county follows the North Dakota State Building Code, and the county’s inspection checklist names the administrator, Jessica Jenrich, as the building official. If the administrator denies a permit, the applicant can appeal to the Planning Commission.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Planning & Zoning Administrator |
| Address | 230 4th St NW, Room 300, Valley City, ND 58072 |
| Phone | 701-845-8188 |
| Courthouse main line | 701-845-8500 |
| Electrical inspections | North Dakota State Electrical Board, 701-328-9522 |
| Plumbing inspections | North Dakota State Plumbing Board, 701-328-9977 |
| Septic permits | City-County Health District, 701-845-8518 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →The county code does not apply inside organized cities or their extraterritorial zoning areas, or in townships that have chosen to run their own zoning. Here is who handles permits in each of the county’s cities:
| City | Who handles building permits |
|---|---|
| Valley City (pop. 6,430) | The city’s Building Inspector enforces the State Building Code as adopted by the city and handles applications, permits and inspections. Building/Fire Inspector office: 220 3rd Street NE; Building Official Michael Blevins, 701-426-8823. City zoning also covers its extraterritorial area. Under the city’s Master Fee Schedule (revised June 25, 2026), residential decks, garages and remodels up to $5,000 cost $25; other buildings are charged on a valuation scale starting at $90, plus a plan review fee of 25% of the permit fee. |
| Tower City (pop. 0 in Barnes County) | Almost all of the city lies in Cass County. City office: 507 Broadway Street, 701-749-2343. |
| Dazey, Fingal, Kathryn, Leal, Litchville, Nome, Oriska, Pillsbury, Rogers, Sanborn, Sibley and Wimbledon | These cities are outside the county Development Code. The published sources do not say whether they issue building permits; ask the city auditor before you build (the county’s Township & City Officers list names each city’s officers). |
Barnes County permit types and forms
The Planning & Zoning page posts the county’s forms as PDFs to print and fill in. The ones a builder is most likely to need:
- Building Permit Application (rev. 08/2025): used for new buildings, additions, moves and renewals, and for residential, agricultural, recreational, storage and animal-use buildings.
- Unified Development Application: for Development Code requests such as conditional uses, variances, zoning changes and plats.
- Building Inspection Checklist: lists each required inspection and the county’s design criteria.
- Forms Checklist: the office’s review list. For a building permit it includes the site layout with distances to property lines and roads, and a township board signature or approval line.
The county also issues moving and repair permits, and section 12.2.9 requires auditor’s lots to be drawn by a registered land surveyor and reviewed by the Planning & Zoning Administrator.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Barnes County permit fees
Building permit fees are printed on the county’s Building Permit Application, revised August 2025.
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| Farm use | No charge, but a permit is required |
| Structure up to 150 sq ft | No permit required |
| Over 150 sq ft and valued under $5,000 | $25 |
| Valued $5,000–$25,000 | $50 |
| Residential or recreational structure over $25,000 | $50 plus $1 for each additional $1,000 of value |
| Any other structure over $25,000 | $50 plus $2 for each additional $1,000 of value |
Development Code requests carry their own charges on the county’s information sheet, each plus the cost of the newspaper notices:
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| Conditional use | $100 plus advertising |
| Variance for a structure | $100 plus 2 weeks of advertising |
| Variance for trees | $50 plus 1 week of advertising |
| Zoning change | $100 plus advertising |
| Subdivision plat, 10 lots or fewer | $100 plus advertising |
| Subdivision plat, 11 lots or more | $250 plus advertising |
Under section 12.2.5 the applicant also pays the county’s processing costs, such as publication, attorney’s fees, mileage and copies, and no permit is issued until they are paid.
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work
The county does not inspect electrical or plumbing work. Its inspection checklist states that plumbing and electrical codes are inspected and enforced by the North Dakota State Electrical Board (701-328-9522) and State Plumbing Board (701-328-9977). Ground plumbing, rough plumbing and rough electrical are all inspected by the state inspectors before the work is covered.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Mechanical work stays on the county list: rough mechanical (vents, chimneys, heat ducts and combustion air ducts that will be hidden) and a mechanical final are both county inspections.
What to submit
The two-page application asks for:
- Applicant and building contractor names and phone numbers
- Description of the building, type of construction (wood, steel, pole) and its use
- Class of work: new, addition, move or renewal
- Site address, legal description with section, township and range, and total acres
- A Google map image showing where the structure will go
- Dimensions, height and stories of the main building, basement, addition, garage or storage building, with siding, bedrooms and bathrooms
- Start and completion dates and the estimated construction cost
- Signed certification by the owner or authorized agent that the project will meet the county zoning regulations
Property corners or lines must be located before new construction. For a building in the floodplain, the administrator may ask for more documentation.
How to get a Barnes County building permit
Check that the site is outside Valley City and the other cities, outside a city’s extraterritorial area and outside a township that zones itself.
In the Agricultural District, buildings sit at least 200 feet from the center of a maintained road and from section lines, and a parcel with a house needs at least 5 acres. Anything closer needs a variance.
Complete both pages of the rev. 08/2025 Building Permit Application, add the map image and get the township board sign-off where it is needed.
Bring or send it to Room 300 of the courthouse with the fee from the application’s schedule.
Buy the septic permit at City-County Health District and arrange state electrical and plumbing inspections.
The application commits you to calling the administrator when work begins and if it is delayed.
Notify the building official at each stage on the county checklist, through the building final.
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Get a free quote →Barnes County inspections
Under the checklist, the permit holder must tell the building official when work is ready for inspection, and no work may continue past an inspection point until it is approved. The county inspections are:
| Inspection | When |
|---|---|
| Footing | After footings are dug or formed and rebar is placed |
| Foundation | After forms are set and rebar is placed |
| Framing/bolting | When framing is complete, with doors and windows in, before siding, insulation and trade work |
| Mechanical rough | After hidden vents, chimneys and ducts are installed |
| Insulation | After insulation (except blown-in attic) and foam around openings |
| Sheetrock | After sheetrock is fastened, before taping |
| Mechanical final | Listed on the checklist after insulation and sheetrock |
| Building final | When the building is complete and ready for occupancy, including grading, concrete, floor coverings, painting and caulking |
The checklist also lists a roof and window nailing inspection. Its design criteria: 54-inch frost depth, 60 psf roof snow load, 40 psf ground snow load, ice barrier underlayment required, 114 mph ultimate design wind speed and a winter design temperature of −21°F. Fire sprinkler piping, where it applies, is inspected under test.
Local Barnes County details
Septic systems: every new development must connect to an approved on-site sewage system, and privies, outhouses and cesspools are banned. Barnes County septic permits are sold at the front desk of City-County Health District, 415 2nd Avenue NE, Ste. 101, Valley City (701-845-8518): $150 for a new system or repair and $125 for a holding tank or septic tank replacement. Licensed installers can buy permits, and owners can buy one for a licensed contractor, who must be named on the permit before it is issued; owners who want to install a system themselves must call Central Valley Health District (701-252-8130) before a permit is issued. Central Valley Health handles the district’s environmental health work, and its Rule 2 makes a septic permit valid for 12 months and bars a new system where public sewer is within 200 feet of the property line unless the city refuses the hookup in writing.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Planning & Zoning Board: meets at 6 p.m. in the Commissioners Room on the courthouse’s second floor, usually on the second Tuesday (the 2026 schedule moves November and December to the 17th and 15th), and reviews the county’s building permits at each meeting. Requests are advertised in the newspaper first; for a variance, owners within 600 feet are notified, or within 1 mile for towers and other large structures.
Data centers: on May 19, 2026 the County Commission approved a six-month moratorium on data centers while the county drafts regulations for them.
North Dakota building code
North Dakota has one State Building Code, but enforcing it is a local choice: where no city, township or county enforces it, there is no building code permit for private work, though a zoning permit may still apply. North Dakota rules
Official resources for Barnes County
County, city, health district and state sources:
- NDCC chapter 54-21.3, North Dakota State Building Code
- North Dakota Department of Commerce building codes
- Barnes County Building Permit Application (rev. 08/2025)
- Barnes County Planning & Zoning
- Barnes County Development Code (2025)
- Barnes County Building Inspection Checklist
- Barnes County Development Code information sheet (fees)
- Barnes County Planning & Zoning 2026 meeting schedule
- City-County Health District septic permits
- Valley City Building/Fire Inspector
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Barnes County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Barnes County?
The county Planning & Zoning Administrator, 701-845-8188, for land under the county Development Code. Valley City has its own Building Inspector, and the other cities and self-zoning townships are outside the county code.
How much is a building permit in Barnes County?
$25 for a structure over 150 sq ft worth less than $5,000, and $50 from $5,000 to $25,000. Above $25,000 a residential or recreational building is $50 plus $1 per additional $1,000 of value, and other buildings $50 plus $2 per additional $1,000.
Do farm buildings need a permit?
Yes. Farm structures, including grain and hopper bins, need a permit, but there is no fee for farm use.
Do I need a permit for a small shed?
Not if it is 150 sq ft or smaller. Anything larger needs a permit.
Do I need a permit to re-roof or replace siding or windows?
No, as long as the replacement is no bigger than what was there before.
Who inspects electrical and plumbing work?
The North Dakota State Electrical Board (701-328-9522) and State Plumbing Board (701-328-9977), not the county.
Where do I get a septic permit in Barnes County?
At City-County Health District, 415 2nd Avenue NE, Ste. 101, Valley City (701-845-8518). A new system or repair costs $150.
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More North Dakota permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Barnes County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.