A building permit in Bismarck is issued by the city's Building Inspections Division, which administers the adopted codes for the City of Bismarck and its extra-territorial area, runs plan review, inspections and floodplain management, issues the plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits, and licenses mechanical contractors. The office is at 221 North 5th Street, Bismarck (701-355-1465), open Monday to Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm, and permit applications and inspection requests run through the city’s eTRAKiT system.
Two things make Bismarck distinctive. Its building jurisdiction reaches into an extra-territorial area beyond the city limits, so the question of whether Bismarck is the authority is not answered by the city boundary alone. And the city still enforces the 2021 editions of the International Codes while it updates to the 2024 editions of the International Building, Residential, Existing Building, Energy, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes, so a project should confirm which edition governs at the time it files.
This guide covers the City of Bismarck and its extra-territorial area, in Burleigh County. Mandan sits across the Missouri River in Morton County and permits separately; confirm whether the address falls inside Bismarck's jurisdiction or its extra-territorial area.
The city limit is not the jurisdiction limit. Because the Building Inspections Division enforces within Bismarck and its extra-territorial area, a site just outside the city boundary can still be Bismarck's to permit — so the first check is whether the address falls within the city's jurisdiction, not merely within the city.
What requires a building permit in Bismarck?
In Bismarck the questions are whether a building code is enforced, which local amendments apply, and that the city's building jurisdiction reaches into an extra-territorial area, and that it licenses mechanical contractors and is adopting the 2024 codes.
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- A City of Bismarck building permit from the Building Inspections Division for work in the city or its extra-territorial area
- A City of Bismarck mechanical contractor licence for the heating and cooling trade
- A North Dakota contractor's licence from the Secretary of State for any job whose value exceeds $4,000, in the class that fits the project value
- An electrical wiring certificate filed with the North Dakota State Electrical Board by the licensed electrician, and an electrical inspection, for electrical work of $500 or more
- A plumbing installation certificate filed with the North Dakota State Plumbing Board for plumbing that needs inspection, or a city plumbing permit where the city inspects plumbing
- The State Building Code as the city has adopted and amended it, where the city enforces a building code
Often exempt
- Detached accessory structures below the city's threshold, where zoning setbacks still apply
- The State Building Code on buildings used for agricultural purposes, unless people live in them or the public uses them
- A building code permit where no city, township or county enforces the code — much of rural North Dakota (a county zoning permit may still apply)
- A state contractor's licence on work whose value does not exceed $4,000
- Ordinary repairs the adopted code places below the permit threshold
Whether a building code is enforced where you are building
Locally, what stands out is Bismarck administers the State Building Code through its Building Inspections Division, and its jurisdiction is unusually wide: the division enforces within the City of Bismarck and the City of Bismarck extra-territorial area, so a project just outside the city limits can still be the city's to permit. The division also licenses mechanical contractors, runs floodplain management, and is updating its adopted codes from the 2021 to the 2024 editions of the International Codes, the editions the State Building Code took on from 1 January 2026.
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
Who handles permitting in Bismarck?
The City of Bismarck is served by the Building Inspections Division, which issues building permits, administers the adopted codes for the city and its extra-territorial area, runs plan review, inspections and floodplain management, and licenses mechanical contractors. Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspectors are assigned districts within the city and the extra-territorial area.
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Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | City of Bismarck Building Inspections Division |
| Office | 221 North 5th Street, Bismarck, ND 58501 (Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm) |
| Phone | (701) 355-1465 |
| Jurisdiction | The City of Bismarck and its extra-territorial area |
| Codes / online | 2021 International Codes, being updated to the 2024 editions; permits and inspections through eTRAKiT |
In 2025, building permits issued in Bismarck authorized 260 new privately owned housing units, 218 of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Permit types
Residential permits
Houses, additions, alterations, decks and garages inside the city and its extra-territorial area are permitted through the Building Inspections Division, filed on eTRAKiT. The contractor holds the state licence for jobs over $4,000, mechanical work is done by a city-licensed mechanical contractor, and the electrical is inspected under the State Electrical Board.
Commercial permits
Commercial and multi-family projects are reviewed under the adopted International Codes — moving to the 2024 editions — with the contractor's state licence class matched to the project value. Fire alarm and sprinkler permits are required for new or upgraded systems, and electrical is approved by the State Electrical Board before occupancy.
The state permits and boards that run alongside the local permit
In the Bismarck extra-territorial area the electrical work must be inspected and approved by the North Dakota State Electrical Board before occupancy; plumbing and mechanical permits are issued by the city, whose plumbing and mechanical inspectors are assigned by district.
General contractors need a Secretary of State licence for jobs over $4,000; electricians and plumbers are licensed by state boards. North Dakota rules
Bismarck permit costs and fees
Bismarck scales its building permit to the project and takes payment through eTRAKiT. The cost items particular to the city are the mechanical contractor licence and, on a floodplain site, the elevation and survey work the division's floodplain management requires.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Set from the project valuation — new homes by floor area at the city’s set rates per square foot, alterations by bid amount — and paid through eTRAKiT |
| Mechanical licence | A City of Bismarck mechanical contractor licence for the heating and cooling trade |
| Floodplain | A Missouri River hazard-area site can require elevation and survey work |
| Contractor licence | A Secretary of State contractor's licence in the class fitting the project value, for jobs over $4,000 |
Confirm the code edition at filing. Because Bismarck is moving its adopted codes to the 2024 editions, the reliable step is to confirm with the Building Inspections Division which edition governs at the time the project files, since designing to the wrong edition is the avoidable delay.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Electrical — by an electrician licensed by the State Electrical Board, who files a wiring certificate with the board; inspected by a state district inspector, or by the city where it runs its own electrical inspections
- Plumbing — by a plumber licensed by the State Plumbing Board
- General contracting — under a Secretary of State contractor's licence for any job over $4,000
- Mechanical and heating — under the adopted mechanical code, with a city licence where the city licenses the trade
Typically exempt
- Work whose value does not exceed $4,000, below the state contractor-licence threshold
- Plumbing repairs and fixture replacements needing only minor alteration, and electrical repairs under $500 that do not touch the service
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Electricians and plumbers are licensed by state boards, which also inspect the work unless the city runs its own electrical or plumbing inspections. North Dakota rules
How to apply for a Bismarck building permit
The larger cities have building departments; many rural counties and townships do not enforce a building code, and then there is no building code permit for private work, though a zoning permit may still apply.
The city within its zoning area, which can reach past the city limits; the county in the areas no city or township covers; each administering the State Building Code with any local amendments.
Required for any job over $4,000, in the class that fits the project value, renewed by the first of March.
From the State Electrical Board and State Plumbing Board, which license those trades statewide and inspect the work unless the city runs its own inspections.
To the city building department, against the adopted State Building Code and the city's local amendments.
City building inspections, electrical and plumbing inspections by the state boards or the city, then the certificate of occupancy where a code is enforced.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
The Bismarck delays that recur are jurisdiction and edition delays: assuming the city limit ends the city's reach when the extra-territorial area extends it, or designing to the wrong code edition during the move to the 2024 codes. Confirming the jurisdiction and the governing edition up front, and running the state electrical and plumbing permits in parallel, keep the review on track.
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Where a city enforces the code, inspections follow the sequence in the adopted edition — footing, foundation, framing, rough trades, insulation and final — requested from the city against the permit number. Electrical inspection runs through the State Electrical Board, by a district or local inspector under the board's rules, and its approval is a precondition of energizing the service and of occupancy; plumbing runs through the State Plumbing Board. A certificate of occupancy closes the file where a code is enforced. In Bismarck the building inspections run through the Building Inspections Division against the permit number, with inspectors assigned by district; the electrical inspection is carried out under the State Electrical Board and must be approved before occupancy, and plumbing and mechanical work is inspected by the city’s own plumbing and mechanical inspectors.
Bismarck permit search and official resources
- City of Bismarck Building Inspections — permits, adopted codes, eTRAKiT and the inspection districts
- Bismarck adopted codes and design criteria — the adopted International Codes, the move to the 2024 editions and the plumbing standard
- North Dakota State Building Code (Division of Community Services) — the adopted state code, its editions and the local-adoption rules
- North Dakota State Electrical Board — statewide electrical licensing, permits and the inspection districts
- North Dakota Secretary of State — the state contractor licence classes and the $4,000 threshold
Frequently asked questions
Does Bismarck permit outside the city limits?
Within its extra-territorial area, yes. The Building Inspections Division enforces the code within the City of Bismarck and the City of Bismarck extra-territorial area, so a site just outside the boundary can still be Bismarck's to permit. Confirm which jurisdiction holds the address.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Which code editions does Bismarck enforce?
The 2021 editions of the International Codes, which the division is updating to the 2024 editions of the Building, Residential, Existing Building, Energy, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes. Confirm which edition governs at the time you file.
Who licenses mechanical and heating contractors?
The City of Bismarck. North Dakota has no statewide HVAC licence, and Bismarck licenses mechanical contractors at the city level. Electricians and plumbers are licensed by their state boards.
Do I need a state contractor's licence?
For any job whose value exceeds $4,000, yes — a North Dakota contractor's licence from the Secretary of State, in the class that fits the project value, renewed by the first of March.
How do I apply and request inspections?
Through the city's eTRAKiT system. Contractors licensed with the State of North Dakota register with the Building Inspections Division to apply for permits, pay fees and schedule inspections online.
Who approves the electrical work?
The North Dakota State Electrical Board. In the Bismarck extra-territorial area in particular, the electrical must be inspected and approved by the board before occupancy.
Simplify Bismarck permitting with Alliance Permitting
21+ years of working real jurisdictions is what tells you that Bismarck's jurisdiction does not end at the city sign: the Building Inspections Division reaches into an extra-territorial area, licenses mechanical contractors, and is moving to the 2024 codes. Our team confirms the jurisdiction and the governing edition, files on eTRAKiT, pulls the state electrical and plumbing permits alongside the city permit, and tracks the submittal to a certificate — corrections included.
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More North Dakota permitting guides
More North Dakota permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Bismarck permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.