A building permit in Dickinson is issued by the city's Building and Codes Department, part of Development Services, which administers the North Dakota State Building Code and inspects the work. The state contractor licence and the state trade boards run alongside the city permit, and a property-maintenance code is enforced on existing buildings.
Dickinson adopted the North Dakota State Building Code in 2003, taking in the International Building, Mechanical and Residential Codes along with the International Property Maintenance Code. The building official oversees both new-construction inspection and municipal code enforcement, which monitors property maintenance across the city. Plan review typically takes a few business days, and single-family dwellings are exempt from the sprinkler requirement.
This guide covers the city of Dickinson, in Stark County. Work outside the city limits falls to the county; confirm which authority holds the address, since North Dakota enforcement is jurisdiction by jurisdiction.
One office permits and maintains. Because the Dickinson building official oversees both building inspection and property-maintenance code enforcement, the same division that permits a project also enforces the upkeep of what is built — so property-maintenance standards are worth reading alongside the building code, not after.
What requires a building permit in Dickinson?
In Dickinson the questions are whether a building code is enforced, which local amendments apply, and that the city enforces a property-maintenance code alongside the building code, and that plan review runs a few business days.
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Get a free quote →Typically permit required
- A City of Dickinson building permit from the Building and Codes Department for construction, additions, most alterations and demolition
- Compliance with the International Property Maintenance Code on existing buildings, enforced by the same division
- 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
- The sprinkler requirement on single-family dwellings, and detached accessory structures below the city's threshold
- 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 Dickinson administers the North Dakota State Building Code through its Building and Codes Department, part of Development Services, and it adopted that code early — back in 2003 — along with the International Property Maintenance Code. The building official oversees both building inspection and municipal code enforcement, so the same office that permits new construction also monitors and, when necessary, enforces the upkeep of existing property. Plan review typically runs a few business days.
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 Dickinson?
The city of Dickinson is served by the Building and Codes Department within Development Services, which issues building permits, administers the State Building Code and the property-maintenance code, and runs inspections and code enforcement. Electrical runs under the State Electrical Board and plumbing under the State Plumbing Board.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | City of Dickinson Building and Codes Department (Development Services) |
| Office | 38 1st Street West, Dickinson, ND 58601 |
| Phone | (701) 456-7815 (Building & Codes); City Hall (701) 456-7744 |
| Codes | North Dakota State Building Code and the International Property Maintenance Code |
| Plan review | Typically a few business days |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →In 2025, building permits issued in Dickinson authorized 61 new privately owned housing units, all 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 are permitted through the Building and Codes Department under the State Building Code, and single-family dwellings are exempt from the sprinkler requirement. The contractor holds the state licence for jobs over $4,000, and the electrical is inspected under the State Electrical Board.
Commercial permits
Commercial and multi-family projects are reviewed under the State Building Code, with the contractor's state licence class matched to the project value. The property-maintenance code applies to existing buildings, and electrical runs under the State Electrical Board with plumbing under the State Plumbing Board.
The state permits and boards that run alongside the local permit
In Dickinson the electrical work is inspected under the North Dakota State Electrical Board and plumbing under the State Plumbing Board, alongside the city building permit.
General contractors need a Secretary of State licence for jobs over $4,000; electricians and plumbers are licensed by state boards. North Dakota rules
Dickinson permit costs and fees
Dickinson scales its building permit to the project, with plan review typically running a few business days. The state contractor licence and the state electrical and plumbing permits sit alongside the city permit.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Scaled to project valuation under the city's fee schedule and confirmed at intake |
| Plan review | Typically a few business days for the Buildings and Codes review |
| Contractor licence | A Secretary of State contractor's licence in the class fitting the project value, for jobs over $4,000 |
| Electrical and plumbing | Permitted and inspected under the state boards, billed separately from the city |
The property-maintenance code is part of the picture. Because Dickinson enforces a property-maintenance code through the same office that permits construction, a project on an existing building should account for the maintenance standards that office also applies, not only the building code.
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
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
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply for a Dickinson 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 Dickinson delays that recur are review and maintenance delays: a submittal that did not allow the few business days plan review takes, or an existing-building project that overlooked the property-maintenance standards. Allowing for the review window, reading the maintenance code alongside the building code, and running the state trade permits in parallel keep the review on track.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Inspections in Dickinson
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 Dickinson the building inspections run through the Building and Codes Department against the permit number, scheduled on the inspection line; the electrical inspection is carried out under the State Electrical Board, and plumbing under the State Plumbing Board.
Dickinson permit search and official resources
- City of Dickinson Buildings and Codes — building permits, the adopted codes, code enforcement and inspections
- North Dakota State Building Code — the adopted state code Dickinson administers and the local-adoption rules
- 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
What codes does Dickinson enforce?
The North Dakota State Building Code, which Dickinson adopted in 2003 — taking in the International Building, Mechanical and Residential Codes — along with the International Property Maintenance Code enforced on existing buildings.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Does the same office handle code enforcement?
Yes. The building official oversees both building inspection and municipal code enforcement, so the division that permits new construction also monitors and enforces property maintenance across the city.
How long does plan review take?
Typically a few business days for the Building and Codes Department, though a larger or more complex project can take longer. Confirm the current timeline with Development Services when you file.
Are single-family homes required to have sprinklers?
No. Single-family dwellings are exempt from the sprinkler requirement in Dickinson. Additions and alterations to existing structures carry their own code-compliance requirements.
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.
Who inspects electrical and plumbing?
The North Dakota State Electrical Board and the North Dakota State Plumbing Board, which regulate those trades statewide. The city inspects the building itself.
Simplify Dickinson permitting with Alliance Permitting
21+ years of working real jurisdictions is what tells you that Dickinson runs building and upkeep from one office: the state building code and a property-maintenance code, with the building official over both. Our team reads the maintenance standards alongside the building code, allows for the review window, matches the contractor's state licence class to the job, pulls the state electrical and plumbing permits, and tracks the submittal to a certificate — corrections included.
Ready to break ground in Dickinson sooner?
Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the City of Dickinson Building and Codes Department, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.
More North Dakota permitting guides
More North Dakota permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Dickinson permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.