A building permit in Dickinson is issued by the city's Buildings and Codes division, 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?
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: the state itself enforces the code only on state buildings, and in a place that has established no building department there is no local enforcement for private work. Two things run statewide regardless — a state contractor's licence for larger jobs and the state boards that regulate the electrical and plumbing trades. So 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.
The statewide layer has three parts. A contractor's licence from the Secretary of State is required for any job whose value exceeds four thousand dollars, in four classes by project value, so most commercial and much residential work carries one before a permit is pulled. Electrical work is regulated by the North Dakota State Electrical Board, which licenses electricians, adopts the National Electrical Code and inspects wiring statewide through its district inspectors; plumbing runs through the State Plumbing Board. And buildings used exclusively for agriculture on a farm or ranch are exempt from the State Building Code, though that exemption is narrow and falls away once residential or commercial use enters.
Typically permit required
- A City of Dickinson building permit from the Buildings and Codes division 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 four thousand dollars, in the class that fits the project value
- An electrical permit and inspection under the North Dakota State Electrical Board, which regulates electrical work statewide
- A plumbing permit under the North Dakota State Plumbing Board, which regulates plumbing statewide
- 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 exclusively for agriculture on a farm or ranch
- A local building permit in a jurisdiction that has established no building department — much of rural North Dakota
- A state contractor's licence on work whose value does not exceed four thousand dollars
- Ordinary repairs the adopted code places below the permit threshold
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. 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 jurisdiction has established a building department, there is no local building permit for private construction, though the state contractor licence and the state electrical and plumbing rules still apply. Beyond that, Dickinson administers the North Dakota State Building Code through its Buildings and Codes division under the Engineering and Community Development Director, 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.
Who handles permitting in Dickinson?
The city of Dickinson is served by the Buildings and Codes division 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 Buildings and Codes division (Development Services) |
| Office | 38 1st Street West, Dickinson, ND 58601 |
| Phone | (701) 456-7744; inspections (701) 456-7815 |
| Codes | North Dakota State Building Code and the International Property Maintenance Code |
| Plan review | Typically a few business days |
Permit types
Residential permits
Houses, additions, alterations, decks and garages inside the city are permitted through the Buildings and Codes division under the State Building Code, and single-family dwellings are exempt from the sprinkler requirement. The contractor holds the state licence for jobs over four thousand dollars, and the electrical is inspected under the State Electrical Board.
How North Dakota contractor and trade credentials work
North Dakota licenses at two levels. A general contractor needs a state contractor's licence from the Secretary of State for any job over four thousand dollars, 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. Some cities add their own licence — mechanical and heating contractors are licensed at the city level in the larger cities rather than by the state. In Dickinson the licence is checked when the permit issues.
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
Alongside a North Dakota building permit, several state processes run in parallel. The State Electrical Board issues the electrical permit and inspects the wiring — through a district inspector, or a local electrical inspector operating under the board's rules in the larger cities, with the board billing the fee. The State Plumbing Board governs plumbing. And on any job over four thousand dollars the Secretary of State contractor's licence must be current. 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.
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.
| 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 four thousand dollars |
| 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
Trade work in North Dakota is licensed by the state even where the building code is enforced locally. Electricians and plumbers hold state licences and are inspected through the state boards, and a general contractor holds a Secretary of State licence keyed to the value of the job.
Permit required
- Electrical — by an electrician licensed by the State Electrical Board, permitted and inspected under the board statewide
- Plumbing — by a plumber licensed by the State Plumbing Board
- General contracting — under a Secretary of State contractor's licence for any job over four thousand dollars
- 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 four thousand dollars, below the state contractor-licence threshold
- Like-for-like replacement not amounting to a new installation
How to apply for a Dickinson building permit
The larger cities have building departments; many rural counties and townships have none, and then there is no local building permit for private work.
The city within its 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 four thousand dollars, 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 and inspect those trades statewide.
To the city building department, against the adopted State Building Code and the city's local amendments.
City building inspections, state electrical and plumbing inspections, 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.
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 Buildings and Codes division 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 four-thousand-dollar 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.
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 Buildings and Codes division, 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 four thousand dollars, 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
More than twenty 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.
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Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the City of Dickinson Buildings and Codes division, 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.