Dickinson, North Dakota Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Dickinson come from the city’s Buildings & Codes Department in Development Services, and it issues them for the city, for its extraterritorial zoning area and, as Stark County’s official Building Department, for rural Stark County. You apply on the city’s online Building Permit Application. Under the 2026 fee schedule a permit costs $50 for work valued up to $1,000, and $60 plus $4 for each further $1,000 above that, up to $200,000.

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. The city ordinance adopts the state code “and any future updates”, so the 2024 editions in force statewide since January 1, 2026 apply, with Dickinson’s own design values for houses: a 30 psf ground snow load, a 115 mph wind speed, a 4-foot frost depth, a winter design temperature of −10°F and ice barrier underlayment on roofs.

Dickinson sits in Stark County, and its Buildings & Codes Department permits building beyond the city limits too: in the extraterritorial zoning area (ETZ), which the permit application describes as land within 4 miles of city limits, and on Stark County land outside the ETZ and city limits, since the county’s Permits page states that all building permits in Stark County are handled by Dickinson. Inside the ETZ, Dickinson’s zoning and subdivision rules apply; outside it, zoning and subdivision approvals go to Stark County Planning & Zoning, which also oversees floodplain development in unincorporated areas.

What requires a building permit in Dickinson?

Dickinson’s building code covers erecting, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving, demolishing and converting buildings. Most building work goes on one Building Permit Application, and the Application Portal has separate forms for fences, demolition, moving, plumbing, underground sprinklers, water wells, signs, parking pads and right-of-way concrete.

Local rules that shape a Dickinson project

Every residential building in the city needs gutters, downspouts and splash blocks with an extension of at least 2 feet from the walls, and the ground must slope away from the house at 3/8 inch to 1 inch per foot toward the side lot lines and for at least 15 feet into the back yard. On residential land a fence may be 4 feet high within the required front yard or street side yard setback and 6.5 feet elsewhere, and it must stay inside the surveyed lot lines. In a FEMA special flood hazard area a separate floodplain development permit comes first, and a new or substantially improved house must have its lowest floor, basement included, at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation.

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

Dickinson building department: who handles permitting

The Buildings & Codes Department, one of the Development Services offices housed in City Hall, issues building permits, reviews plans and inspects. Building Official Leonard Schwindt leads it and also oversees municipal code enforcement. Its area is wider than the city: the permit application offers three locations (city limits, the ETZ, and Stark County outside the ETZ and city limits), and Stark County’s Planning & Zoning page names Dickinson as the county’s official Building Department. Inside Dickinson the city also licenses plumbers and issues plumbing permits, while electrical work runs through the State Electrical Board.

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, accessory structures and decks all go on the online Building Permit Application, where you pick the location (city, ETZ or Stark County) and the project type. New houses and new commercial buildings need an address verification letter from Stark County Emergency Management (701-456-7609); decks and accessory structures skip the letter but need a materials list. For a new house or commercial building in the ETZ or the county, the form also asks for the Southwestern District Health Unit’s Application for Sewage and Water Facilities (the unit is at 528 21st St. West, Dickinson, (701) 483-0171). Fences, underground lawn sprinklers (the backflow preventer must be installed by a licensed plumber), parking pads and demolition each have their own form on the Application Portal.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles home building permits, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial work uses the same application. Commercial plan review is billed at actual cost plus 10%, and the fee schedule adds a $40 Fire Department review and Engineering review at $200 an hour; its Fire section also lists a $100 Fire Plan Review per application. For a larger project, the Pre-Application Meeting Request form sets up a meeting with the city’s development team, in person or on Microsoft Teams.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit filing through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

City trade licences in Dickinson

The building application asks for the contractor’s licence number and lists the plumbing, mechanical, electrical, concrete, right-of-way concrete, excavation and water and sewer subcontractors. Dickinson issues its own calendar-year licences for plumbing, concrete and excavation work at $100 each: plumbers show their North Dakota plumbing licence and a $1,000 surety bond, concrete contractors a state contractor’s licence, a $5,000 bond and $100,000 of liability insurance, and excavators who dig water, sewer or stormwater lines a state contractor’s licence, a master plumber’s or State Water and Sewer Installer’s licence, a $25,000 bond and $100,000 of liability insurance. The 2026 fee schedule also lists a $100 Heating & Air License.

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

Fees come from the City of Dickinson 2026 Fee Schedule, which the City Commission approved on October 7, 2025 (Resolution 42-2025) and which took effect on January 1, 2026. The building permit is priced on the project’s valuation, and plan review and the trade permits are charged separately.

The city’s Building Permit Estimate Calculator applies the valuation bands this way: for a house valued at $300,000 it charges $60 for the first $1,000, $796 for the next $199,000 (199 × $4) and $550 for the last $100,000 (100 × $5.50), a building permit of $1,406. Residential plan review at $80 an hour, the mechanical and plumbing permits and any water and sewer connection come on top.

Trade permits and who may pull them

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 Dickinson building permit

Inspections in Dickinson

Building inspections are booked on the city’s Inspection Hotline, 701-456-7035: option 1 for building inspection, option 2 for engineering inspection. Signing the permit application commits you to keep work accessible and exposed for inspection and lets city staff onto the property. Each re-inspection costs $200 under the 2026 fee schedule. On a demolition, call the hotline for the on-site inspection once the sewer and water lines are capped. Electrical work is inspected separately by the State Electrical Board’s district inspector after the electrician files the notice with the board.

Dickinson permit search and official resources

• City of Dickinson Buildings and Codes — the Building Official, the inspection hotline and the adopted codes
• City of Dickinson Application Portal — building, plumbing, fence, demolition, moving, sprinkler and contractor licence forms
• Dickinson Building Permit Application — the online form for city, ETZ and Stark County projects
• Dickinson Building Permit Estimate Calculator — works out the valuation-based permit fee
• City of Dickinson 2026 Fee Schedule (Resolution 42-2025) — building, mechanical, plumbing and connection fees
• Dickinson Code of Ordinances, Chapter 8: Buildings and Building Regulations — code adoption, local amendments and plumbing rules
• Stark County Permits & Licensing — the county’s statement that Dickinson handles all building permits in Stark County
• 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 inspection districts — the District 4 inspector for Stark County
• North Dakota Secretary of State — the state contractor licence classes and the $4,000 threshold

Frequently asked questions

Who issues building permits outside Dickinson’s city limits?

Dickinson’s Buildings & Codes Department does, both in the extraterritorial zoning area and on Stark County land outside the ETZ and city limits, because Stark County names Dickinson as its official Building Department. Outside the ETZ, zoning and subdivision approvals go to Stark County Planning & Zoning (701-456-7672), which also oversees floodplain development in unincorporated areas.

How much is a building permit in Dickinson?

Under the 2026 Fee Schedule it is $50 for work valued up to $1,000; above that, $60 plus $4 for each additional $1,000 up to $200,000 and $5.50 for each $1,000 beyond. A $300,000 house comes to $1,406 before plan review, which is $80 an hour for residential buildings.

What number do I call for a building inspection in Dickinson?

The Inspection Hotline, 701-456-7035, option 1 for building inspection. The Building Official, Leonard Schwindt, is on 701-456-7803.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Dickinson?

Yes. A fence permit costs $60 and the application needs a site plan. On residential land, fences are limited to 4 feet within the front yard or street side yard setback and 6.5 feet elsewhere.

Who handles electrical and plumbing permits in Dickinson?

Inside Dickinson, plumbing is a city permit, pulled by a plumbing company licensed with the City of Dickinson. Electrical work has no city permit: the electrician notifies the State Electrical Board, whose District 4 inspector covers Stark County.

What codes does Dickinson enforce?

The North Dakota State Building Code, adopted by the city in 2003 together with the International Property Maintenance Code. Its 2024 editions took effect on January 1, 2026, and the city adds local design values such as a 30 psf ground snow load and a 4-foot frost depth.

Do I need an address letter before applying?

For new construction, yes: the application needs an address verification letter from Stark County Emergency Management (701-456-7609). Decks and accessory structures do not need one.

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, lines up the state electrical and city 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

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.