Jamestown, North Dakota Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Jamestown come from the city’s Inspections Department at City Hall, 102 3rd Avenue SE (701-252-5900), for work inside the city and within its one-mile extraterritorial area. Fees follow the 2026 Building Permit Fee Schedule: a house is valued by the square foot (for example $152 per sq ft of main floor) and the permit fee is read off a sliding valuation scale. The city has no electrical or plumbing inspector, so those permits and inspections go through the North Dakota state boards.

What requires a building permit in Jamestown?

The Inspections FAQ and the city’s 2026 fee schedules list the work that needs a city permit:

Changes to load-bearing walls need plans; for other alterations the application accepts a rough sketch. Every construction site in the city and the one-mile area also needs some form of storm water control, reviewed with the building permit.

Who handles permitting in Jamestown?

The Inspections Department enforces the North Dakota State Building Code. Ordinance 1618, given final passage on January 5, 2026, adopts the 2024 International Building, Residential and Energy Conservation Codes with the state amendments, and the 2024 International Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes. Thomas Blackmore is the Building Inspector and also the city’s Zoning Administrator.

The city’s permit and zoning area reaches one mile past the city limits. Beyond that line, Stutsman County zoning applies, except in the townships that keep their own zoning officer.

Applications and contractor licences

Jamestown uses PDF applications posted on the Building page and available at City Hall:

• Building & Demolition Application (2026), also used for fences and house moves. It asks for the general contractor’s state and city licence numbers, the plumbing, heating/air and electrical contractors, and the storm water option (not applicable, waiver, state SWPPP or city SWPPP).
• Excavation Permit Application and House Moving Permit Application.
• Water & Sewer Hookup Application.

Contractors need a city licence for any job whose contract price is over $500, and must first hold a North Dakota contractor licence. The 2026 city licence costs $300 for a new building contractor and $100 to renew, the same for master plumbers and master electricians; journeymen pay $55 and gas fitters $80. Building contractors, master trades and gas fitters file a $10,000 surety bond, and the master trades and gas fitters also file liability insurance certificates. Renewals and payment are due by December 31; anything received later is charged the initial fee. Applications can be dropped off at City Hall, mailed, or emailed to info@jamestownnd.gov.

Jamestown 2026 permit fees

The City Council approved the 2026 license and permit fees by resolution on November 3, 2025, effective January 1, 2026. The schedule sorts building work into two categories. Category 1 covers single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, garages, mobile homes, swimming pools, remodels and additions, and its valuation is figured from the square-foot rates below. Category 2 covers fourplexes and larger buildings, commercial, industrial, church, school, hospital and public projects, valued at total contract cost. (An older FAQ on the Inspections page still puts triplexes with the contract-cost group; the 2026 schedule is the adopted one.)

These rates set the project’s value, not the fee. The fee for both categories comes from this scale:

Example: a new house with a 1,500 sq ft main floor, a 1,500 sq ft unfinished basement and a 600 sq ft attached garage is valued at $228,000 + $45,750 + $23,250 = $297,000. The permit fee is $856.37 plus 197 × $4.84 ($953.48), or $1,809.85. Commercial building permits add a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

Jamestown has no electrical, plumbing or mechanical inspector. The Inspections Department sends applicants to the North Dakota State Electrical Board (701-328-9522) and State Plumbing Board (701-328-9977) for those permits and inspections, which the city notes are priced on total contract cost. For commercial work, the valuation on the city building application leaves out plumbing, electrical, mechanical, HVAC, sewer and water.

Gas work stays partly local: gas fitters need a city licence, and gas fitting permits ($100) are on the city’s 2026 permit fee schedule. The city also licenses master and journeyman electricians and plumbers.

Plans and documents

Homes: the building application asks for the job address, owner, the general contractor’s licence numbers, the trade contractors, foundation, roofing and siding type, property use and the square footage of each area for the valuation. Plans are required for structural changes; a rough sketch is accepted for work that does not touch load-bearing walls.

Commercial: the Inspections Department receives every plan set and passes one set each to the Engineering and Fire Departments, and a PDF copy is also required. The building and fire set includes a code summary, civil site plan, fire and life safety plan with exiting, foundation, floor and structural plans with truss designs, wall sections, room finish and door schedules, kitchen plans, and electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire protection plans. Engineering needs the legal description, dimensioned site plan, easements, storm water plan, driveway and storm sewer details, water and sewer service locations and landscaping.

Design professional: plans must carry the original wet stamp of the North Dakota designer. New buildings need a professional design for Group A, E, I or H occupancies, R occupancies not built under the IRC, buildings of 10,000 sq ft or more (other than Group S or U), or anything over two stories counting the basement. Remodels and additions need one for buildings over two stories, A, E, I or H occupancies, a change of occupancy, or work over $250,000 outside R-3 and U occupancies; the Building Department can require one on any project over $10,000.

How to get a Jamestown building permit

Jamestown inspections

The number of building inspections depends on the job. The city’s FAQ gives two examples:

• Deck: usually two inspections, one after the footings are dug and one when framing is finished.
• Room addition: one each after the foundation, backfilling and framing, another after insulation, another for the wall and ceiling materials, and a final once electrical work and smoke alarms are finished.

Request building inspections from the Inspections Department at 701-252-5900. Electrical and plumbing inspections are booked with the state boards, so schedule them before walls are closed. A certificate of occupancy follows once the building meets the code and passes its inspections.

Local Jamestown rules that affect projects

Fences: a $60 permit, using the building application with a sketch, design or photo showing materials and height. Locate the property pins and call 811 first; the fence may go up to, but not on or over, the property line. Residential fences are limited to 6 feet, nothing over 3 feet is allowed within 20 feet of a corner-lot intersection, and the finished side faces the street.

Storm water: for a fence, deck, shed or any addition, ask the Inspection Department for a storm water management application along with the building permit. The City Engineer and Building Inspection review how the project affects runoff under Ordinance 1314; some sites need a full management plan.

Zoning changes: a rezoning application costs $200 and must be in six weeks before the Planning Commission hearing; a change to the land use plan adds a $50 application. Owners within 150 feet are notified. The Planning Commission meets on the second Monday of each month at 8 a.m. in the City Hall council chambers.

Signs: commercial and political signs are not allowed in the right-of-way; on commercial and industrial lots, sign supports must sit entirely on private property; and no sign at a street intersection may be taller than 3 feet within 20 feet of it.

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 Jamestown building-permit resources

City, county and state sources:

• North Dakota Department of Commerce building codes
• Jamestown Inspections Department and permit FAQ
• Jamestown Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2026)
• Jamestown permits and licenses forms
• Jamestown Building page (applications and handouts)
• NDCC chapter 54-21.3, North Dakota State Building Code
• Jamestown other permit fees (effective January 1, 2026)
• Jamestown Building & Demolition Application (2026)
• Jamestown Commercial Plan Submittal Requirements
• Jamestown: when professional design is required
• Jamestown Ordinance 1618, 2024 building code adoption
• Jamestown 2026 contractor licence application
• Jamestown fence permit process
• Jamestown Planning & Zoning
• Jamestown Storm Water Management

Jamestown permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Jamestown?

The city’s Inspections Department at City Hall, 102 3rd Avenue SE (701-252-5900), for the city and the one-mile area around it.

How much is a building permit for a new house in Jamestown?

The house is first valued by the square foot ($152 per sq ft of main floor, $30.50 for an unfinished basement, $38.75 for an attached garage), then the fee is taken from the 2026 scale. A house valued at $297,000 pays $1,809.85.

Is there a plan review fee?

Only on commercial building permits, which add 20% of the permit fee.

Does the city inspect electrical and plumbing work?

No. Jamestown has no electrical or plumbing inspector; permits and inspections come from the North Dakota State Electrical Board and State Plumbing Board.

Do I need a permit for a fence or deck in Jamestown?

Yes. A fence permit is $60 and fences on residential lots are limited to 6 feet. Decks, attached or freestanding, need a building permit; for the fee, a wood deck is valued at $27.75 per sq ft.

Does my contractor need a city licence?

Yes, for any job over $500. The contractor must hold a North Dakota licence first; the city licence costs $300 the first year and $100 to renew by December 31.

Which building code does Jamestown use?

The 2024 International Building, Residential, Energy Conservation, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes with North Dakota amendments, adopted by Ordinance 1618 in January 2026.

Simplify Jamestown permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in North Dakota. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Jamestown permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.