A building permit in Mandan is issued by the city’s Building Inspection department at City Hall, 205 Second Avenue NW (701-667-3230; Monday to Thursday 8:00am to 5:00pm, Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm), which administers the North Dakota State Building Code with Mandan amendments for the city and its 2-mile extraterritorial area and also issues plumbing and fuel-gas permits. Mandan is in Morton County, across the Missouri River from Bismarck in Burleigh County, and permits entirely separately from its larger neighbour.
Two prerequisites can shape the Mandan front end. In a new subdivision, a Storm Water Management permit, obtained through the Engineering Department, must be approved before any land development or land-disturbing activity, and building permits wait until it and the street work are complete. And a commercial project may need the approval of the Mandan Architectural Review Commission before it proceeds. Mandan’s jurisdiction also reaches into a 2-mile extraterritorial area, so the city boundary alone does not settle whether Mandan is the authority.
This guide covers the City of Mandan and its extra-territorial area, in Morton County. Bismarck sits across the Missouri River in Burleigh County and permits separately; Morton County runs its own building department for the unincorporated county. Confirm which authority holds the address.
Mandan is not Bismarck. Because Mandan and Bismarck are separate cities in separate counties on opposite sides of the Missouri River, a project near the river confirms which city holds the address — a Bismarck permit does not carry across to Mandan, and each runs its own code amendments and extra-territorial area.
What requires a building permit in Mandan?
In Mandan the questions are whether a building code is enforced, which local amendments apply, and that Mandan permits separately from Bismarck, runs its own extra-territorial area, and requires a storm-water permit before land disturbance in a new subdivision.
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- A City of Mandan building permit from Building Inspection for work in the city or its extra-territorial area
- A Storm Water Management permit approved before any land development or land-disturbing activity
- 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
- A detached deck not exceeding 120 square feet and no more than 7 inches above grade, not serving a required exit door
- 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 Mandan administers the North Dakota State Building Code with amendments unique to the city through its Building Inspection department, and its jurisdiction reaches into its own extra-territorial area beyond the city limits. Two Mandan requirements can come before the building permit: in a new subdivision a Storm Water Management permit must be approved before any land development or land-disturbing activity, and a commercial project may need the approval of the Mandan Architectural Review Commission before it can proceed. And though Mandan and Bismarck read as one metro across the river, they are separate jurisdictions — a Bismarck permit is not a Mandan permit.
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 Mandan?
The City of Mandan is served by the Building Inspection department at City Hall, which issues building permits, administers the State Building Code with Mandan amendments for the city and its 2-mile extraterritorial area, issues plumbing and fuel-gas permits, and inspects the work. Electrical runs under the State Electrical Board, and plumbers hold State Plumbing Board licences.
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Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | City of Mandan Building Inspection department |
| Office | City Hall, 205 Second Avenue NW, Mandan, ND 58554 (Monday to Thursday 8:00am to 5:00pm, Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm) |
| Phone | (701) 667-3230 |
| Prerequisites | In a new subdivision, a Storm Water Management permit before land disturbance; Architectural Review Commission approval for some commercial work |
| Jurisdiction | The City of Mandan and its 2-mile extraterritorial area, separate from Bismarck |
In 2025, building permits issued in Mandan authorized 65 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 and its extra-territorial area are permitted through Building Inspection under the State Building Code with Mandan amendments. A detached deck not exceeding 120 square feet and no more than 7 inches above grade is exempt, a storm-water permit precedes land disturbance, 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 Mandan amendments, and may require the approval of the Mandan Architectural Review Commission before proceeding. A commercial demolition needs an asbestos inspection, the storm-water permit precedes site work, and the contractor's state licence class is matched to the project value.
The state permits and boards that run alongside the local permit
In Mandan the electrical work is inspected under the North Dakota State Electrical Board, while plumbing and fuel-gas permits are issued by the city alongside the 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
Mandan permit costs and fees
Mandan sets its building permit fee by the total value of the job, with plan review of up to half the permit fee. The steps particular to the city are the storm-water permit before land disturbance in a new subdivision and, for some commercial work, the architectural review.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | By total value of the job under the city’s 2020 fee schedule — $45 up to $500, then sliding rates per $100 and per $1,000 — plus plan review of up to 50% of the permit fee |
| Storm water | In a new subdivision, a Storm Water Management permit through Engineering before any land disturbance |
| Architectural review | Mandan Architectural Review Commission approval for some commercial projects |
| Contractor licence | A Secretary of State contractor's licence in the class fitting the project value, for jobs over $4,000 |
In a new subdivision, the storm-water permit comes first. Because Mandan requires the Storm Water Management permit to be approved before any land development or land-disturbing activity in a new subdivision, and building permits wait until it is done, it belongs at the front of the schedule rather than beside the building application.
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 Mandan 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 Mandan delays that recur are prerequisite and jurisdiction delays: a site disturbed before the storm-water permit was approved, a commercial project that had not been through architectural review, or an assumption that a Bismarck permit carries across the river. Clearing the storm-water permit first, checking whether architectural review applies, and confirming Mandan is the authority keep the review on track.
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Get a free quote →Inspections in Mandan
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 Mandan the building inspections run through the Building Inspection department against the permit number — foundation and wall, framing, plumbing, fuel gas, insulation and final — with electrical under the State Electrical Board. The certificate of occupancy is included in the permit fee; an additional inspection is charged $50.
Mandan permit search and official resources
- City of Mandan Building Inspection — building permits, the adopted code, the storm-water prerequisite and inspections
- City of Mandan departments — Building Inspection, Engineering storm-water permitting and the Architectural Review Commission
- 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
Is a Bismarck permit valid in Mandan?
No. Mandan and Bismarck are separate cities in separate counties across the Missouri River, each administering the state code with its own amendments and its own extra-territorial area. A project in Mandan needs a City of Mandan permit.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →What has to happen before I get a building permit?
In a new subdivision, a Storm Water Management permit must be approved before any land development or land-disturbing activity, and building permits wait until it and the street curb, gutter and surface are complete. A commercial project may also need Mandan Architectural Review Commission approval.
Does Mandan permit outside the city limits?
Within its extraterritorial area, yes. Mandan requires permits within the city limits and its 2-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction. Confirm whether the address falls within the city’s jurisdiction.
Do I need a permit for a small deck?
A detached deck not exceeding 120 square feet, no more than 7 inches above grade, not attached to a dwelling and not serving a required exit door is exempt. Confirm the specifics with Building Inspection.
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?
Electrical is inspected under the North Dakota State Electrical Board. Plumbing and fuel-gas permits are issued by the city, whose inspections include plumbing and fuel gas; plumbers are licensed by the State Plumbing Board. An additional inspection is charged $50.
Simplify Mandan permitting with Alliance Permitting
21+ years of working real jurisdictions is what tells you that Mandan is its own city, not a Bismarck suburb: its own code amendments, its own 2-mile extraterritorial area, a storm-water permit before land disturbance in a new subdivision, and architectural review for some commercial work. Our team clears the storm-water permit first, checks whether architectural review applies, confirms Mandan is the authority, lines up the 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 Mandan Building Inspection 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 Mandan permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.