On land under county zoning, building permits in McKenzie County come from the County Building Department at 1300 12th St SE, Suite 214, Watford City (701-444-2420), which applies the State Building Code and the county’s Land Development Ordinance. Houses, duplexes, garages and decks need a permit but are charged no fee; commercial work pays a valuation-based fee plus 50% for plan review, and a complete packet takes about 10 to 15 business days.
What needs a permit in McKenzie County?
Under the Land Development Ordinance no structure may be built, structurally altered or moved without a building permit; maintenance that does not change the structure is exempt. The 2020 fee schedule and the county’s 2017 Statement of Clarification sort projects like this:
Permit required
- Houses, duplexes and modular homes, with or without a garage
- Attached garages and other attached additions, and detached accessory buildings over 120 sq ft that are heated or cooled
- Decks more than 30 inches above finished grade
- Apartment buildings with more than 2 units
- Used manufactured buildings
- Man camps, skid units and other temporary housing and offices
- All commercial and industrial buildings
- Any home, trailer or structure used as living quarters, whatever the size of the parcel
No permit
- One-story sheds, playhouses and similar structures under 120 sq ft
- Buildings used only for agriculture in the Agricultural District, other than dwellings
- Buildings with no heating or air-conditioning unit (fans do not count)
Exempt buildings still need an application to the Planning Department so the use can be checked against the zoning district, together with the notarized Building Affidavit naming the exemption claimed.
Who issues building permits in McKenzie County?
The County Building Department enforces the State Building Code and fire and life safety codes, and the Planning and Zoning Director, or a designee, is the official who interprets the code and decides permits and waivers, with appeals to the county commission. The county’s rules do not apply inside cities or a city’s exclusive extraterritorial area, in townships that have kept their own zoning, on federal land, or on land inside tribal boundaries recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Office | Contact |
|---|---|
| Building Department | 1300 12th St SE, Suite 214, Watford City, ND 58854; 701-444-2420; building@co.mckenzie.nd.us; Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Planning and Zoning | Same address; 701-444-2420; pandz@co.mckenzie.nd.us |
| Road access permits | permits@co.mckenzie.nd.us |
Townships: only 15 townships are still organized, and the county commission acts as the township board for the rest. Alex, Antelope Creek, Arnegard, Blue Buttes, Grail, Sioux and Tri Township have joint powers agreements handing zoning to the county; Alex’s says that includes issuing building permits and doing inspections. Charbon, Elm Tree, Hawkeye Valley, Keene, Randolph and Twin Valley townships have no joint powers agreement and have their own zoning ordinances (posted on the county site), so zoning approval there comes from the township; the county’s building packet asks for that approval.
| City | Who permits |
|---|---|
| Watford City (pop. 6,378) | City Building Department, for the city and its extraterritorial area; 213 2nd St NE, 701-444-8414 (Monday to Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday to 1:00 p.m.) |
| Alexander (pop. 325) | City of Alexander Planning Department, with Planning & Zoning and City Council approval; City Hall, 112 Manning Ave, 701-828-3461 |
| Arnegard (pop. 294) | City Auditor handles building and land use permits; City Hall, 211 Frontage Road, 701-586-3453 |
McKenzie County application packets
- Residential Building Permit Application Packet: houses, duplexes, modular homes, additions and accessory buildings.
- Commercial Building Permit Application Packet: commercial, industrial and multi-family work.
- Used Manufactured Building Permit Application: a used manufactured home must be installed by a state-licensed installer and inspected by a state-certified inspector, although an owner who also owns the land may install it personally under the state rules.
- Building Waiver Application Packet: since a March 20, 2018 county amendment, structures built on site for oil and gas processing and storage can ask the Planning and Zoning Director to waive the building permit or inspections. Offices and control rooms cannot be waived, and a fire and safety inspection is still required before operations start and annually after that.
- Building Affidavit: the notarized statement for an exempt building.
- Statement of Special Inspections: for projects with special inspections.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →McKenzie County building permit fees
The Building Department’s Permit Fee Schedule took effect on September 15, 2020. Commercial fees are figured on a valuation taken from the Building Valuation Data table in the International Building Code.
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| House, duplex or modular home, with or without garage | Permit required, no fee |
| Attached garage, heated or cooled detached building over 120 sq ft, deck over 30 inches | Permit required, no fee |
| Multi-family building with more than 2 units | $1,800 plus $0.50 per sq ft |
| Used manufactured building | $250 |
| Man camp, skid unit or modular temporary housing | $400 per unit per year |
| Starting residential work before the permit | $500 penalty |
| Valuation | Base fee |
|---|---|
| $1 to $500 | $25 |
| $501 to $2,000 | $25 plus $3 per additional $100 |
| $2,001 to $25,000 | $65 plus $14 per additional $1,000 |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | $390 plus $10 per additional $1,000 |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $640 plus $7 per additional $1,000 |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $990 plus $5.50 per additional $1,000 |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | $3,200 plus $4.50 per additional $1,000 |
| Over $1,000,000 | $5,500 plus $3 per additional $1,000 |
Commercial plan review adds 50% of the base fee, so a building valued at $200,000 pays a $1,540 base fee and $770 for plan review, $2,310 in all. Temporary construction trailers are $400 each. Inspections outside business hours cost $100 an hour (two-hour minimum), as do extra plan review after changes (half-hour minimum) and outside consultants. Starting commercial work before the permit adds a second full base fee.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →The two county documents disagree on re-inspections: the 2020 fee schedule lists $100 an hour, while the Building Inspections page charges $100 for a commercial and $50 for a residential job that is not ready, collected before the next inspection is booked.
Plumbing, electrical and septic in McKenzie County
Plumbing and electrical work is inspected and enforced by the state boards, not the county. The county’s inspection list gives the numbers to call: ND State Plumbing Inspector, 701-391-1204, for ground and rough plumbing; ND State Electrical Inspector, 701-214-8006, for rough electrical. The Upper Missouri District Health Unit permits septic systems and licenses installers in McKenzie County, and its Sewage Treatment System Permit is part of the county building packet.
What goes in the building packet
Email the whole packet to building@co.mckenzie.nd.us at once; incomplete packets are not accepted.
Residential
- Completed application and GIS address form
- Proof of ownership
- Dimensioned site plan showing north, lot lines, roads and right-of-way, distances to all structures, existing wells and septic tanks, and the road access permit
- One set of hard-copy plans at least 11x17 (electronic for larger sheets or more than 30 sheets): roof, framing, foundation, architectural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, and structural
- Proof of zoning approval from the county or the township
- Sewage treatment system permit
Commercial
- Everything on the residential list
- Calculations where they apply
- ADAAG conformance statement for accessibility
- Statement of Special Inspections where required
Plans must meet the county design criteria: 48-inch frost depth, 30 psf ground snow load and 21 psf roof snow load, 115 mph wind with surface roughness C, seismic category A, a winter design temperature of -21°F and ice barrier underlayment. A geotechnical report is needed for footing pressures above 1,500 psf.
Rather not deal with the McKenzie County building department?
Get a free quote →How to get a McKenzie County building permit
Inside Watford City, Alexander or Arnegard, or in a township with its own zoning, start with that office.
Request a GIS address and, for a new driveway, a road access permit from the county.
Get zoning approval from the county or township and the septic permit from the Upper Missouri District Health Unit.
Email the residential or commercial packet with plans built to the county design criteria.
The department tells you when the permit is ready; pay any fee and keep the permit on site, with the permit number on a 4 ft by 8 ft sign with the project name and address.
Book the county inspections and the state plumbing and electrical inspections as work progresses.
Required inspections
The county lists these inspections: footings (once dug or formed with rebar placed), foundation (forms and rebar set), rough mechanical, framing (before siding, insulation and finishes), insulation, fire sprinklers where they apply, sheetrock before taping, stucco before the brown coat and a final when the building is ready to occupy. The final also checks grading, concrete, floor coverings, painting, caulking, house numbers, any required landscaping and damage to adjacent public improvements. A permit expires if no construction starts within a year of issue.
Local details in McKenzie County
Planning and zoning: all zoning applications need comments from the county’s development checklist, so talk to a county planner before applying. The Planning & Zoning Commission meets at 5:00 p.m. at the courthouse, 201 5th St NW, Watford City; its next meetings are November 9 and December 8, 2026.
New rules in progress: the Planning and Zoning Board recommended new data center and noise mitigation sections of the Land Development Ordinance. The county commission passed both on first reading on September 15, 2026 and listed them for second reading on October 6, 2026; minutes of that meeting were not yet posted on October 15.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Watford City: the city enforces the 2024 IBC, IRC, IMC, IFGC and IEBC, keeps its own contractor licensing list and asks applicants not to pay until staff have reviewed the application; most city permits are valid for six months.
Alexander: a building permit deposit is paid at submittal, $250 for a house or modular plan and $1,000 to $3,500 for commercial and multi-family plans by size, and is credited to the final invoice. The city does not take cards.
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 resources for McKenzie County
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- NDCC chapter 54-21.3, State Building Code
- North Dakota Department of Commerce, building codes
- McKenzie County building permits and application packets
- McKenzie County Building Permit Fee Schedule (2020)
- McKenzie County required building inspections
- McKenzie County building design criteria
- McKenzie County Land Development Ordinance (2024)
- McKenzie County township joint powers agreements
- Upper Missouri District Health Unit, septic systems
- City of Watford City Building Department
- City of Alexander forms and permits
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →McKenzie County permit FAQs
How much is a building permit for a house in McKenzie County?
Nothing. Under the 2020 fee schedule a house, duplex or modular home needs a permit but pays no permit fee; starting before the permit is issued carries a $500 penalty.
How long does the county take to issue a permit?
About 10 to 15 business days from receipt of a complete packet.
Do I need a permit for a shed or farm building?
Not for a one-story shed or playhouse under 120 sq ft, or a building used only for agriculture in the Agricultural District. Unheated, uncooled buildings are also exempt, but an application and notarized affidavit are still required.
Who inspects plumbing and electrical work?
The state: the ND State Plumbing Inspector (701-391-1204) and ND State Electrical Inspector (701-214-8006).
Does the county permit cover Watford City?
No. Watford City’s own Building Department reviews and inspects projects in the city and its extraterritorial area (701-444-8414).
Who issues septic permits?
The Upper Missouri District Health Unit, which permits septic systems and licenses installers in Divide, McKenzie, Mountrail and Williams counties.
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More North Dakota permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about McKenzie County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.