For land outside the cities and outside the townships that do their own zoning, Stutsman County requires a building permit under its Zoning Ordinance before anyone builds, structurally alters or moves a non-agricultural structure. The Zoning Administrator (Director of Tax Equalization, 511 2nd Ave SE, Suite 102, Jamestown, 701-252-9032) handles the application, and the fee runs from nothing for work under $2,000 to $100 for work over $100,000. The permit checks zoning, setbacks, flood risk and septic siting; electrical and plumbing go to the state boards.
What needs a permit in Stutsman County?
Section 4.4 of the Zoning Ordinance applies to any person or company that wants to:
County building permit
- Erect or construct a structure
- Make structural changes to one
- Move a structure
- Put up a sign
Excluded
- Agricultural buildings
- Work in Jamestown or any other organized city
- Work in a township that keeps its own zoning, except for the uses that township has handed to the county
Conditional uses, variances and zoning changes go through the Planning and Zoning Commission. The county has separate ordinances for animal feeding operations, wind energy, crew housing, data centers, carbon capture, battery storage and solar energy.
Who issues permits in Stutsman County?
The Planning and Zoning Commission appoints the Zoning Administrator, who works from the Tax Equalization Office; Tyler Perleberg, Director of Tax Equalization, holds the post. The ordinance text names the County Auditor as the office that receives building permit applications and may issue them, while the county’s current Application for Permit is filed with the Zoning Administrator. The Board of County Commissioners sits as the Board of Adjustment and Appeals.
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Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Tax Equalization Office / Zoning Administrator |
| Address | 511 2nd Ave SE, Suite 102, Jamestown, ND 58401 |
| Phone | 701-252-9032 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Central |
| Septic permits | Central Valley Health District, 701-252-8130 ext. 9 |
Under a county list dated April 8, 2026, 16 townships keep their own zoning and have their own zoning officers: Ashland, Bloom, Buchanan, Corwin, Eldridge, Fried, Homer, Jim River Valley, Lippert, Midway, Rose, Spiritwood, Sydney, Winfield, Woodbury and Ypsilanti. Several of them have given the county control of particular uses, such as feedlots, wind turbines or crew housing; the county’s Zoning Jurisdictions table shows which. Zoning officer contacts for those townships are on the county Zoning page. All other townships are under county zoning.
| Area | Who handles building and zoning permits |
|---|---|
| Jamestown (pop. 15,688) | City Inspections Department at City Hall, 102 3rd Avenue SE (701-252-5900), for the city and land within one mile of its limits. |
| Medina (pop. 262) | Outside county zoning; the published sources do not describe a city permit. City office: 701-486-3162. |
| Buchanan, Cleveland, Courtenay, Kensal, Montpelier, Pingree, Spiritwood Lake, Streeter and Woodworth | Outside county zoning, which does not reach any organized city. The published sources do not say whether these cities issue building permits; ask the city auditor. |
Stutsman County application
One form, the Application for Permit, covers a zoning permit for new construction, a variance, a conditional use permit or another request. It asks for a detailed description of the plans and why the permit should be granted, with maps, sketches and other documents showing the site as it is and the proposed changes. A permanent copy of the project blueprints stays on file in the Zoning Administrator’s office.
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Get a free quote →The form also asks whether you have talked to the neighbors, the size of each new structure, the soil conditions, the roads that reach the site, and the estimated cost of the improvement including labor, materials and overhead. That cost sets the fee.
Blueprints and printed materials go to Suite 102 of the courthouse; the form and sketches can also be emailed to the Zoning Administrator.
Stutsman County permit fees
The Permit Fee Schedule at the end of the Zoning Ordinance (February 24, 2026 edition):
| Value of work | Fee |
|---|---|
| Under $2,000 | No fee |
| $2,001–$25,000 | $25 |
| $25,001–$100,000 | $50 |
| Over $100,000 | $100 |
| Conditional use permit | $100 |
| Zoning amendment | $100 |
| Variance | $100 |
Certified mail costs are added when notices must be mailed, as they are for variances. Wind energy and crew camp permits have their own fees in the ordinance.
Electrical, plumbing and building code work
The county permit comes from the Zoning Ordinance, which sets use, setback, flood and septic-siting rules and does not adopt a building code. Electrical work is permitted and inspected by the North Dakota State Electrical Board (701-328-9522), and plumbing by the State Plumbing Board (701-328-9977). Inside Jamestown and its one-mile area, the city’s Inspections Department handles building permits and inspections, and it too sends electrical and plumbing to the state boards.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →Site rules to plan for
Septic siting (Zoning Ordinance §2.4): the County Sanitarian must inspect and approve the proposed sewage system site before a building permit is issued. Soil absorption systems must sit lower than any nearby well or spring, at least 15 feet from the dwelling and 100 feet from a private water supply or any public water supply, stream, river or lake. Drain fields and seepage pits stay 15 feet from property lines and 120 feet from lakes and drainage ditches. A system needs a lot of at least 1 acre in soils with slight limitations, or 2 acres where soils are severely limited, and the county can require percolation tests at the developer’s cost. Central Valley Health District’s permit adds its own setbacks, for example 20 feet from the building to the drain field, 10 feet to property lines and a 1-acre minimum lot.
Flood-prone land: the Planning and Zoning Commission reviews every building permit application to see whether the work would harm the flood-carrying capacity of a flood-prone area. Where it would, an engineer’s technical justification is required, and buildings in flood-prone areas must be anchored and built with flood-resistant materials and methods. In a mapped special flood hazard area, a separate floodplain development permit from the County Emergency Management Office is needed before work starts (Zoning Ordinance §5.7), with the lowest-floor elevation and, for non-residential buildings that are floodproofed, an engineer’s or architect’s certification.
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Get a free quote →How to get a Stutsman County permit
Check whether the land is in a city, in Jamestown’s one-mile area, or in one of the 16 self-zoning townships; if so, apply there instead.
The County Sanitarian must inspect and approve a proposed septic site before the permit is issued; the septic permit itself comes from Central Valley Health District.
Describe the project, attach maps, sketches and blueprints, and give the full estimated cost.
Submit to the Zoning Administrator at 511 2nd Ave SE with the fee for the project’s value.
If the permit is denied, the Zoning Administrator tells you within seven days; you can ask for a Planning and Zoning Commission hearing or reapply with changes.
Do not occupy or use the structure until the Zoning Administrator issues it.
Certificate of Compliance and inspections
Every building permit application doubles as an application for a Certificate of Compliance. A structure that needed a permit cannot be occupied or used until the Zoning Administrator issues the certificate, and the Tax Assessor is notified when it is.
Electrical and plumbing inspections are booked with the state boards. Septic systems are inspected by Central Valley Health District.
Local Stutsman County details
Septic permits: Central Valley Health District’s Environmental Health Department permits septic tanks, drain fields, seepage pits, holding tanks and repairs in Stutsman County. Its office is at 122 2nd St NW, Jamestown (701-252-8130 ext. 9), and an appointment is needed to talk to a specialist. Under the district’s Rule 2, a permit is good for 12 months, and no new system is allowed where public sewer is within 200 feet of the property line unless the city refuses the connection in writing.
Variances: filed with the Planning and Zoning Commission. Owners within 660 feet get certified-mail notice within 14 days, the Commission decides within 30 days of the application, and a variance takes effect eight days after approval. Appeals go to the Board of Adjustment and Appeals within 7 days.
Energy and data projects: in February 2026 the County Commission adopted ordinances for data centers, carbon capture and battery storage (February 3) and for solar energy, with a 1,320-foot setback from occupied homes (February 17).
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →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 Stutsman County
County, city, health district and state sources:
- NDCC chapter 54-21.3, North Dakota State Building Code
- North Dakota Department of Commerce building codes
- Stutsman County Zoning Ordinance (February 2026 edition, with fee schedule)
- Stutsman County Zoning (township zoning officers)
- Stutsman County Application for Permit
- Stutsman County Zoning Jurisdictions table (April 8, 2026)
- Central Valley Health District septic permits
- City of Jamestown Inspections Department
Stutsman County permit FAQs
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Who issues building permits in Stutsman County?
For land under county zoning, the Zoning Administrator in the Tax Equalization Office, 511 2nd Ave SE, Suite 102, Jamestown (701-252-9032). Jamestown and its one-mile area, the other cities and the 16 self-zoning townships handle their own.
How much is a Stutsman County building permit?
Nothing for work under $2,000, $25 up to $25,000, $50 up to $100,000 and $100 above that.
Do farm buildings need a county permit?
No. Agricultural buildings are excluded from the building permit requirement.
Does the county inspect construction?
The county permit is a zoning permit and ends with a Certificate of Compliance before occupancy. Electrical and plumbing are inspected by the state boards, and septic systems by Central Valley Health District.
Which townships do their own zoning?
Ashland, Bloom, Buchanan, Corwin, Eldridge, Fried, Homer, Jim River Valley, Lippert, Midway, Rose, Spiritwood, Sydney, Winfield, Woodbury and Ypsilanti.
How long does a variance take?
The Planning and Zoning Commission acts within 30 days of the application, and the variance takes effect eight days after approval if no one appeals.
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More North Dakota permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Stutsman County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.