City of Beulah, North Dakota - Building Official

City of Beulah, North Dakota

city

120 Central Avenue North, Beulah, ND 58523

Required

Required

Beulah takes building permits online. The City states on its Permits and Property Information page: "The City of Beulah now offers building permit application online! You can apply for building permits, excavation permits, demolition permits, and request inspections though the Citizen Building Permit Portal link found below," and links its iWorQ Citizen Building Permit Portal, with permit fees payable through a separate online payments link where the City asks you to "reference permit number and type of permit under Acct #". City Hall is at 120 Central Avenue North, Beulah, ND 58523. WHAT THE ZONING ORDINANCE ADDS ABOUT TIMING. Chapter 1 tells applicants plainly that "The timeframe for receiving a building permit is dependent on various factors. Accuracy and completeness of information have major effects on application review time, as well as the fluctuations in the seasonal work load. The type and extent of structural work can also impact the length of time needed to review and potentially approve a building permit application," and it warns that most applications must be submitted several days before the meeting at which they will be discussed. Because a re-roof falls outside the Building Official's own administrative-review list at Section 5.12(B)(1)(a), it is on the track that goes to the Planning and Zoning Commission - so check the Commission's cut-off dates with the Building Official before scheduling a crew. FEES are non-refundable and set by resolution of the City Council rather than in the ordinance, so ask for the current schedule. ONE CONFLICT RULE WORTH KNOWING. Section 6.5 provides that where the Zoning Ordinance is inconsistent with state or federal regulations, with another City ordinance, or with a private covenant, "the more restrictive provision will control" - and the City "does not enforce private agreements or maintain a record of such agreements," so a homeowners association's roofing covenant is the homeowner's problem to check, not the City's.

Beulah adopts the North Dakota State Building Code on a FLOATING basis and gives the result its own name. Zoning Ordinance Section 6.15, Building Code Adoption, enacted on 22 May 2025 by Ordinance No. 460, provides: "The City of Beulah hereby adopts the State of North Dakota Building Code as may be amended from time to time. The State of North Dakota Building Code with the modifications listed in Section 6.17 shall be known as the Beulah Municipal Building Code." The same section continues: "The erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, removal, demolition, conversion, occupancy, equipment, uses, height, area, and maintenance of buildings or structures in the City of Beulah shall meet the provisions of the rules and regulations contained in the Beulah Municipal Building Code. Conformance with these codes will be administered by the City of Beulah through its officers, employees and agents." WHY THE WORDS "AS MAY BE AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME" MATTER. That is an expressly floating adoption rather than a frozen one, so a change in the state code reaches Beulah without a new City ordinance. The 2026 North Dakota State Building Code Book states that "Effective January 1, 2026, the North Dakota State Building Code consists of the 2024 International Building Code (IBC), International Residential Code (IRC), International Mechanical Code (IMC), International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), International Energy Conservation Code, and the International Existing Building Code as published by the International Code Council (ICC)", and it adds "NO APPENDICES ARE ADOPTED". A house or a townhouse in Beulah therefore runs on the 2024 International Residential Code, with no appendix chapters. THE OTHER CODES, AND WHO RUNS EACH ONE. Section 6.15 also adopts the current version of the Standards for Electrical Wiring and Equipment in North Dakota Administrative Code Title 24.1, Article 24.1-06; the State Plumbing Code in Title 62, Article 62-03.1; and the State Fire Code in the rules of the state fire marshal at Title 45, Article 45-18, Chapter 45-18-01. It says who administers each: electrical and plumbing are administered by "the appropriate State of North Dakota agency", and the fire code "will be administered by the City of Beulah Fire Department Chief." So the City is not the authority for electrical or plumbing work. THE CITY'S OWN MODIFICATIONS ARE FOUR ITEMS AND THEY ARE LISTED IN FULL. Section 6.17, "Building Code Modifications by the City of Beulah", also enacted 22 May 2025 by Ordinance No. 460, opens "This section covers items not covered in the building codes or having different requirements that the building codes call for" and then lists exactly four: metal roofs are allowed in all zoning districts while galvanized finished roofs are permitted only in the I and IH zoning districts; structures must have vertical sidewalls, with curved or Quonset style buildings permitted only in the I and IH districts and other wall designs evaluated case by case; an intermodal container used for storage is a temporary use requiring annual re-permitting, and needs an approved foundation if used as an accessory building or dwelling; and "Building permits for tension fabric buildings or tension fabric structures will not be granted under any circumstance." ONE OF THOSE FOUR IS A ROOFING RULE, and it is a materials and finish rule rather than a performance one. THERE IS A FORMAL ROUTE TO ASK FOR A DEVIATION. Section 6.16 lets an applicant apply to deviate from the building code, on a form with a non-refundable fee set by Council resolution, supported by written statements naming the code sections at issue, why they should be modified, and the proposed alternative. The application goes to the Building Official, then to the City Engineer or another qualified agent for analysis, then to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a recommendation, and finally to the City Council for a decision. The section states that the route "cannot be used for the Standards for Electrical Wiring and Equipment (State Electrical Code), the State Plumbing Code, or the State Fire Code as those codes are not administered by the City." STATE FRAMEWORK, FOR CONTEXT. North Dakota Century Code Section 54-21.3-03(6): "The governing body of a city, township, or county that elects to administer and enforce a building code shall adopt and enforce the state building code. However, the state building code may be amended by cities, townships, and counties to conform to local needs." Beulah has elected, and Section 6.17 is where it has exercised that amendment power.

Required — The International Residential Code drip-edge requirement for asphalt-shingle roof coverings applies in Beulah unamended, and both instruments that could have changed it were opened and read in full. THE CHAIN. Zoning Ordinance Section 6.15 adopts the North Dakota State Building Code "as may be amended from time to time", which since 1 January 2026 has been the 2024 International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings, per the 2026 North Dakota State Building Code Book. The City's own modifications to that code are set out in full at Section 6.17 and are four items - metal and galvanized roof finishes by zoning district, vertical sidewalls, intermodal storage containers, and a refusal to permit tension fabric buildings. None of them amends the roof-assemblies chapter. The North Dakota amendments to the 2024 International Residential Code were also read in full, the numbered section amendments running from Section 104.8 to Section 2103.3, and none reaches that chapter either. So no local softening and no local addition applies, and the requirement stands as the adopted code writes it. WHAT THIS RECORD DOES NOT DO. The operative International Code Council text of the drip-edge section sits behind the ICC paywall; this record does not restate it and does not rely on any third-party republication of it. What is recorded is the sourced fact that the requirement is in force in Beulah unamended. Take the material, the extent and the fastener spacing from the 2024 International Residential Code itself, or from the Building Official. ONE LOCAL RULE THAT DOES REACH THE ROOF. Section 6.17(1) provides that "Metal roofs are allowed in all zoning districts. Galvanized finished roofs are permitted in the I and IH zoning districts only." So a galvanized finish is a zoning question in Beulah before it is a detailing question, and on a residential re-roof it is not available. About drip edge

Not required — No impact-resistance mandate applies in Beulah, at either level of government, and that is established by reading the instruments rather than by failing to find one. CITY LEVEL. The City of Beulah Zoning Ordinance is the instrument that adopts and modifies the building code here, and it was read this session in full, all 217 pages. Section 6.15 adopts the North Dakota State Building Code and names the result the Beulah Municipal Building Code; Section 6.17 then lists the City's own modifications in full, and there are four - metal and galvanized roof finishes by zoning district, vertical sidewalls, intermodal storage containers, and tension fabric buildings. None is an impact provision. The ordinance imposes no UL 2218, Class 4, Class IV or FM 4473 requirement anywhere. STATE LEVEL. The North Dakota amendments to the 2024 International Residential Code, published in the 2026 North Dakota State Building Code Book, were read in full - the numbered section amendments running from Section 104.8 to Section 2103.3 - and none addresses roofing at all, let alone impact rating. AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION. Impact resistance under UL 2218 is a hail rating. It is not the same thing as a fire classification, which is graded under ASTM E108 or UL 790, or a wind rating, which is graded under ASTM D3161 or D7158. An impact-rated shingle may still be worth buying on the plains, and an insurer may discount for one, but nothing in Beulah or North Dakota law requires it. WHAT BEULAH DOES REGULATE IS THE MATERIAL AND THE FINISH, NOT THE RATING. Section 6.17(1) allows metal roofs in all zoning districts but permits galvanized finished roofs in the I and IH zoning districts only. That is a zoning and appearance rule, not an impact standard.

ROOFING IS ON BEULAH'S PERMIT LIST BY NAME, AND THERE IS NO DOLLAR OR SIZE THRESHOLD UNDER IT. Zoning Ordinance Section 5.11, headed "Building Permit Required", reads: "The construction and/or maintenance of the following improvements requires a building permit. Consult with the Building Official if planning to construct or maintain any improvement not listed below." The list that follows runs twenty-two lettered items: "(A) Fences", "(B) Siding", "(C) Windows", "(D) Exterior Doors", "(E) Sidewalks", "(F) Driveways", "(G) Curb and gutter", "(H) Decks", "(I) Additions", "(J) Sheds", "(K) Garages", "(L) Storage units", "(M) Communication towers", "(N) New residence", "(O) Remodels", "(P) New commercial structure", "(Q) Commercial structure remodel", "(R) Signs", "(S) Water and Sewer tie-ins", "(T) Roofing", "(U) Swimming pools" and "(V) Drain Tile". Note that the section reaches "construction and/or maintenance", so a repair is caught as squarely as a replacement, and nothing in the section makes the requirement turn on the value of the job or the area of roof touched. WHICH REVIEW TRACK A RE-ROOF FALLS INTO, AND WHY IT AFFECTS YOUR SCHEDULE. Section 5.12 splits permits into two tracks. Under Section 5.12(B)(1)(a) certain improvements get administrative review by the Building Official alone, and that list is "(i) Siding (ii) Windows (iii) Exterior Doors (iv) Water and Sewer Tie-ins (v) Drain Tile" - roofing is not among them. Section 5.12(B)(2)(a) then provides that administrative review and action by the Building Official and the Planning and Zoning Commission "applies to all projects not listed in section 5.12(B)(1)(a)", and under that track the permit issues "When all required plans have been accepted by the P&Z Commission". The City also warns, in the same section, that "the below list is not all-inclusive. The Building Official must be contacted to determine whether a building permit is required." So ask the Building Official which track your re-roof is on before you promise a start date, because one track runs at the counter and the other runs to a commission meeting. WHAT THE APPLICATION TAKES. Applications go to the Building Official on the appropriate form with a non-refundable fee set by Council resolution. The checklist at Section 5.12(A)(2)(d) calls for a site plan, floor plan, elevations, foundation plans and the elevation of final lot grade, each drawn to scale with dimensions, plus the contractor. Permits may be issued only for development on legal lots whose plat has been recorded by the Mercer County Recorder, and "The applicant has verified the location of the lot lines for the subject lot. Lot line verification is the responsibility of the applicant." TIMING. A building permit is valid for one year from the date of issuance, with up to two one-year extensions available from the Planning and Zoning Commission for good cause; if construction has not begun after a second extension the original permit is declared invalid and the fees paid are forfeited. THE PENALTY FOR STARTING EARLY IS NOT NOMINAL. Section 5.12(D) states: "All building permits must be obtained before any requested work is begun. Failure to obtain a building permit prior to the commencement of any work shall constitute a violation of this Zoning Ordinance." Section 6.10 then sets out what happens: the Building Official issues a cease-and-desist order, a Beulah police officer serves it on the property owner or occupier, and if work continues each day is a separate violation carrying "a minimum fine of $250.00 per day and a maximum fine of $1,000 per day, for each day work continues without a City issued building permit." ONE STANDING RULE THAT CATCHES SITE STORAGE. The City publishes, on its permits page, that Conex storage containers "do require building permits", "are considered temporary structures", "must be re-permitted every year", and that placement longer than one year "requires approval from the Planning & Zoning Commission". A container dropped on site for a long job is itself permit work here.

Beulah imposes no layer or recover rule of its own, so the question falls back to the adopted code. WHAT WAS READ. The City of Beulah Zoning Ordinance - the instrument that adopts and modifies the building code here - was read this session in full, 217 pages, including Chapter 5 (the permit process, Sections 5.11 to 5.13), Chapter 6 (Sections 6.15 Building Code Adoption, 6.16 Building Code Deviation and 6.17 Building Code Modifications by the City of Beulah, all enacted 22 May 2025 by Ordinance No. 460) and Chapter 9 (definitions). It contains no roof-covering, shingle, recover or re-roofing standard and no limit on the number of layers. Section 6.17 lists the City's modifications to the adopted code in full and there are four - metal and galvanized roof finishes by zoning district, vertical sidewalls, intermodal storage containers, and a refusal to permit tension fabric buildings - none of which is a layer or recover rule. The North Dakota amendments to the 2024 International Residential Code, published in the 2026 North Dakota State Building Code Book, were also read in full - the numbered section amendments running from Section 104.8 to Section 2103.3 - and none of them reaches the roof-assemblies chapter. SO THE BASE CODE GOVERNS, UNMODIFIED. How many roof-covering layers a house in Beulah may carry is whatever the 2024 International Residential Code itself provides in its roof-assemblies chapter. That operative text sits behind the International Code Council paywall; this record does not restate it and does not rely on any third-party republication of it. What is recorded here is the sourced fact that no local or state amendment changes it. Take the layer rule from the 2024 International Residential Code itself, or from the Building Official, before you bid an overlay. AND IF THE ANSWER YOU WANT IS NOT THE ANSWER THE CODE GIVES, Beulah publishes a route: Section 6.16 lets an applicant apply for a deviation from a named building code section, with a written case and a proposed alternative, decided by the City Council on the City Engineer's analysis and the Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation. That is a real procedure rather than an informal ask, and it takes time.

Beulah publishes no roof sheathing or decking standard of its own, and that is established by reading the City's building instrument in full rather than by failing to find one. The Zoning Ordinance was read this session in full, 217 pages, and it contains no sheathing provision, no span table, no panel thickness minimum and no fastener schedule. Its building-code chapter is Chapter 6: Section 6.15 adopts the North Dakota State Building Code as amended from time to time and names the result the Beulah Municipal Building Code, and Section 6.17 lists the City's own modifications to it in full - four items, none of them structural. The North Dakota amendments to the 2024 International Residential Code, read in full from Section 104.8 to Section 2103.3, contain no roof-assemblies amendment. SO THE DECK REQUIREMENT IS THE BASE CODE'S, UNMODIFIED - the 2024 International Residential Code. That operative text sits behind the International Code Council paywall, is not restated here, and no third-party republication of it is relied on. WHAT THE CITY DOES REQUIRE ON PAPER. The building permit checklist at Section 5.12(A)(2)(d) calls for a site plan, floor plan, elevations, foundation plans and the elevation of final lot grade, each drawn to scale with dimensions, plus the contractor. There is no separate structural submittal listed for a re-roof, and the Building Official determines when an application is complete. INSPECTION. Section 5.12(B)(1)(d) provides that "Inspections must be completed to ensure compliance with the Zoning Ordinance, building code, and State Electrical and Plumbing Codes as determined applicable by the Building Official. Inspections are carried out by the Building Official or his designee." So where a tear-off exposes deteriorated sheathing, the sizing of the replacement is a code question the Building Official may look at, and the stages are set by that officer rather than published in advance. ONE RELATED RULE AT THE EAVE, WHICH IS ZONING RATHER THAN STRUCTURE. Section 4.51(B): "If the eave (roof overhang) extends more than three (3) feet from the structure wall, then the setback distance must be measured from the edge of the eave." Extending an overhang can therefore move a building out of compliance with its setback.

7.00% on materials in Beulah - North Dakota state sales and use tax of 5%, plus the City of Beulah's 2% local sales, use and gross receipts tax. THERE IS NO COUNTY COMPONENT. Mercer County does not appear in the county table of the North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner's Local Taxes by Location Guideline, which lists only eight North Dakota counties as imposing a local tax - Burleigh, Cass, Hettinger, Morton, Steele, Walsh, Ward and Williams - and the Beulah city row is neither shaded nor marked with a county name, the two marks the guideline uses for a city that also owes county tax. The guideline, rates effective 1 July 2026, gives Beulah local code 200 and a current rate of 2%, built from 1% effective 10-1-03 and 1% effective 1-1-15. THERE IS A PER-TRANSACTION CAP, AND IT IS LOW. The maximum tax (refund cap) is $25 per sale, in force since 10-1-03, which at 2% is reached on a $1,250 purchase - a shingle order will usually run past it. The guideline's own warning applies: "the maximum tax (refund cap) is calculated on each material purchase a contractor makes to fulfill a construction contract, not on purchase orders or the entire construction contract itself," and where use tax is accrued rather than collected by the retailer "it should be accrued up to the maximum tax amount only." Permit holder compensation is 3%, capped at $50.00 a month or $150.00 a quarter. WHO PAYS IT ON A ROOF. North Dakota treats a roofing contractor as the final consumer of the materials installed into real property: "A contractor or subcontractor entering into any contract, except for a labor only contract, is regarded as the final user or consumer of all tangible personal property installed into real property." So the contractor pays the tax on its material purchases and does not charge the homeowner sales tax on an install-plus-materials re-roof; selling materials without installing them is a taxable retail sale instead. ONE POINT THAT CUTS AGAINST BUYING IN TOWN FOR AN OUT-OF-TOWN JOB. Beulah is NOT among the sixty local ordinances the guideline names as carrying the limited exemption for "materials that are purchased within the jurisdiction, but later installed outside of the jurisdiction where the sale took place." Without it, where a contractor buys on a certificate of exemption the guideline's default applies: "use tax is due to the local jurisdiction where the materials were purchased regardless of where the materials were installed." Buying in Beulah for a job out in Mercer County therefore still carries the Beulah local tax, even though the county levies none.