City of Valley City, North Dakota - Building Inspector

City of Valley City, North Dakota

city

Valley City, ND

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Valley City's Building Official is Michael Blevins on 701-426-8823 and its Fire Inspector is Lance Coit on 701-845-8127, both at 220 3rd Street NE, Valley City, ND 58072, with City hours Monday to Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. BUILDING INSPECTIONS ARE CONTRACTED OUT, which changes where the paperwork goes: the City's own plan-routing sheet states that "The building Inspection's Department receives and issues all applications for building permits for Valley City," and the current residential application is headed Midwest Inspection Services, 16553 37th ST SE Suite 5, Mapleton, ND 58059, phone 701-532-1078, fax 701-532-1608, with completed applications emailed to [email protected]. An older routing sheet still on the City site gives a Mapleton address of 302 1st Avenue SE, so use the address on the current form. THE APPLICATION. There are separate residential and commercial forms. The residential form asks for the project value and description, the owner, designer and general contractor with a North Dakota contractor licence number, and separately for the foundation, mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors, the excavator and the yard grading contractor. Its type-of-improvement line offers New Construction, Addition, Remodel, Demolition, Move, Repair, Miscellaneous and Temporary, and it carries the warning that "this application is not a Building Permit, nor does it authorize the start of construction." WHAT TO SUBMIT. Two sets of clearly marked plans, one complete set of plans in PDF, one complete set of engineered truss spec sheets, two copies of a site plan showing address, lot, block and addition with all easements and driveways, and two copies of construction drawings showing elevations, dimensioned floor plans, foundation plan and a cross section detail of materials and R-values, all at a minimum scale of one eighth of an inch. Under Section 7-01-02 the Building Inspector may also require a site plan prepared by a licensed engineer, architect or surveyor. Plan review is quoted at one to two business days for a remodel. Permits must be paid, signed and picked up within seven days of the invoice or phone confirmation, and no inspections are performed until the permit is paid for and signed. Separate permits are required for HVAC, electrical and plumbing work. Under Section 7-01-04 no permit issues unless the plat is approved and recorded under Title 16 and the structure and use comply with Title 11 zoning.

VALLEY CITY ADOPTS THE STATE CODE BY NAME AND EXPRESSLY FOLLOWS THE LATEST EDITION, so the edition in force here moves when the state's does. Valley City Revised Ordinances Section 7-01-06, Building Code, as most recently amended by Ordinance No. 1183 of 16 December 2025, reads in its entirety: "The city shall follow the North Dakota Building Code with its amendments to the latest International Code unless superseded by the Valley City Municipal Code." Section 7-01-05 gives the Building Inspector authority "to enforce the provisions of the State Building Code as adopted by the City of Valley City" and "to render interpretations of the State Building Code." Section 7-01-04 requires that "All work must be in conformance with the rules and regulations adopted in section 7-01-06, unless in conflict with this Code." WHAT THE STATE BUILDING CODE CURRENTLY IS. 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 adds "NO APPENDICES ARE ADOPTED." Under NDCC 54-21.3-03(6) a city that elects to administer and enforce a building code "shall adopt and enforce the state building code," but the state code "may be amended by cities, townships, and counties to conform to local needs." Valley City is listed as a code enforcing city by the North Dakota Department of Commerce. WHAT VALLEY CITY HAS SUPERSEDED. Chapter 7-01 of the Revised Ordinances, Buildings, was read in full - Sections 7-01-01 through 7-01-12, codified through Ordinance No. 1188 enacted 4 May 2026 - and it writes no construction standard of any kind for roofs. Its content is the permit requirement, application, fees, issuance, enforcement, the Building Inspector's duties, the code adoption itself, dangerous buildings and building numbering. TWO CODES THE CITY ADOPTS BEYOND THE STATE CODE. Section 7-01-06.1 adopts "The International Property Maintenance Code, as amended from time to time," which the North Dakota State Building Code does not include, and Section 8-01-07 adopts "The most recent editions of the National Electrical Code National Electrical Safety Code, and rules, regulations and standards adopted by the North Dakota State Electrical Board." Confirm the edition your permit is written to with the Building Inspector before ordering material to a code table.

Required — Valley City follows the North Dakota Building Code, whose residential half is the International Residential Code with North Dakota amendments, and both instruments that could change the roofing chapter were read in full. Chapter 7-01 of the Valley City Revised Ordinances, Sections 7-01-01 through 7-01-12, contains no roof-covering provision at all - Section 7-01-06 adopts the state code rather than restating or amending it. The North Dakota amendment set for the 2024 International Residential Code amends thirty sections, none of them in the roof-assemblies chapter. The base residential code drip-edge requirement for asphalt-shingle roofs, at Section R905.2.8.5, therefore applies in Valley City unmodified, with no local softening and no local addition. Because Section 7-01-06 follows "the latest International Code," take the installation extent, the overlap and the fastener spacing from the edition in force for your permit, which the Building Inspector can confirm. About drip edge

Not required — No mid-roof, roof-covering or underlayment inspection stage exists in Valley City on the Building Department's own published list, but the framing inspection expressly covers the roof, which is the point that matters on a re-roof that exposes structure. The City's Guideline for Remodeling a Dwelling lists three required inspections in full: "1. Framing - after completion of structural frame, sheathing and roof to the building frame, and prior to covering the structural frame. All Electrical, HVAC, and Plumbing shall be installed and inspected before calling for framing inspection. 2. Insulation - 0nce insulation and vapor barrier are in place & prior to installing sheetrock. 3. Final - when addition is completed and prior to occupying." Nothing between the deck and the finished covering is called out. Two practical points. The handout puts the duty on the contractor: "It shall be the responsibility of the permit holder to notify the Building Department when work is ready to be inspected. No work shall commence until the inspection is complete and approved." And no inspection at all happens until the permit is paid for - the City's plan-routing sheet states that permits must be paid, signed and picked up within seven days of the invoice, and "No inspections will be performed until the permit is paid for and signed."

Not required — No impact-resistance mandate applies in Valley City, at either level of government. City level: Chapter 7-01 of the Valley City Revised Ordinances, Buildings, is the instrument that adopts the building code and creates the permit requirement, and it was read in full - Sections 7-01-01 through 7-01-12, codified through Ordinance No. 1188 enacted 4 May 2026. It contains no UL 2218, Class 4, Class IV or FM 4473 provision and no roof-covering provision of any kind; the only roof references in the whole of Title 7 are the signs chapter's definitions of a parapet, a roof line and a roof sign. Chapter 8-01, Contractor Licensing, was also read in full and adopts only electrical, mechanical, fuel gas and plumbing codes. 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 - thirty numbered section amendments - and none addresses roofing or impact rating. An impact-rated shingle may still be worth buying in a hail-prone market, and an insurer may discount for one, but nothing in Valley City or North Dakota law requires it.

THERE IS NO THRESHOLD AND NO EXEMPTION LIST FOR BUILDING WORK IN VALLEY CITY - the ordinance requires a permit for repair, without qualification. Valley City Revised Ordinances Section 7-01-01 reads: "The owner, or authorized agent, of any lot or tract within the city, or within area adjoining the city over which the city has zoning jurisdiction, must obtain a written permit from the Building Inspector prior to erecting, constructing, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving, demolishing, or changing the occupancy of any building or structure of any description, or prior to causing any such work to be done." Chapter 7-01 was read in full, Sections 7-01-01 through 7-01-12, and contains no dollar threshold, no square-footage threshold and no list of work exempt from a building permit. Note also that the requirement follows the City past its own limits, into any adjoining area over which the City has zoning jurisdiction. WHAT THE CITY SAYS ABOUT REMODELLING WORK. The City's Guideline for Remodeling a Dwelling states that "Building Permits are required for most remodeling projects to any dwelling that consist of, but not limited to:" and its list includes "Replacing structural sheathing on roof, floors and walls," "Re-siding," and "Any work that requires alteration of structural components." The only work the guideline puts outside the permit requirement is interior: "Remodeling that consists of interior wall & floor finishes, cabinets, trim work, replacing door and window without altering rough openings do not require building permits." Roofing is not on that exempt list. The guideline also notes that "Some remodeling projects may not need to have a plan submitted and an explanation of the work being done will be sufficient, such as re-siding or replacing structural sheathing" - so a re-roof may well be a permit without a plan set, which is not the same as no permit. THE PENALTY FOR SKIPPING IT IS AUTOMATIC AND STEEP. Section 7-01-04.1 provides that where work commences without a building permit the Building Inspector notifies the owner by registered or certified mail and "A $500.00 fee will be immediately assessed to the property owner." The owner must stop work and reply within five business days, "Work may not continue until a building permit is issued," and if work does not stop "fees will be assessed at $200.00 a day from the date of receipt of the notice." Unpaid fees may be assessed against the premises and collected like municipal taxes. An assessment may be appealed to the Planning and Zoning Commission within 30 days, and that decision is final. FEES. Under Section 7-01-03 the permit fee follows "the fee schedule adopted by the City Commission by resolution," and the remodeling guideline states that "Building Permit Fees are based on the valuation of the construction project; this includes the materials and labor," with owner labour to be estimated and included.

Valley City imposes no layer rule of its own, so the rule is whatever the adopted code says. Chapter 7-01 of the Valley City Revised Ordinances, Buildings, was read in full - Sections 7-01-01 through 7-01-12, codified through Ordinance No. 1188 enacted 4 May 2026 - and contains no roof-covering, shingle, recover or re-roofing provision; Section 7-01-06 adopts the North Dakota Building Code rather than restating or amending it, and the only roof references anywhere in Title 7 are in the signs chapter, defining a parapet, a roof line and a roof sign. 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 - thirty numbered section amendments - and none reaches the roof-assemblies chapter. So the base International Residential Code provisions on installing a new roof covering over an existing one apply in Valley City unmodified, with no local cap added and none removed. That base text was not opened for this record, so no layer count is stated here and none should be inferred. Because Section 7-01-06 follows "the latest International Code," the edition can move underneath a job - confirm the permitted number of layers, and the edition your permit is written to, with the Building Inspector before bidding an overlay.

VALLEY CITY DOES PUBLISH A ROOF SHEATHING RULE OF ITS OWN, briefly and usefully. The City's Guideline for Remodeling a Dwelling, under its Building Construction Guidelines, states at item 11: "Roofs - Roof sheathing must be of approved span rated sheathing." The same handout applies the identical standard to floors at item 8, "Floor sheathing must be of approved span rated sheathing," and closes the list with "All residential construction shall meet the minimum requirements of the Valley City building code." The handout carries its own caveat on its first page - "This handout is a guide only and does not contain all the requirements of the Valley City Building Code" - so treat it as the Building Department's statement of the standard rather than as the whole of it. WHEN IT IS CHECKED. Replacing structural sheathing on a roof is named on the same handout as work that requires a building permit, and the handout's first required inspection is "Framing - after completion of structural frame, sheathing and roof to the building frame, and prior to covering the structural frame," so new decking must be looked at before it is covered. Plan submissions for residential work must include "One complete set of engineered truss spec sheets" and a cross section detail showing materials being used. WHAT IS NOT LOCALLY WRITTEN. Chapter 7-01 of the Revised Ordinances was read in full and contains no sheathing provision - no thickness minimum, no span table and no fastener schedule - and the North Dakota amendments to the 2024 International Residential Code, read in full, reach no part of the roof and ceiling construction chapter. So beyond the span-rating requirement above, the base residential code roof sheathing and decking provisions apply unmodified.

7.50% on materials in Valley City - North Dakota state sales and use tax of 5%, plus the City of Valley City's 2.5% local sales, use and gross receipts tax. There is NO county component: Barnes 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, and Valley City carries no county marker in the guideline's city table. The city rate is the sum of four increases - 1% from 1 January 1992, 0.5% from 1 July 2003, 0.5% from 1 July 2007 and 0.5% from 1 October 2010 - and the guideline, rates effective 1 July 2026, states the current rate as 2.5%, with a maximum tax (refund cap) of $62.50 per sale from 1 October 2010. 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 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. TWO VALLEY CITY SPECIFICS. Valley City is NOT among the sixty jurisdictions whose ordinances carry the limited exemption for materials bought inside the jurisdiction and installed outside it, so if a certificate of exemption is used here, "use tax is due to the local jurisdiction where the materials were purchased regardless of where the materials were installed" - which matters on rural Barnes County work supplied out of town. And do not read the $62.50 maximum tax as a cap on a roof: the Tax Commissioner states that "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 that "most construction activity which is subject to local sales or use tax will include more than the specified maximum tax in total local tax costs."