Roofing in Beulah, North Dakota

Required

Required

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.

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.