Roofing in Dickinson, North Dakota

Required

Dickinson adopts the North Dakota State Building Code by a FLOATING reference, not by a named edition, and that is the single most useful fact about the code in force here. WHAT THE CITY CODE SAYS. Dickinson City Code Section 8-11 reads: "The erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, removal, demolition, conversion, occupancy, equipment, uses, height, area and maintenance of buildings or structures in the City shall meet with the provisions of the rules and regulations of the State Building Code as set forth in N.D.C.C. Section 54-21.3, and any future updates and amendments to that Code, copies of which are on file with the City Administrator and are hereby made a part of this chapter by reference; with the exception of the sections hereinafter set forth affecting local conditions in the City, which are amended for use and application in the City, and the City hereby adopts said Code, with the following additions, deletions and amendments". Because the adoption expressly reaches future updates, a state edition change carries into Dickinson without a further City ordinance. WHAT THAT MEANS TODAY. The 2026 North Dakota State Building Code Book, published by the Department of Commerce, 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)." The same book states "NO APPENDICES ARE ADOPTED" and adds that "the State Building Code does not include the International Property Maintenance Code, or the International Fire Code. These codes, to be in effect, must be adopted separately by each city, county, or township." THE CITY'S OWN AMENDMENTS ARE SHORT AND THEY ARE ALL IN SECTION 8-11. To the International Building Code, four fill-in-the-blank inserts naming the City at Sections 101.1 and 1612.3, a flood reference date of June 1, 1978 at Section 1612.3, and 1969 at Section 3409.2. To the International Mechanical Code, six inserts covering the jurisdiction name, the fee schedule, two zero percent plan review figures and the penalty amounts. To the International Residential Code, exactly two: the jurisdiction name at Section R101.1, and the City's own filled-in Table R301.2(1) of climatic and geographical design criteria. There is no other local amendment to either code in the chapter. SEPARATELY ADOPTED CODES. Dickinson adopts the International Property Maintenance Code at Section 8-195 "including all supplements, additions and amendments thereto", the National Electrical Code, 2017 Edition at Section 8-29, and the North Dakota State Plumbing Code (2018 Edition) at Section 8-95. The codified text used here is current through Ordinance No. 1860, enacted 19 May 2026. STATE FRAMEWORK, FOR CONTEXT. North Dakota has no building code of general application. 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 building code may be amended by cities, townships, and counties to conform to local needs". Dickinson is named as a code enforcing city on the North Dakota Department of Commerce's directory of code enforcing jurisdictions.

Permits are administered by the Dickinson Department of Building Inspection, which the City created by ordinance rather than by administrative practice. City Code Section 8-12 provides: "The Department of Building Inspection is hereby created and the executive official in charge thereof shall be known as the Director of Inspections", and Section 8-13 has the Director appointed by the Board of City Commissioners from a list certified by the Civil Service Commission. FEES ARE IN THE CODE, NOT ONLY IN A SCHEDULE. Section 8-14 prices permits on valuation, at $15.00 for a valuation of $1.00 to $1,000.00 and $15.00 for the first $1,000.00 plus $3.00 for each additional $1,000.00 or fraction thereof above that, and adds that "Plan reviews will be a minimum of $20.00." THREE LOCAL RULES A ROOFER SHOULD PRICE IN. First, gutters are mandatory and dimensioned: Section 8-196 requires that "All residential buildings within the City must have gutters, downspouts and splash blocks installed with a minimum of a two-foot extension from any wall of the structure." Second, the site has to shed water away from the house: Section 8-197 sets "a minimum slope of three-eighths inch to one inch per foot from the sides of the house towards the lot lines" and the same slope for at least fifteen feet from the house to the back yard lot line. Third, if you are working on a building that has been moved into or within the City, expect the roof to be on the improvement list: Section 8-225 lets the Building Inspector require improvements "including, but not limited to, painting of exterior; new windows and/or doors; re-shingling; new roof; site work to control drainage; setbacks; and such other improvements as determined by the Building Inspector", and all mandated work must be completed within one year of placement on the new foundation. Enforcement is by misdemeanour prosecution under Section 8-15, with each day a violation continues treated as a separate offense.