Fargo Building Permit Office
Fargo
City of Fargo
701-241-1561
Monday-Friday 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
225 4th Street North, Fargo, North Dakota, 58102
Fargo’s building-permit authority is the City of Fargo Inspections Department. The department administers building permits and enforces the city’s adopted building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and related construction codes. Fargo also operates a permit portal where applicants can submit many permit applications, follow application progress, make payments, search permit records and schedule inspections.
A Fargo mailing address does not by itself establish City of Fargo permit jurisdiction. Cass County directs property owners to the applicable city when property lies within that city’s limits or extraterritorial boundary. Projects farther outside Fargo may instead fall under a township or Cass County process, so jurisdiction should be confirmed before plans are prepared for filing.
Work That Requires a Fargo Permit
The Inspections Department states that permits are required for new construction, additions, remodeling and structural alterations. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing work also falls within the permit system.
- New buildings and additions
- Remodeling involving regulated construction
- Structural alterations
- Decks and stairs or steps
- Sheetrock work
- Siding
- Mechanical, electrical and plumbing projects
- Painting
- Installing new cabinets as finish work
- Replacing or covering shingles
- Brick, paving-stone or concrete flatwork when no structure will be built on it
Project details can change the permit requirement. The city’s permit portal separates applications into structure permits, accessory permits, trade permits, fire-protection permits, engineering permits, use permits, sign permits and other permit types.
Residential Applications
Residential building permits are submitted through Fargo’s online permit system. The city’s residential application states that truss drawings and one set of plans are required with the application. The form also gathers the project valuation, description of work, floor areas, foundation information, heating system information and applicable subcontractor details.
Fargo maintains separate residential permit-fee information and an online fee calculator. The current residential fee documents are marked effective January 1, 2026.
Commercial Plans Go Through Multi-Department Review
Commercial building review in Fargo is coordinated by the Inspections Department rather than being completed by a single reviewer. Depending on the project, plans are routed to Inspections, Planning and Development, Engineering, Fire and Fargo Cass Public Health. Applicable departmental approvals must be obtained before the building permit can be issued.
A voluntary pre-application meeting can be arranged with Planning and Development for conceptual plans. This stage can also identify projects that require a public hearing or separate land-use action.
Commercial applications begin with the Inspections Department. Project information may include the project address, contact information, construction value and complete architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and site-related plans.
Plans are distributed to the departments responsible for their portions of the project. Engineering, Planning, Fire, Health and building-code comments can therefore be part of the same commercial review cycle.
The owner or design team revises the plans to address comments and returns the revisions through the established review process.
City departments review the corrected documents. Additional cycles may be required when outstanding issues remain.
After the applicable reviews are approved, the contractor, owner, architect or authorized representative can complete the building-permit process through the Inspections Department.
Fargo’s current Required Plans & Documents page describes a digital plan option and a wet-stamped plan option, while the Inspections Department landing page also carries a notice stating that new commercial building plans must be submitted on paper even when plans have been submitted digitally. Applicants filing a new commercial project should confirm the required plan-set format with Inspections before delivery.
Commercial Plan Requirements
Fargo publishes a detailed commercial plan checklist. Depending on the project, the plan set can include a code summary, civil site plan, fire and life-safety information, foundation plans, dimensioned floor plans, exterior elevations, wall and roof details, structural plans, truss information, finish schedules, door schedules and electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire-protection plans.
The city also identifies conditions that require professional design. For a new building, these include projects exceeding two stories, certain occupancy classifications, qualifying projects of 10,000 square feet or more, projects valued at $500,000 or more, or work whose complexity requires professional design in the reviewer’s determination. Different criteria apply to remodels and additions, including changes of occupancy and certain projects valued at $250,000 or more.
Incomplete applications or partial plans can delay routing because the Inspections Department must obtain the applicable approvals before permit issuance.
Planning, Engineering, Fire and Health Reviews Are Separate Parts of the Process
Planning and Development administers Fargo’s land-use and zoning rules. Separate applications exist for matters such as zoning amendments, conditional use permits, variances, zoning confirmations and certain historic-preservation approvals.
Engineering participates in commercial site-plan review and administers permits involving matters such as right-of-way work, excavation, floodplain development and erosion and sediment control.
Fire construction permits may be required for systems such as automatic fire-extinguishing or sprinkler installations. The Fire Department publishes separate permit requirements, forms and fees.
Public Health participates in applicable commercial plan reviews. Projects involving regulated food, environmental-health or related facilities may therefore have requirements beyond the building-code review.
Inspections and Permit Status
Fargo’s permit portal is used for both permit administration and inspections. Account holders can submit applications, track their progress, make online payments and request inspections. The portal also provides permit searching and public data functions.
Work authorized by a permit remains subject to inspection, and access must be provided for the required inspection. A permit that has been approved but still has unpaid assessed fees is not considered issued, and the associated work may not begin until issuance.
Fargo provides a separate Commercial Plan Routing System for checking approval progress on submitted commercial plans. The city’s open-data portal also includes reports for open commercial plan reviews and recently issued building permits.
2026 Permit Fees and Plan Review
Fargo’s current residential and commercial building-fee documents are effective January 1, 2026. Permit costs vary by the type and valuation of the work, so the city provides fee schedules and calculators rather than a single building-permit price.
For commercial projects requiring plan review, Fargo states that the plan-review fee is 20% of the attributable building-permit fee, with a $50 minimum. Commercial applicants must report project valuation, including separate building and parking-lot valuations when applicable. The Building Official makes the final valuation determination under the building code.
Codes Currently Enforced in Fargo
The City of Fargo states that its 2024 International Codes took effect July 2, 2025. The adopted local code set includes the 2024 International Building Code, Residential Code, Existing Building Code, Mechanical Code, Fuel Gas Code, Energy Conservation Code and Property Maintenance Code, together with Fargo amendments.
- Building and related International Codes: 2024 editions with local amendments
- Electrical: 2023 National Electrical Code, effective July 1, 2024
- Plumbing: 2018 North Dakota State Plumbing Code / Uniform Plumbing Code
- Fire: Fargo Fire Department lists the 2024 International Fire Code and referenced standards for current use
Fargo vs. Cass County Jurisdiction
The City of Fargo and Cass County should not be treated as interchangeable permit authorities. Fargo administers its own municipal permit and inspection system. Cass County’s Planning Office advises applicants to contact the applicable city when development is inside city limits or within that city’s extraterritorial boundary. Property outside municipal and extraterritorial areas may instead be subject to county or township administration.
This distinction is especially relevant near Fargo’s developing edges. Confirming the responsible jurisdiction before ordering final plans can prevent an application from being filed with the wrong authority.
Official Fargo Permit Resources
Apply for permits, track applications, pay fees, search records and request inspections.
Building-code information, permit resources, inspections and department notices.
Commercial submittal, technical review, resubmittal and permit workflow.
Commercial plan-set requirements and professional-design criteria.
Current residential application, 2026 fee documents and fee calculator.
Commercial permit fees, project valuation information and plan-review resources.
Land-use regulations, zoning applications and development approvals.
Adopted building, residential, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and related codes.
Fire-code requirements and separate operational and construction permits.
County planning information for property outside Fargo and for determining the applicable local authority.