Fargo building department

Fargo’s Inspections Department, at City Hall, 225 4th Street North, reviews plans and issues building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical self-wire, demolition, and house-moving permits. It also runs the City’s rental housing and daycare inspection programs and administers floodplain development permits. The office is open Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except legal holidays.

What needs a permit in Fargo

Fargo’s FAQ requires permits for new construction, additions, remodeling, structural alterations, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work. Sheetrock, siding, stairs, and decks also need permits. Painting, other finish work, shingle replacement, and flat patio work do not.

Project	Fargo rule
Shed	Permit required over 120 sq ft; at least 3 ft from property lines; not in front of the house unless it meets the zoning side setbacks
Fence	No permit under 6½ ft; front-yard limit of 3 ft solid or 4 ft chain link; the City recommends a 2 ft setback from the property line
Pool	Water deeper than 24 in. needs a barrier at least 48 in. tall, 4 ft from the pool edge, with self-closing gates
House or garage move	Only licensed house movers; no permit to relocate a mobile home

Applying through the permit portal

Residential and most other permits go through the City’s Permitting & Licensing portal at permits.fargond.gov. You can register an account there to apply, track progress, pay, check contractor status, and find inspection scheduling items. You can also apply in person at City Hall. Bring the project address, zoning verification, dimensioned plans or drawings, and a cost estimate. The residential application asks for truss drawings and one set of plans.

New commercial building plans still require a paper submittal, even if the rest of the project is handled online. Inspections routes commercial plans to the other City departments and cannot issue the building permit until each one approves. You can follow a project’s progress in the Commercial Plan Routing System on the same portal. Commercial applications list building valuation and parking-lot valuation separately. Fargo bases permit valuations on current ICC building valuation data, less 15% for local conditions.

2026 fee schedule highlights

The residential and commercial fee schedules both took effect January 1, 2026. A built-in fee calculator is on the residential permits page.

One- and two-family dwellings:

• $50.00 for valuations up to $1,000
• $1,001 to $100,000: $50.00 for the first $1,000, plus $5.56 for each additional $1,000
• Over $100,000: $600.44 for the first $100,000, plus $3.06 for each additional $1,000
• Demolition: $100 ($50 for buildings under 400 sq ft or without utility service)
• House moving: $300 ($150 for moves within the extraterritorial area)
• Board of Appeals filing: $150
• Reinspections, after-hours inspections, and extra plan review: $75 per hour

Commercial: fees start at $55.00 for valuations up to $1,000 and step down per $1,000 as valuation rises (for example, $885.75 for the first $100,000). Plan review adds 20% of the building permit fee, with a $50 minimum. If commercial work starts before a permit is issued, the penalty for jobs up to $50,000 is a doubled permit fee. For larger jobs it is a percentage of the permit fee with minimums of $980 or $2,500.

Adopted codes

Fargo’s code requirements page lists the 2024 International Building Code and the 2021 International Fuel Gas and Mechanical Codes, each with local amendments in the Fargo Municipal Code. The department enforces the City’s building, heating, cooling, electrical, and plumbing codes. Appeals of code decisions go to the City’s Board of Appeals.

Floodplain, rental, and contractor rules

Floodplain: building, levees, and earthen fill in a Special Flood Hazard Area need a floodplain development permit, which Inspections administers under Section 21-06 of the Fargo Municipal Code. The Engineering Department answers questions about current floodplain status for a specific property.

Rental housing: every rental property in Fargo is subject to inspection under the International Property Maintenance Code and the Land Development Code. Owners record their rentals with Inspections for free through the portal. Inspections run 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekdays. Initial inspections are free, but fees apply if an owner ignores appointment requests or does not correct violations. The rental line is (701) 476-6708.

Contractors: the City tells homeowners to hire licensed contractors and to check a license with the ND Secretary of State at 1-800-352-0867. Under state law, anyone doing a job that costs more than $4,000 needs a North Dakota contractor license. License classes A through D set the maximum job size.