Renovation permits and contractor licences in North Dakota

Trades that need a licence in North Dakota

• General contracting and renovation

  Ask for the licence class, not just the licence. North Dakota's four contractor classes each cap the value of the work the holder may take on, so a contractor can hold a valid licence that does not stretch to your project. Licences renew every year, so confirm the current one rather than a certificate from a past season.

  Sources:North Dakota Secretary of State – Contractors⁠(opens in a new tab)

• Electrical work

  The electrical licence requirement is written broadly: it covers every person or business that undertakes or offers to undertake to plan, lay out, supervise, install, add to, alter or repair wiring, apparatus or equipment for electric light, heat or power. The Board has jurisdiction over all electrical installations, so a state inspection applies even where the city does not inspect.

  Sources:North Dakota State Electrical Board – Licensing⁠(opens in a new tab)North Dakota State Electrical Board⁠(opens in a new tab)

• Plumbing

  Plumbing, sewer and water, water conditioning and backflow testing are separate licence types from the State Plumbing Board. Ask which one your contractor holds — a water conditioning installer's licence is not a plumber's licence.

  Sources:North Dakota State Plumbing Board⁠(opens in a new tab)

• Consumer protection

  Whether a building inspector ever sees your project depends on your jurisdiction. Adoption of the State Building Code is a local choice; a jurisdiction that adopts it must adopt and enforce the state code, and may add local amendments. Ask your city or county whether it has adopted the code before you assume an inspection is coming.

  Sources:North Dakota Department of Commerce – Building codes⁠(opens in a new tab)

• Certified trades

  Cities add their own layer. Fargo's Inspections Department enforces the codes the city has adopted for heating, cooling, electrical, plumbing and building work, and contractors apply through the city portal for vocational licences as well as trade permits.

  Sources:Fargo – Inspections Department⁠(opens in a new tab)Fargo – Licensing and permits⁠(opens in a new tab)

Before you hire a contractor in North Dakota

Practical checks you can do yourself, using official tools where they exist.

1. 1

   Ask which of the four North Dakota contractor licence classes your contractor holds, and whether it covers the value of your job.

   Official lookup: North Dakota Secretary of State – Contractors⁠(opens in a new tab)

2. 2

   For electrical work, confirm the contractor is licensed by the State Electrical Board and that the installation will be inspected.

   Official lookup: North Dakota State Electrical Board⁠(opens in a new tab)

3. 3

   For plumbing, sewer, water conditioning or backflow work, check which State Plumbing Board licence type applies.

   Official lookup: North Dakota State Plumbing Board⁠(opens in a new tab)

4. 4

   Ask your city or county whether it has adopted the State Building Code and which edition it enforces.

   Official lookup: North Dakota Department of Commerce – Building codes⁠(opens in a new tab)

5. 5

   Check whether your city requires its own vocational licence or trade permit on top of the state licence.

   Official lookup: Fargo – Licensing and permits⁠(opens in a new tab)

6. 6

   Hire only a contractor who is licensed and insured, check the licence with your state or county, and get the scope, materials, price and dates in writing before work starts.

   Official lookup: FTC – How to avoid a home improvement scam⁠(opens in a new tab)