Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Elgin, North Dakota

Elgin’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  A building or structure erected, added to, or structurally altered inside Elgin city limits.

  • A written order of the Board of Adjustment is an exception to the prohibition on issuance for work or use violating the zoning chapter.
  • A scaled layout or plot and required information must accompany the application.
  • The permit is issued after payment of the fee identified in the schedule.

  “No building or structure shall be erected, added to or structurally altered until a permit therefore has been issued by the zoning administrator.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Elgin city limits, North Dakota.

  • The located current public notice documents an amendment to the city's zoning and land-use-planning chapter and its variance article; the complete current district schedule was not located.

  “An Ordinance to amend Chapter XI, Zoning - Land Use Planning, of the 2008 Revised Ordinances of the City of Elgin, North Dakota, by enacting Article 9 relating to Variances.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications for buildings or structures inside Elgin city limits.

  • The application must include two copies of a layout or plot drawn to scale.
  • The layout or plot must show actual lot dimensions and the exact size and location of proposed and accessory buildings.
  • Other information may be required to determine and provide enforcement of the ordinance.
  • A permit is returned upon approval and payment of the scheduled fee.

  “There shall be submitted with all applications for building permits two copies of a layout or plot drawn to scale showing the actual dimensions of the lot to be built upon, the exact size and location on the lot of the building and accessory buildings to be erected and such other information as may be necessary to determine and provide for the enforcement of this ordinance.”

Rules another office applies inside Elgin

Elgin does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction inside Elgin city limits where the applicable city, county, or township elects to administer and enforce a building code.

  • A city, township, or county that elects to administer and enforce a building code must adopt and enforce the state building code; the locally adopted Elgin enforcement ordinance was not located.

  “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.”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  On-site wastewater-system installation inside Elgin city limits.

  • The state licenses installers.
  • The installer must also obtain a permit from the applicable local public health unit before beginning work.
  • Installers must follow local codes.

  “The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality oversees the licensing of onsite wastewater treatment system installers under the authority of NDCC 23.1-07.1 . All installers must obtain a license from the department, which is issued at no cost, and secure a permit from their local public health unit before beginning work on a system.”

• Septic permitRequired

  On-site wastewater-system installation inside Elgin city limits.

  • The required permit is from the applicable local public health unit.
  • The permit must be secured before an installer begins work on the system.
  • The installer also must have a state license and follow local codes.

  “All installers must obtain a license from the department, which is issued at no cost, and secure a permit from their local public health unit before beginning work on a system.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Elgin or Grant County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Elgin city limits.
• Inspections — Building work inside Elgin city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Residential occupancy inside Elgin city limits.
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts inside Elgin city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Residential dwellings inside Elgin city limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.