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

Granville’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Granville city limits.

  • Granville's city government page links its Planning & Zoning Ordinances.
  • The McHenry County plan identifies Granville zoning as independent from McHenry County.

  “The cities of Deering, Drake, Granville, Towner, and Velva have zoning independent from McHenry County, North Dakota.”

• Subdividing landNot regulated

  Subdivision regulation inside Granville city limits.

  • This conclusion is limited to a subdivision ordinance; other zoning, permitting, utility, health, and state requirements may still apply.

  “McHenry County, North Dakota, and the cities of Anamoose, Balfour, Bergen, Deering, Drake, Granville, Karlsruhe, Kief, Towner, Upham, Velva, and Voltaire do not have subdivision ordinances.”

Rules another office applies inside Granville

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

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Onsite sewage treatment systems inside Granville city limits, which are within McHenry County.

  • First District Health Unit's permit rule applies in McHenry County.
  • The official McHenry County plan states that First District Health Unit provides public-health services to Granville.

  “First District Health Unit, McHenry County, provides public health services to McHenry County and the cities of Anamoose, Balfour, Bergen, Deering, Drake, Granville, Karlsruhe, Kief, Towner, Upham, Velva, and Voltaire.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation or repair of any part of an onsite sewage treatment system inside Granville city limits.

  • A permit must be received before work on the system.
  • The requirement applies through First District Health Unit's McHenry County service area.

  “First District Health Unit (FDHU) requires a permit for the installation and/or repair of any part of an onsite sewage treatment system in Bottineau, Burke, McHenry, McLean, Renville, Sheridan, or Ward Counties. A permit must be received prior to any work done on the system.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  New onsite sewage treatment systems inside Granville city limits.

  • A final inspection must be scheduled before the system is backfilled or covered.
  • Without final inspection and approval, the system is unapproved and illegal.

  “A final inspection must be scheduled prior to backfilling or covering the new system. Either the property owner or contractor must contact First District to schedule the inspection. Without final inspection and approval, the septic system will be considered unapproved and illegal.”

• Well permitLimited

  Water appropriation for a well inside Granville city limits.

  • No water-appropriation permit is required for domestic, livestock, fish and wildlife, or recreational use below 12.5 acre-feet annually.
  • The location and capacity of constructed works must still be reported to DWR.

  annual use threshold: < 12.5 acre-feet (Domestic, livestock, fish and wildlife, or other recreational use)

  “A water appropriation permit is not required for, domestic, livestock, fish and wildlife, and other recreation uses if total annual use is less than 12.5 acre-feet (4,073,137 gallons or 96,979 barrels) per year. However, the location and the capacity of the constructed works must be reported to DWR.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Granville city limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Granville city limits.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Granville city limits.
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Granville city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of completed buildings inside Granville 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.