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

Beulah’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction or maintenance improvements inside Beulah city that require a City building permit.

  • Consult the Building Official for an improvement not listed by the ordinance.
  • A permit application must be complete, and work may begin after required plans are accepted and approved.
  • Building permits may be issued only on legal lots recorded by the Mercer County Recorder, subject to the stated extraterritorial-jurisdiction waiver.

  “The construction and/or maintenance of the following improvements requires a building permit. Consult with the Building Official if planning to construct or maintain any improvement not listed below.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings and structures in Beulah city.

  • The locally named Beulah Municipal Building Code includes the State Building Code as amended and the modifications listed in Zoning Ordinance Section 6.17.
  • Electrical code conformance is administered by the appropriate State agency; plumbing-code conformance is administered by the appropriate State agency; fire-code conformance is administered by the City Fire Department Chief.

  “The City of Beulah hereby adopts the State of North Dakota Building Code as may be amended from time to time. The State of North Dakota Building Code with the modifications listed in Section 6.17 shall be known as the Beulah Municipal Building Code.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted work inside Beulah city when inspections are determined applicable by the Building Official.

  • The Building Official determines applicability.
  • Inspections are carried out by the Building Official or designee and address zoning, building-code, and State electrical and plumbing-code compliance.

  “Inspections must be completed to ensure compliance with the Zoning Ordinance, building code, and State Electrical and Plumbing Codes as determined applicable by the Building Official. Inspections are carried out by the Building Official or his designee.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  A structure in Beulah city for which a building permit has been approved.

  • Certificate must be obtained before habitation or use.
  • The certificate shows conformity with the building code, State electrical and plumbing codes, and zoning ordinance.

  “Where a building permit has been approved, a Certificate of Occupancy shall be obtained prior to habitation or use of the structure.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land within Beulah city limits.

  • The ordinance also applies within the City's extraterritorial jurisdiction, which is outside this claim's scope.

  “This Zoning Ordinance applies to all land within the corporate limits of the City of Beulah and to the land within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Beulah city.

  • The Zoning District Map is adopted as part of the ordinance and is on file in the Building Official's office.

  “The City of Beulah is divided into zones, or districts, as shown on the Zoning District Map, which is adopted as part of this Zoning Ordinance. A copy of the Zoning District Map is on file in the office of the Building Official.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Preliminary and final subdivision plats inside Beulah city.

  • The Planning and Zoning Commission reviews and recommends action.
  • The City Council holds a public hearing and may approve, approve with conditions, deny, or table a preliminary plat; it may approve or deny a final plat.
  • Notice must be published for two successive weeks and no fewer than 15 days before each hearing.

  “The Council shall hold a public hearing on the Preliminary Subdivision Plat. The Council may act to approve, approve with conditions, or deny the application.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  City building-permit applications inside Beulah city.

  • The fee is non-refundable.
  • The amount is established by City Council resolution; no current dollar schedule was located in the opened official sources.

  “Building Permit applications shall be submitted to the Building Official in the appropriate form along with a non-refundable fee that has been established by a resolution of the Council.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  City building-permit applications inside Beulah city.

  • Application is submitted to the Building Official.
  • The Building Official determines completeness.
  • Applications include a site plan, floor plan, elevations, foundation plans, and final-grade elevation, drawn to scale with dimensions.
  • Some projects are reviewed by the Building Official; others also involve the Planning and Zoning Commission.

  “(i) Site plan, drawn to scale, with dimensions. (ii) Floor plan, drawn to scale, with dimensions. (iii) Elevations, drawn to scale, with dimensions. (iv) Foundation plans, drawn to scale, with dimensions. (v) Elevation of final lot grade, drawn to scale, with dimensions.”

Rules another office applies inside Beulah

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 Single Family, Detached district inside Beulah city.

  • Minimum width is 70 feet.
  • The stated highway setbacks apply outside City limits and are not part of this inside-city claim.

  minimum lot area: >= 8400 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 70 ft

  “(a) Minimum Lot Area: 8,400 sq ft (b) Minimum Width: 70 ft (c) Maximum Lot Coverage: 30%”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 Single Family, Detached district inside Beulah city.

  • Front and street-side setbacks allow an 8-foot protrusion; interior-side and rear setbacks allow a 3-foot protrusion.

  front yard setback: >= 25 ft (8 ft protrusion allowance) · interior side setback: >= 6 ft (3 ft protrusion allowance) · street side setback: >= 25 ft (8 ft protrusion allowance) · rear setback: >= 25 ft (3 ft protrusion allowance)

  “(a) Minimum Front Yard Setback: 25 ft i. 8 ft protrusion allowance into setback (b) Minimum Interior Side Setback: 6 ft i. 3 ft protrusion allowance into setback (c) Minimum Street Side Setback: 25 ft i. 8 ft protrusion allowance into setback (d) Minimum Rear Setback: 25 ft i. 3 ft protrusion allowance into setback”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 Single Family, Detached district inside Beulah city.

  maximum building height: <= 40 ft

  “Building Height (a) Maximum Building Height: 40 ft”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Installation of an onsite wastewater treatment system inside Beulah city.

  • The State DEQ licenses installers.
  • The installer must secure a permit from the applicable local public health unit before beginning work.
  • The City sources reviewed did not identify by name the local public health unit serving Beulah.

  “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

  Onsite wastewater treatment system installation inside Beulah city.

  • The permit is secured from the applicable local public health unit before work begins.
  • The State DEQ also requires installer licensing.

  “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.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development in the FPO Flood Plain Overlay district inside Beulah city.

  • The overlay applies to FEMA FIRM zones A, AE, AH, AO, AR, and A99.
  • The ordinance restricts or prohibits specified dangerous uses and requires flood-vulnerable uses to be protected at initial construction.

  “The FPO, Flood Plain Overlay, district is intended to provide special standards for development in areas subject to flooding. These areas include those that are defined as zones A, AE, AH, AO, AR, and A99 as depicted on the most recent Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Beulah city.
• Minimum dwelling size — R-1 Single Family, Detached district inside Beulah city.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping outside approved RV parks inside Beulah city.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Beulah city.
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured-home occupancy inside Beulah city.

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.