Richland County, North Dakota does not have a confirmed countywide building-permit system, so a rural landowner should identify the parcel's township before planning construction.1 Dwight Township is one documented example where building permits and zoning procedures apply, but its ordinance should not be treated as a countywide rule.2 Fargo Cass Public Health permits and inspects on-site sewage systems installed in Richland County.3
At a glance
- Building permit
- Countywide requirement not confirmed; Dwight Township has a documented permit process12
- Zoning
- Administered at township level in at least some areas; confirm the parcel's township4
- Septic
- Permit and inspection through Fargo Cass Public Health35
- RV living
- Private-land residential use not confirmed; ask the township before occupancy4
- Tiny home
- No countywide occupancy or minimum-size rule confirmed; ask the township4
- Owner-builder
- No building-permit exemption confirmed; septic self-installation follows the same permit and inspection process6
- Private well
- State water permit applies above the annual withdrawal threshold7
Who to call
Septic permits
Fargo Cass Public Health Environmental Health
On-site sewage treatment system licensing, inspections and permits for Richland County
1240 25th Street South, Fargo, ND 58103
Roads & driveways
Richland County Highway Department
County highway right-of-way work and driveway-installation applications
Courthouse - Lower Level, 418 2nd Ave. N, Wahpeton, ND 58075
Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 27, 2026.
Do you need a building permit in Richland County, North Dakota?
A single building-permit answer does not fit every rural parcel in Richland County because a countywide permit requirement could not be confirmed.1 North Dakota's state code framework does not mean the state enforces a permit locally; enforcement belongs to jurisdictions that elect to adopt and enforce building codes.8
Dwight Township is a concrete local example: building-permit applications must be filed before work or excavation, and conditional-use or site-approval permits require township zoning approval.2 Dwight Township also publishes valuation-based building-permit fees, so its rules are real but township-specific.9 Before buying materials or excavating, identify the township and ask its clerk or zoning administrator whether it requires zoning approval, a building permit, inspections, or fees.4
Who issues building permits in Richland County, North Dakota?
No single Richland County building department or countywide building-permit authority could be confirmed from the available official material.1 A North Dakota city, township, or county that elects to enforce a building code must use the state building code, while a county may enforce only where a city or township does not administer it.8
For rural land, start with the township that contains the parcel and ask who administers zoning and construction approvals there.4 In Dwight Township, the Code Administrator handles the documented permit process and the Zoning Commission approves conditional-use and site-approval applications.2 For driveway or culvert work inside a county road right-of-way, contact the Richland County Highway Department for the required application.10 A driveway onto a Dwight Township road instead falls under the township access-permit rule, with farm driveways and field access points exempt from that provision.11
Does Richland County, North Dakota have zoning?
Zoning in Richland County is administered at the township level in at least some areas, and the available record does not establish one ordinance that applies throughout the county.4 Dwight Township has its own zoning ordinance and permit procedures, but those requirements should not be extended to land in another township.2
Dwight Township requires a certificate-of-occupancy inspection for completed buildings, including the placement of mobile and manufactured homes.12 North Dakota separately requires a new manufactured home installed for residential use to be installed by a state-licensed installer and inspected by a state-licensed inspector.13 No countywide minimum dwelling size, minimum lot size, setback, accessory-dwelling, or tiny-home rule was confirmed, so ask the parcel's township for its ordinance and zoning map before treating a use as allowed.4
How do septic permits work in Richland County, North Dakota?
Fargo Cass Public Health is the practical septic authority for Richland County, providing standards and permitting and inspecting systems installed in the county.14 A home or small commercial building that discharges household wastewater must have its septic system licensed and inspected, and the use permit follows a successful inspection.3
A drain-field system needs a valid soil sample before sizing and application, and Fargo Cass Public Health performs an open-trench inspection before the system is covered.6 The office requires advance notice before inspection, so coordinate timing before backfilling.5 Only about 4.7% of county soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, making early soil evaluation especially valuable.15 Property owners may physically install their own system, but the same permitting and inspection process applies.6
Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Richland County, North Dakota?
Richland County's countywide rules for long-term RV occupancy, temporary camping on private land, tiny-home occupancy, and minimum dwelling size could not be confirmed.4 The North Dakota state-park camping limit concerns state-park campsites and does not answer whether an owner may occupy an RV on private land.16
Ask the parcel's township whether its zoning ordinance treats an RV as temporary camping, a dwelling, or a prohibited use, and ask whether a tiny home must meet local dimensional or occupancy standards.4 In Dwight Township, placement of mobile and manufactured homes is expressly included in the certificate-of-occupancy inspection requirement, but the reviewed rule does not establish that an RV or every tiny home qualifies as a manufactured home.12 Any occupied home discharging household wastewater still needs an approved septic arrangement through Fargo Cass Public Health.3
Building a home in Richland County, North Dakota: what are the steps?
- Identify the parcel's township and obtain its current zoning and permit instructions because the documented rules vary by township.4
- Ask the township whether it enforces the state building code, requires a building permit, or requires zoning or site approval before excavation.8
- Arrange a valid soil sample and submit the septic application before installation; Fargo Cass Public Health will size, inspect, and permit the system.6
- Contact the Richland County Highway Department before installing a driveway or culvert in a county road right-of-way.10
- For a private well, determine projected annual withdrawal because a state water permit applies above 12.5 acre-feet per year and is not required below that threshold.7
- If using a new manufactured home, use state-licensed installation and inspection professionals.13
What should you check before buying land in Richland County?
Confirm the township first, then request its zoning map, permitted-use rules, setbacks, lot standards, and permit contacts because a single countywide zoning ordinance was not confirmed.4 Verify legal road access and ask the Richland County Highway Department about any driveway or culvert work within a county road right-of-way.10
Order septic soil work early because only about 4.7% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field.15 Check flood status with the relevant local floodplain administrator because the available state water-control permit rule does not establish the separate local floodplain-development process.17 For budgeting context, the county's effective property-tax rate is about 1.1%, and the median annual property-tax bill is about $2,015.1819 A private well drawing more than 12.5 acre-feet annually needs a state water permit.7
Watch-outs
- Do not assume Dwight Township's permit fees or zoning procedures apply elsewhere in Richland County; confirm the parcel's township authority.9
- Do not cover a septic tank or drain field before Fargo Cass Public Health completes the required open-trench inspection and gives approval.5
- An agricultural building is exempt from the state building-code chapter only when it is not used for human habitation or by the public; local requirements may still apply.20
Sources
- (2026 county census)
- Dwight Zoning Township, quoted and re-checked
- Environmental Health – Richland County Health Department, quoted and re-checked
- Dwight Township (Richland County) Zoning Ordinance - ND DEQ County Zoning (2026 county census)
- Environmental Health – Richland County Health Department, quoted and re-checked
- Fargo Cass Public Health Environmental Health (fargond.gov)
- Private Well Owner’s Guide: Well Installation, quoted and re-checked
- Building Codes (North Dakota statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Dwight Zoning Township, quoted and re-checked
- Richland County Highway Department (co.richland.nd.us)
- Dwight Zoning Township, quoted and re-checked
- Dwight Zoning Township, quoted and re-checked
- Manufactured Home Installation Program (North Dakota statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Environmental Health – Richland County Health Department, quoted and re-checked
- Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
- Parks and Recreation FAQ (North Dakota statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Construction Permits (North Dakota statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
- Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
- North Dakota Century Code Chapter 54-21.3, State Building Code (North Dakota statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
Written September 27, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.