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

Belfield’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Development and structures inside Belfield city limits.

  • Buildings and activities directly used in connection with farming operations are excepted.
  • A development permit expires one year after issuance.
  • The ordinance separately requires a building permit for use, location, erection, movement, reconstruction, extension, enlargement, conversion, or structural alteration of structures.

  permit expiration: 1 year

  “No structure, land and building shall hereafter be used and no structure or part thereof shall hereafter be located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, converted or structurally altered without a building permit”

• InspectionsRequired

  Residential projects submitted through Belfield's residential building-permit application.

  • The applicant must call the City Building Inspector after each project phase and again when complete.

  “The applicant is responsible for calling the City Building Inspector after each phase of the project and once the project is completed.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings and structures inside Belfield city limits.

  • The Land Use Administrator issues the certificate to determine conformity with the specifications of the development permit.

  “No building or structure shall be occupied until a Certificate of Occupancy shall have been issued by the Land Use Administrator”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Belfield city limits.

  • The ordinance states that its minimum requirements yield to more restrictive requirements, rules, regulations, deed restrictions, or covenants unless specifically stated otherwise.

  “This ordinance shall be entitled “The Zoning Ordinance for the City of Belfield, North Dakota.””

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Belfield city limits.

  • The zoning district map is held by the Land Use Administrator and is to be regularly updated for amendments.

  “For the purposes of this Code the City of Belfield is divided into the following zoning districts: R: Residential District MH: Mobile Home District C: Commercial District I: Industrial District A: Agricultural District RC: Recreational District F: Flood Plain Overlay District PUD: Planned Unit Development Overlay District”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Occupied recreational-vehicle parks and campgrounds in Belfield's Agricultural or Recreation districts.

  • Agricultural-district tourist and trailer camps/recreational-vehicle campgrounds are conditional uses.
  • A campground requires at least 90,000 square feet, no more than 15 campsites per gross acre, city site-plan approval, and proof that water and sanitary facilities meet State Health Department requirements.
  • The ordinance does not establish a general right to occupy an RV on an ordinary residential lot.

  minimum campground area: >= 90000 square feet (Agricultural District tourist and trailer camps/recreational vehicle campgrounds) · maximum campsites: <= 15 per gross acre (Agricultural District tourist and trailer camps/recreational vehicle campgrounds)

  “Tourist and trailer camps: recreational vehicle campgrounds: (1) Campground shall contain a minimum of ninety (90,000) square feet and a maximum of fifteen (15) campsites per gross acre.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Campgrounds and trailer camps in Belfield's Agricultural or Recreation districts.

  • Such camps are conditional uses rather than general residential uses.
  • Recreation-district applicants must provide a specified site plan and proof of compliance with North Dakota State Health Department and State Laboratories Department requirements.

  minimum campground area: >= 90000 square feet (Recreation District recreational parks, tourist and trailer camps) · maximum recreational trailers: <= 15 per gross acre (Recreation District recreational parks, tourist and trailer camps)

  “Recreational parks, tourist and trailer camps. The applicant shall meet the following requirements to obtain a permit: (i) The minimum area for campground shall be ninety thousand (90,000) square feet and maximum number of recreational trailers shall be fifteen (15) units per gross acre.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes in Belfield's R-1 Residential District.

  • The home must be on a permanent foundation on a platted lot, be at least 1,120 square feet and 20 feet wide, and have wheels and hitches removed.
  • Applicant notice and consent requirements apply before a conditional-use permit may be granted.
  • A city permit is required before placement.

  minimum manufactured-home area: >= 1120 square feet (R-1 District conditional use) · minimum manufactured-home width: >= 20 feet (R-1 District conditional use)

  “Manufactured homes on permanent type foundations on platted lots with a minimum square footage of eleven hundred and twenty (1,120) square feet and a minimum width of twenty (20) feet.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  R-1 residential lots not served by public sanitary sewer inside Belfield city limits.

  • Lot width must be at least 100 feet.
  • Lot area must be at least 43,560 square feet.
  • The site must meet North Dakota State Health Department minimum standards for on-site sewage disposal.

  minimum lot width: >= 100 feet (lots not served by a public sanitary sewer system) · minimum lot area: >= 43560 square feet (lots not served by a public sanitary sewer system)

  “For lots not served by a public sanitary sewer system: Minimum width: one hundred (100) feet. Minimum area, forty three thousand, five hundred and sixty (43,560) square feet provided that the site meets the minimum standards for on-site sewage disposal by the North Dakota State Health Department.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Buildings and activities directly used in connection with farming operations inside Belfield city limits.

  • The exception is from the development-permit requirement stated in §8.5(1).

  “It shall be unlawful for any person to commence any development without obtaining a development permit, except buildings and activities directly used in connection with farming operations.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision applications inside Belfield city limits.

  • A preliminary-plat applicant must apply using Land Use Administrator forms at least 10 days before the regularly scheduled Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
  • Three copies of the preliminary plat must be submitted when applying.

  advance filing: >= 10 days (before regularly scheduled Planning and Zoning Commission meeting) · preliminary plat copies: 3 copies

  “The subdivider (applicant) shall apply on appropriate forms provided by the Land Use Administrator to the City Planning and Zoning Commission at least ten (10) days prior to its regularly scheduled meeting.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Belfield building and construction permits.

  • The city page states plan-review and building-permit fees are based on valuation.
  • The zoning ordinance also requires applicants to pay processing costs, including publication costs, attorney's fees, mileage, and copy expense, before a permit is issued unless City Council provides otherwise by resolution.

  build/alter permit application: 25 USD (in addition to inspection fees) · building permit fee for valuation from $1 to $500: 125 USD per inspection

  “Build/Alter Permit Application (in addition to inspection fees) $ 25.00”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Residential building permits inside Belfield city limits.

  • The applicant is contacted with the fee if approved.
  • The applicant must call the Building Inspector after each phase and at completion.

  “Completed applications must be submitted to the City Auditor. Applications are processed and sent to the City Building Inspector for approval or denial.”

Rules another office applies inside Belfield

Belfield 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 subject to Belfield's building-permit process inside city limits.

  • The residential application requires work to comply with the North Dakota State Building Code.
  • North Dakota requires a jurisdiction that elects to enforce a building code to enforce the State Building Code.

  “the work will be performed in accordance with the conditions of the permit, the approved plans and specifications, and the North Dakota State Building Code”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Manufactured homes conditionally permitted in Belfield's R-1 Residential District.

  • Applies to manufactured homes on permanent foundations on platted lots; this is not a stated minimum for every single-family dwelling.

  minimum floor area: >= 1120 square feet (R-1 manufactured home conditional use)

  “Manufactured homes on permanent type foundations on platted lots with a minimum square footage of eleven hundred and twenty (1,120) square feet”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Structures in Belfield's R-1 Residential District.

  • Lots not served by public sanitary sewer require a 43,560-square-foot minimum area and 100-foot minimum width.
  • Additional area applies to multi-family units.

  minimum lot area: >= 7000 square feet (R-1 standard minimum)

  “Minimum lot width fifty (50) feet (ii) Minimum lot area: seven thousand (7,000) square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Structures in Belfield's R-1 Residential District.

  • Corner lots have a 15-foot side-yard setback; an attached garage door facing the side-yard street requires 20 feet.

  front-yard setback: >= 25 feet · rear-yard setback: >= 20 feet · side-yard setback: >= 6 feet

  “Front yard: A minimum depth of twenty five (25) feet (ii) Rear yard: minimum depth of twenty (20) feet from the rear property line. (iii) Side yard – minimum width of six (6) feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Single-family residential lots in Belfield's R-1 Residential District.

  • The 40% limit covers the principal building and all accessories.
  • Maximum impervious coverage is separately limited to 50%.

  maximum building coverage: <= 40 percent of lot (single-family units) · maximum impervious coverage: <= 50 percent of lot (single-family residential lot)

  “For single family units the principal building and all accessories shall not cover more than forty (40) percent of the lot.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in Belfield's R-1 Residential District.

  maximum building height: <= 40 feet · maximum stories: <= 2 stories

  “No building shall exceed forty (40) feet or two (2) stories in height.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in Belfield's floodplain overlay district.

  • The floodplain overlay includes FEMA-mapped floodplain lands and state-provided information.
  • Development permits are required before development begins, with the farming-operations exception in §8.5(1).

  “The areas delineated as floodplain shall be an overlay for all zoning districts.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside Belfield city limits.
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes used as dwellings inside Belfield city limits.
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Belfield city limits.
• Who permits septic — On-site sewage systems serving land inside Belfield city limits.
• Septic permit — On-site sewage systems inside Belfield 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.