Building permits, zoning and land rules in Wells County, North Dakota

Wells County requires a permit before constructing, reconstructing, relocating or altering a building or structure in the unincorporated county zoning jurisdiction¹. The ordinance incorporates the edition of the Uniform Building Code adopted by the County Commission, together with later amendments¹. The Tax Director handles permits for permitted uses, while other requests go to the Zoning Commission, and a permit cannot issue for work that violates the ordinance³. Every mobile or manufactured home also needs a Tax Director permit for placement or relocation⁴. Wells County has not published a routine construction-inspection schedule or a confirmed certificate-of-occupancy process, so ask Planning and Zoning what reviews apply to the exact project⁶. No county permit exemption for owner-builders was confirmed; the state owner-builder provision concerns a discretionary property-tax exemption, not relief from county permits⁷.

Wells County Planning and Zoning, administered through the Tax Director, receives applications at PO Box 361, Fessenden ND 58438; call 701-547-3220⁶. The county requests a completed application and a scaled sketch showing the proposed structure, lot size, access locations, section and township⁶. The county asks applicants to allow three days for permit processing⁶. Published building-permit fees apply to added taxable square footage: $20 for valuation from $5,001 through $20,000, then $25 plus $1 for each additional $1,000 above $20,000³. The ordinance lists $50 each for a conditional use, zoning amendment or variance, but a separate special- or conditional-use form uses a different project-cost formula³. Ask the Tax Director which current fee applies before submitting.

Wells County zoning applies to unincorporated territory under county jurisdiction, but a township's lawfully enacted regulations apply instead unless that township relinquishes its zoning power to the county¹. The County Tax Director maintains the official zoning map, so identify both the controlling jurisdiction and district before planning a use⁴. Agricultural-zone lots for non-farm homes or nonresidential uses require at least five acres and 250 feet of width, although county zoning may not prohibit farming or the normal incidents of farming^3,4. Rural Residential lots require 20,000 square feet with public water or sewer and one acre without; buildings may cover no more than 30% of the lot³. Residential Community lots require 5,000 square feet with public water or sewer and 20,000 square feet without; coverage is capped at 40%³. In either district, a structure over 35 feet generally needs a conditional-use permit³.

Central Valley Health District provides environmental-health services in Wells County, while the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality oversees installer licensing statewide^2,8. A local public-health-unit permit is required before installing a new onsite sewage system or repairing an existing one, including work on septic tanks, drain fields, seepage pits, cesspools or holding tanks². Call Central Valley Health District at 701-252-1325 before site work begins². The district provides inspections of existing permitted systems upon request; the available rule does not establish routine inspection of every existing system². About 64.5% of Wells County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, but that countywide figure does not replace parcel evaluation or the required permit^2,5. Approval of alternative off-grid sanitation could not be confirmed, so discuss the proposed system with Central Valley Health District before buying equipment².

Wells County has not published a direct rule for long-term RV occupancy or temporary camping on private land, so give Planning and Zoning the parcel number, expected duration and sanitation plan before moving onsite^3,6. A township may have its own lawful zoning instead of the county ordinance, making the parcel's jurisdiction essential to the answer¹. A tiny home classified as a building or dwelling may be occupied as a residence where the use and structure meet the applicable county district rules³. The ordinance does not define “tiny home,” so ask the Tax Director how a proposed unit will be classified^3,6. Mobile homes are conditional uses in the Agricultural Zone, mobile-home courts are conditional uses in the Rural Residential Zone, and every mobile or manufactured home needs a Tax Director permit for placement or relocation⁴.

1. Give Planning and Zoning the parcel number and establish whether county or township zoning controls the land¹.
2. Ask the Tax Director for the district, permitted use, minimum lot size, setbacks, lot-coverage limit and any conditional-use review^1,3,4.
3. Confirm road access before laying out the site; Rural Residential access is limited to one point per quarter mile, with a frontage road required where necessary¹.
4. Contact Central Valley Health District about the required onsite sewage permit before installation².
5. Submit the building-permit application and scaled sketch to the Tax Director before construction, reconstruction, relocation or alteration begins^1,6.
6. Confirm the current fee and required inspections because the published special-use fee sources differ and no routine inspection schedule was confirmed^3,6.

Start by confirming whether county or township zoning controls the parcel, then obtain the district designation from the map kept by the County Tax Director⁴. Compare the survey and house site against district-specific lot size and setbacks before closing; a non-farm home in the Agricultural Zone needs at least five acres and 250 feet of lot width^3,4. Rural Residential parcels are limited to one public-road access point per quarter mile and may need a frontage road, so verify that the planned driveway fits the ordinance³. If the site is in a Special Flood Hazard Area in a participating community, obtain a permit from the local Floodplain Administrator before work; regulatory-floodway development also needs state review before that permit issues⁹. Reserve space for wastewater treatment because a local permit is required for a new system or repair².