Fargo, ND
Fargo building permit cost
A Fargo building permit is priced on one of two sheets, chosen by the sheet's own title:
a one- or two-family dwelling pays a three-band ladder that starts at $50.00 and steps in whole $1,000 increments at $5.56 and then $3.06 a thousand — $600.44 buys the first $100,000 — while every other building pays a seven-band ladder from $12.75 down to $4.64 a thousand over bases that reach $5,316.75. Plan review rides beside the commercial ladder only: 20% of the permit fee when a plan review is required, with a $50 floor.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building permit — Board of Appeals filing fee, $150.00Permit fee | $150.00 flat fee | board of appeals is true | — |
| Commercial building permit — $1,000,001.00 and upPermit fee | $5,316.75 + $4.64 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000,000, or fraction thereof | not (one two family is true) and not (Work type is demolition) and Project valuation over $1,000,000 | — |
| Commercial building permit — $100,001.00 to $500,000.00Permit fee | $885.75 + $4.99 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof | not (one two family is true) and not (Work type is demolition) and Project valuation over $100,000 and Project valuation up to $500,000 | — |
| Commercial building permit — $1,001.00 to $25,000.00Permit fee | $55.00 + $12.75 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000, or fraction thereof | not (one two family is true) and not (Work type is demolition) and Project valuation over $1,000 and Project valuation up to $25,000 | — |
| Commercial building permit — $25,001.00 to $50,000.00Permit fee | $361.00 + $8.70 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000, or fraction thereof | not (one two family is true) and not (Work type is demolition) and Project valuation over $25,000 and Project valuation up to $50,000 | — |
| Commercial building permit — $500,001.00 to $1,000,000.00Permit fee | $2,881.75 + $4.87 per $1,000 of project valuation above $500,000, or fraction thereof | not (one two family is true) and not (Work type is demolition) and Project valuation over $500,000 and Project valuation up to $1,000,000 | — |
| Commercial building permit — $50,001.00 to $100,000.00Permit fee | $578.75 + $6.14 per $1,000 of project valuation above $50,000, or fraction thereof | not (one two family is true) and not (Work type is demolition) and Project valuation over $50,000 and Project valuation up to $100,000 | — |
| Commercial building permit — Up to and including $1,000.00 ($55.00)Permit fee | $55.00 flat fee | not (one two family is true) and not (Work type is demolition) and Project valuation up to $1,000 | — |
| Building permit — demolition, $100.00Permit fee | $100.00 flat fee | Work type is demolition and not (demo reduced is true) | — |
| Building permit — demolition, reduced, $50.00Permit fee | $50.00 flat fee | Work type is demolition and demo reduced is true | — |
| Building permit — house moving, $300.00Permit fee | $300.00 flat fee | house moving is true and not (demo reduced is true) and not (extraterritorial is true) | — |
| Building permit — house moving, extraterritorial area, $150.00Permit fee | $150.00 flat fee | house moving is true and extraterritorial is true and not (demo reduced is true) | — |
| Building permit — house moving, reduced, $50.00Permit fee | $50.00 flat fee | house moving is true and demo reduced is true | — |
| Residential building permit — $100,001.00 and upPermit fee | $600.44 + $3.06 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof | one two family is true and not (Work type is demolition) and Project valuation over $100,000 | — |
| Residential building permit — $1,001.00 to $100,000.00Permit fee | $50.00 + $5.56 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000, or fraction thereof | one two family is true and not (Work type is demolition) and Project valuation over $1,000 and Project valuation up to $100,000 | — |
| Residential building permit — Up to and including $1,000.00 ($50.00)Permit fee | $50.00 flat fee | one two family is true and not (Work type is demolition) and Project valuation up to $1,000 | — |
| Commercial building permit — plan review, 20% of the permit fee ($50 minimum)Plan review | 20% of calculated permit fee | not (one two family is true) and plan review is true | min $50.00 |
| Building permit — work begun without a permit, 25% of the permit fee ($2,500 minimum)Surcharge | 25% of calculated permit fee | unpermitted work is true and not (one two family is true) and Project valuation over $500,000 | min $2,500.00 |
| Building permit — work begun without a permit, 25% of the permit fee ($2,000 minimum)Surcharge | 25% of calculated permit fee | unpermitted work is true and one two family is true and Project valuation over $500,000 | min $2,000.00 |
| Building permit — work begun without a permit, 50% of the permit fee ($980 minimum)Surcharge | 50% of calculated permit fee | unpermitted work is true and not (one two family is true) and Project valuation over $50,000 and Project valuation up to $500,000 | min $980.00 |
| Building permit — work begun without a permit, 50% of the permit fee ($550 minimum)Surcharge | 50% of calculated permit fee | unpermitted work is true and one two family is true and Project valuation over $50,000 and Project valuation up to $500,000 | min $550.00 |
| Building permit — work begun without a permit, permit fee doubledSurcharge | 100% of calculated permit fee | unpermitted work is true and Project valuation up to $50,000 | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A $40,000 commercial alteration with plans required for review — the commercial sheet's third band and its plan-review line.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $40,000 |
| Occupancy class | Commercial |
| Type of work | Alteration |
| Plan review | Yes |
| One two family | No |
Example total
$589.80
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 2Rules considered 22
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Commercial building permit — $25,001.00 to $50,000.00Permit feeCommercial sheet (Effective January 1, 2026): "$25,001.00 to $50,000.00 — $361.00 for the first $25,000.00 plus $8.70 for each additional $1,000.00, or fraction thereof, to and including $50,000.00". The "or fraction thereof" the sheet prints in every band after the first is the round-up phrase, so the cost above the threshold is charged in whole $1,000 steps — $1,500 of residential valuation pays one step of $5.56, not $500's fraction of it. The seam above this band is where the sheet's own arithmetic shows: this band computes $578.50 at $50,000 while the band above prints its base as $578.75 — a 25-cent jump the sheet itself contains, asserted from both sides rather than reconciled.Show the working
| $361.00 + $8.70 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000, or fraction thereof, in $1,000 steps | $491.50 |
Commercial building permit — plan review, 20% of the permit fee ($50 minimum)Plan reviewCommercial sheet (Effective January 1, 2026): "Plan Review: All projects when a plan review is required. Twenty (20) percent of the attributable building permit fee. Minimum fee $50." Charged only when plans are required — the sheet's own condition — and read against the permit fee, so the percentage measures the ladder's output; the $50 floor binds below a $250 permit fee. The residential sheet prints no such line, and no residential rule charges one.Show the working
| 20% of calculated permit fee | $98.30 |
| Total | $589.80 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Building permit — Board of Appeals filing fee, $150.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial building permit — $1,000,001.00 and up — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial building permit — $100,001.00 to $500,000.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial building permit — $1,001.00 to $25,000.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial building permit — $500,001.00 to $1,000,000.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial building permit — $50,001.00 to $100,000.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial building permit — Up to and including $1,000.00 ($55.00) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — demolition, $100.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — demolition, reduced, $50.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — house moving, $300.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — house moving, extraterritorial area, $150.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — house moving, reduced, $50.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential building permit — $100,001.00 and up — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential building permit — $1,001.00 to $100,000.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential building permit — Up to and including $1,000.00 ($50.00) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — work begun without a permit, 25% of the permit fee ($2,500 minimum) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — work begun without a permit, 25% of the permit fee ($2,000 minimum) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — work begun without a permit, 50% of the permit fee ($980 minimum) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — work begun without a permit, 50% of the permit fee ($550 minimum) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — work begun without a permit, permit fee doubled — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 2 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
The commercial sheet's third band prices this: "$25,001.00 to $50,000.00 — $361.00 for the first $25,000.00 plus $8.70 for each additional $1,000.00, or fraction thereof, to and including $50,000.00".
$40,000 of valuation is $15,000 above the band's floor, and $15,000 is fifteen whole thousands: 15 × $8.70 = $130.50. Permit fee: $361.00 + $130.50 = $491.50.
Plan review: twenty percent of that permit fee is $98.30 — above the sheet's $50 minimum, so the percentage is what is paid.
Total: $491.50 + $98.30 = $589.80. What moves it: the same $40,000 in a one- and two-family dwelling runs the residential ladder instead — $50.00 for the first $1,000 plus 39 whole thousands at $5.56 is $216.84, so $266.84 with no plan-review line at all, because the residential sheet prints none; without plans the review line disappears here too; and a job begun before the permit issued doubles the $491.50 below $50,000 of valuation.
What is different in Fargo
Which sheet answers is one fact, and the sheets are different documents rather than one schedule split into columns — the residential sheet says "(one- and two-family dwellings)" on its face and the commercial sheet covers everything else, both stamped Effective January 1, 2026.
Every band after the first on both sheets prints "or fraction thereof", so the cost above a band's floor is charged in whole $1,000 steps: $1,001 of residential valuation pays $50.00 plus a full $5.56 step, and $1,500 of commercial cost pays $55.00 plus one whole $12.75 step rather than a prorated $6.38. The bands close at every seam — $50.00 + 99 × $5.56 is exactly the $600.44 the third band prints, and $55.00 + 24 × $12.75 is exactly the $361.00 the third commercial band prints — with one deliberate exception the sheet itself contains: at $50,000 the commercial ladder computes $578.50 while the band above prints $578.75, and this site charges both figures as printed rather than reconciling them.
Plan review is commercial-only and conditional: the sheet charges it "when a plan review is required", so the fact that plans are required gates it, the 20% reads the permit fee, and the $50 floor binds below a $250 permit fee. The residential sheet prints no plan-review line, and no residential rule charges one. Flat rows — demolition $100 (or $50 for buildings under 400 SF without utility services), house moving $300/$150/$50, Board of Appeals $150 — are added beside the permit as the sheets' own totals add them, and work begun without a permit is priced by the table both sheets print.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This is the Fargo building permit fee — the ladder the sheet answers with, the conditional plan review, the flat rows the job triggers, and the unpermitted-work surcharge when it applies. It excludes:
- The hourly items. After-hours inspections at $75.00 per hour with a two-hour minimum, reinspection under IBC §§108–109, unspecified inspections and additional plan review at a half-hour minimum, and outside consultants at actual cost — hours this calculator does not collect.
- The repeat-offence line. "Second offence within 180 days - $200 minimum; $100 for each additional violation subsequent" is printed beside the doubled band and needs a violation history; it is quoted, not computed.
- The other schedules on the City's index. Heating, sign and code-enforcement permits have their own schedules and their own pages; nothing from them appears in a total here.
- The ICC-minus-15% valuation derivation. The Department guides the applicant's valuation by the ICC table less 15% and the Building Official finalizes it; this site takes the resulting number as its input.
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. Separate permits with separate schedules — the plumbing page says it plainly: "Any building, electrical or mechanical work requires permits separate from plumbing permits."
- License fees and returned-check charges. Not permitting, and not charged.
What you need before applying
- Which sheet answers is one fact: the residential sheet is titled "(one- and two-family dwellings)"Required
The two fee sheets are different documents rather than one schedule split into columns, and each says who it covers on its face — the residential sheet's parenthetical scope line and the commercial sheet's title do the splitting. The Department publishes both, both stamped Effective January 1, 2026, and the calculator beside them takes project type and estimated value as its two inputs. This site keeps the same discipline: one fact picks the sheet, and the two ladders never answer the same input together.
- The valuation is the applicant's, taken from the ICC table less 15% and finalized by the Building OfficialRequired
The commercial page prints the process: applicants provide the valuation split into Building Valuation and Parking Lot Valuation; "The Inspections Department uses the current International Code Council (ICC) building valuation data as a guide for calculating permit valuations, less 15% for local area considerations"; valuations are reviewed at submission and before issuance, and "The Building Official makes the final valuation determination as required in the building code." This site takes the resulting number as its input — the ICC-minus-15% derivation is the Department's, named on the pages rather than re-run here. No fee sheet read prices the Parking Lot Valuation separately, which the record keeps as an open question.
- Plan review is charged when a plan review is required — and only the commercial sheet prices itMay be required
The commercial sheet's own line: "Plan Review: All projects when a plan review is required. Twenty (20) percent of the attributable building permit fee. Minimum fee $50." The condition is the sheet's, so the fact that plans are required is the rule's gate; the percentage reads the permit fee, and the $50 floor binds below a $250 permit. The residential sheet prints no plan-review line at all — an absence this site records as an absence rather than assuming a residential charge nobody printed.
- Work begun before the permit is issued is priced by the sheet's own table — and the repeat-offence lines are quoted, not chargedRequired
Both building sheets print the table under "Should work begin prior the issuance of necessary permits, the following fees will apply": the permit fee is doubled for $0–$50,000, 50% of the permit fee for $50,001–$500,000 (minimum $550 residential, $980 commercial), 25% above $500,000 (minimum $2,000 residential, $2,500 commercial). The first three are charged as they print. The fourth line — "Second offence within 180 days - $200 minimum; $100 for each additional violation subsequent" — needs a violation history this site does not collect, so it is quoted beside the charges rather than computed.
Common questions
How much is a building permit in Fargo?
It depends on the sheet. A one- or two-family dwelling pays $50.00 up to $1,000 of valuation, then $5.56 for each additional $1,000 or fraction of one to $100,000, then $3.06 a thousand above a $600.44 base. Any other building pays $55.00 up to $1,000, then $12.75, $8.70, $6.14, $4.99, $4.87 or $4.64 per $1,000 as the valuation rises through seven bands. Flat rows (demolition $100, house moving $300, a Board of Appeals filing $150) are added beside the permit when the job triggers them.
Why does the fee rise in whole $1,000 steps?
Because the sheets say so: every band after the first prints "or fraction thereof" after its per-$1,000 rate. The cost above each band's floor is rounded up to a whole $1,000 before it is multiplied — $1,001 of residential valuation pays one full $5.56 step for the $1 of fraction, and $1,500 of commercial cost pays one whole $12.75 step rather than a prorated $6.38.
Is plan review included in the permit fee?
No — it is a separate line, and only on the commercial sheet: "All projects when a plan review is required. Twenty (20) percent of the attributable building permit fee. Minimum fee $50." The percentage reads the permit fee the ladder computed, the $50 floor binds below a $250 permit fee, and the sheet's own condition means the line answers only when plans are required. The residential sheet prints no plan-review line.
What does a demolition permit cost?
$100.00 — or $50.00 "for buildings under 400 SF and buildings without utility services", which the sheet requires both conditions for. House moving is its own row at $300.00 ($150.00 within the extraterritorial area, $50.00 on the same two-condition reduction), and a Board of Appeals filing is $150.00. These rows are added beside the ladder, never through it: the ladder bands exclude demolition work so the two never answer the same job.
What happens if work started before the permit was issued?
The sheet's own table applies: the permit fee is doubled for $0–$50,000 of valuation, 50% of the permit fee is added for $50,001–$500,000 (a $550 minimum on the residential sheet, $980 on the commercial), and 25% above $500,000 (minimums of $2,000 and $2,500 respectively). The repeat-offence line — $200 minimum for a second offence within 180 days, $100 for each violation after — is printed on the same row and quoted on this site rather than charged, because it needs a violation history.
Where does the valuation come from?
From the applicant, guided by the Department: "The Inspections Department uses the current International Code Council (ICC) building valuation data as a guide for calculating permit valuations, less 15% for local area considerations." The valuation is reviewed at submission and again before issuance, and "The Building Official makes the final valuation determination as required in the building code." This site takes that final number as its input.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
City of Fargo — Commercial Building Permit and Plan Review Fees
Read 2026-09-25 as the Department's own one-page PDF, printed "Effective January 1, 2026". Transcribed in full: the seven-band ladder ($55.00 flat; then $12.75, $8.70, $6.14, $4.99, $4.87 and $4.64 per additional $1,000 "or fraction thereof" with printed bases $55.00, $361.00, $578.75, $885.75, $2,881.75 and $5,316.75), the plan-review line (20% of the attributable building permit fee, $50 minimum, "when a plan review is required"), the same flat rows as the residential sheet, and the same unpermitted table with this sheet's floors ($980 and $2,500). The sheet's own arithmetic is discontinuous by 25 cents at $50,000 — band 3 computes $578.50 there while band 4 prints $578.75 — and both figures are kept.
- City websiteCity
City of Fargo — Commercial Building Permits & Fees (the valuation rules)
Read 2026-09-25, stamped "Effective January 1, 2026" and "Content Updated January 2026". The source for this site's valuation section: applicants provide the valuation split into Building Valuation and Parking Lot Valuation; "The Inspections Department uses the current International Code Council (ICC) building valuation data as a guide for calculating permit valuations, less 15% for local area considerations"; valuations are reviewed at submission and before issuance, and "The Building Official makes the final valuation determination as required in the building code."
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
City of Fargo — Residential Building Permit Fees (one- and two-family dwellings)
Read 2026-09-25 as the Department's own one-page PDF, printed "Effective January 1, 2026" on its face. Transcribed in full: the three-band ladder ($50.00 flat to $1,000; $5.56 for each additional $1,000 "or fraction thereof" to $100,000; $600.44 then $3.06 above it), the flat rows (demolition $100/$50, house moving $300/$50/$150, Board of Appeals $150), the hourly items, and the work-begin-without-a-permit table with this sheet's own floors ($550 and $2,000). Extracted with pdftotext -table, which pairs each valuation with its fee cleanly.
- City websiteCity
City of Fargo — Residential Permit & Fees
Read 2026-09-25 as the Department's own page, carrying "Effective January 1, 2026" and linking the two building PDFs, the Building Permit Fee Calculator and the trade subpages (plumbing, electrical self-wire). The page is this jurisdiction's index to the residential side of the split, and the calculator beside it takes project type and estimated value only — the fee tables are what it computes from.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.