Roof Replacement Permit in Minot, ND: What to Know

It depends on the job, so check with the city before work starts. The City of Minot's building pages require permits for new homes, additions and remodeling, but they do not spell out whether a straight shingle swap needs one. A short call to Minot Building Safety at 701-857-4102 gives you a firm answer for your address and your scope of work.

What the City of Minot says about permits

Minot's Building Safety department handles building permits and inspections inside city limits. Its main page lists the residential projects that need permits: new homes, additions, remodeling, duplexes, and accessory buildings larger than 120 square feet. For commercial buildings, the city says permits are needed for all work regulated by the building codes it has adopted.

What the city's pages do not do is call out roofing by name. There is no line that says "roof replacement needs a permit" or "reroofing is exempt." So instead of guessing, or trusting a website that is not the city's, the right move is to ask Building Safety directly. Rules and fees get updated, and the city is the only source that counts.

Where to find the city's information

Start with the City of Minot Building Safety page. It lists the permit types, the office phone number, and links to the city's online permit portal. The office is at 1025 31st St SE in Minot.

Jobs that are more likely to need a permit

Even if a basic shingle replacement turns out to be simple on the paperwork side, some roof jobs go further than swapping one covering for another. These are the kinds of changes that start to look like remodeling or structural work, which the city does list:

• Replacing or adding rafters or trusses
• Changing the roof shape or pitch
• Adding a new skylight, dormer or roof opening
• Building a roof over a new porch, deck or addition
• Switching to a much heavier roofing material
• Any work on a commercial building

If your project includes any of these, plan on talking to the city before you sign. A good roofer will bring this up during the quote, not after the old roof is in the dumpster.

The codes Minot builds to

The city's design criteria sheet for homes points to the 2024 International Residential Code, along with the ASCE 7-22 standard for loads. Those codes set the rules for things like how many layers a roof can have before a full tear-off is required, and how much snow a roof has to be built to carry.

Snow is a big deal here. The city's snow load reference says ground snow loads in Minot typically fall in the 50 to 60 psf range, and it sets a minimum flat roof snow load of 30 psf for homes. That matters most when a project changes the structure, like a new addition roof or a porch roof tied into the house. Our post on how much snow roofs hold covers the warning signs during a heavy North Dakota winter.

What a Minot building permit costs

When a permit is required, the fee is usually small next to the cost of the roof. The city's 2025 Minot building fee schedule sets residential remodel permits at a $75 minimum or $5 per $1,000 of construction value, with plan review and re-inspection billed by the hour when needed. Here is how that math works out for a few job sizes, if your project falls under that fee:

Construction value	$5 per $1,000	Fee with $75 minimum
$9,000	$45	$75
$15,000	$75	$75
$22,000	$110	$110
$30,000	$150	$150

Ask the city which fee applies to your job, since the schedule can change and some projects have added review fees. If your roofer pulls the permit, the fee should show up as its own line on your written quote.

Contractor licensing in North Dakota and Minot

Permits are only half the paperwork. The other half is making sure the company on your roof is allowed to be there.

State license

The North Dakota Secretary of State contractor licensing page says that when the cost of a job is more than $4,000, the person doing the work must be licensed as a contractor in North Dakota. That covers almost every roof replacement. The same page links to a search tool where you can look up a contractor and confirm the license is in good standing.

City license

The City of Minot also says it requires construction contractors in many trades to get a city license, and its licensing handout points roofers to the Secretary of State for license questions. Ask any roofer you are considering to show both before you sign.

This matters most after a big storm. Hail season here runs about May to September, and that is when out of town crews show up. Checking the license takes a few minutes. Our guide on picking a roofing contractor lists more red flags to watch for.

Fitting the paperwork into roofing season

In Minot, the calendar matters as much as the paperwork. Asphalt shingles need temperatures above about 40 F to seal down properly, so most shingle work happens from spring through fall. That window is also when hail season hits, from about May to September, and when every roofer in town is busy.

That is why it pays to sort out the permit question early. If you know your roof is near the end of its life, make the call to the city when you get your quote, not the week before the crew is scheduled. That way a permit, if one is needed, is not the thing holding up your start date.

A simple order of steps

1. Get the roof inspected and find out if it needs a repair or a full replacement
2. Get a written quote that lists the full scope of work
3. Confirm with Minot Building Safety whether that scope needs a permit
4. Check the contractor's state license and city license
5. Book a start date that leaves room for any permit steps

If you are still deciding when to do the job, our post on the best time to reroof walks through how weather and scheduling play out in North Dakota.

Who pulls the permit, you or the roofer?

In most cases, the roofer handles it. That makes sense because the contractor knows the scope, the materials and the schedule. When a permit is required, having the contractor pull it also puts their name on the record with the city.

Here is what to ask before the job starts:

1. Did you check with Minot Building Safety about this job?
2. Does my project need a permit, and who is pulling it?
3. Is the permit fee in the quote?
4. Will there be any inspections, and do I need to be home?
5. Can I get a copy of the permit for my records?

Keep the permit paperwork with your roof warranty and invoice. If you sell the house, buyers and inspectors may ask about the roof, and a clean paper trail helps.

A quick note on location: everything in this guide applies to homes inside Minot city limits. If you live outside the city, ask your contractor to confirm the local rules before work starts.

Getting your Minot roof job lined up the right way

A roof replacement goes smoothest when the paperwork is sorted before the crew shows up. When you get a quote from us, we go over whether the city needs to be involved, what the build includes, and every cost line by line. Our free inspection takes about 45 minutes and comes with a same day photo report.

To see what a full replacement includes, visit our Minot roof replacement service page, or request a free estimate. You can also call (380) 247-5157, Monday to Friday 7am to 6pm and Saturday 8am to 2pm.

Questions we get asked