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11 permits · verified 2026-09-14

What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Grand Forks?

In short

A contractor or trade in Grand Forks, ND has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division charges $100 one-time filing, domestic for the articles of incorporation. 5 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-14 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Grand Forks

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Contractor License (city threshold is $2,000, lower than the state's $4,000)City of Grand Forks Department of Building SafetyCity licenses on the 2026 schedule: a building contractor is $65.00 and requires a $5,000 license and permit bond; an electrical contractor is $170.00; an excavator is $120.00 and requires a $500.00 deposit; a master mechanical installer is $170.00 and a journeyman $55.00; a master plumber is $170.00; a sign hanger is $120.00, or $125.00 for neon; a house mover is $170.00 and requires a $1,000 bond; and a sidewalk builder is $80.00. Mechanical test fees are $35.00 for a journeyman and $50.00 for a master. Electrical permits are set by the State. The separate North Dakota Secretary of State contractor license is priced by job size: Class A over $500,000 at $450.00, Class B up to $500,000 at $300.00, Class C up to $300,000 at $225.00 and Class D up to $100,000 at $100.00.annual, expiring December 31 under Code 21-0106 unless otherwise stated2026-09-14
Plumbing Licenseonly if it applies to youNorth Dakota State Board of Plumbing$100–$200 capped by statute at $100 for a journeyman and $200 for a master plumber; the board's currently posted journeyman figures run a $50 exam plus a $50 application and $100 license fee1 year — every license expires December 312026-09-04
General Contractor LicenseNorth Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division$100–$450 initial, by class — Class D (jobs up to $100,000) $100, Class C (up to $300,000) $225, Class B (up to $500,000) $300, Class A (over $500,000) $450; renewal runs $30 to $90annual — renews on or before March 12026-09-04
Electrician Licenseonly if it applies to youNorth Dakota State Electrical BoardFee not confirmed against a primary source — North Dakota law sets no statutory cap and leaves the amount entirely to the State Electrical Board, whose own site did not publish a current fee table when checked.1 year — failing to renew for three consecutive years requires re-examination2026-09-04

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Grand Forks

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Building PermitCity of Grand Forks Department of Building SafetyVaries — formula on the Grand Forks pageone-time, per project2026-09-14
General Business License — City of Grand Forks positiononly if it applies to youCity of Grand Forks Finance and Administrative Services (Business Licensing, City Auditor)No feenot applicable2026-09-14

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

ND registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youNorth Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division$100 one-time filing, domesticperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Corporation Annual Reportonly if it applies to youNorth Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division$25 a year; late fees escalate to $45 within 90 days and $85 afterannual — domestic corporations due before August 2, foreign corporations before May 162026-09-04
LLC Annual Reportonly if it applies to youNorth Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division$50 a year; a late filing adds a further $50annual — due before November 16 every year2026-09-04
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youNorth Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division$135 one-time filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
General Business License — State of North Dakota positiononly if it applies to youNorth Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionNo feenot applicable2026-09-04

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in Grand Forks?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 11 records listed for a contractor or trade in Grand Forks, ND, 3 apply to every business of this type and 8 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

5 of the 11 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

General Contractor License (city threshold is $2,000, lower than the state's $4,000): City licenses on the 2026 schedule: a building contractor is $65.00 and requires a $5,000 license and permit bond; an electrical contractor is $170.00; an excavator is $120.00 and requires a $500.00 deposit; a master mechanical installer is $170.00 and a journeyman $55.00; a master plumber is $170.00; a sign hanger is $120.00, or $125.00 for neon; a house mover is $170.00 and requires a $1,000 bond; and a sidewalk builder is $80.00. Mechanical test fees are $35.00 for a journeyman and $50.00 for a master. Electrical permits are set by the State. The separate North Dakota Secretary of State contractor license is priced by job size: Class A over $500,000 at $450.00, Class B up to $500,000 at $300.00, Class C up to $300,000 at $225.00 and Class D up to $100,000 at $100.00.

Plumbing License: $100–$200 capped by statute at $100 for a journeyman and $200 for a master plumber; the board's currently posted journeyman figures run a $50 exam plus a $50 application and $100 license fee

General Contractor License: $100–$450 initial, by class — Class D (jobs up to $100,000) $100, Class C (up to $300,000) $225, Class B (up to $500,000) $300, Class A (over $500,000) $450; renewal runs $30 to $90

Electrician License: Fee not confirmed against a primary source — North Dakota law sets no statutory cap and leaves the amount entirely to the State Electrical Board, whose own site did not publish a current fee table when checked.

The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Grand Forks permits page and the ND state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Grand Forks?

Permits for a contractor or trade in Grand Forks, ND come from 5 separate offices: City of Grand Forks Department of Building Safety, City of Grand Forks Finance and Administrative Services (Business Licensing, City Auditor), North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division, North Dakota State Board of Plumbing, North Dakota State Electrical Board. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a contractor or trade need in Grand Forks that other businesses do not?

4 of the 4 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Grand Forks: General Contractor License (city threshold is $2,000, lower than the state's $4,000), Plumbing License, General Contractor License and Electrician License.

General Contractor License (city threshold is $2,000, lower than the state's $4,000)

This threshold is a genuine trap for a contractor working across the state. Code 21-2902(1) sets the city threshold at less than half the state's: 'A person may not engage in the business nor act in the capacity of a contractor within the city when the cost, value, or price per job exceeds the sum of two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) without first having received a license as provided in this article.' North Dakota's own threshold is $4,000, so a $3,000 job in Grand Forks requires a city license while requiring no state one. The two are nonetheless sequenced: 21-2906 provides that 'No contractor's license shall be issued by the city until such time as the applicant shall have demonstrated receipt of a contractor's license issued by the state,' so a contractor taking a $3,000 job may in practice need the state license in order to obtain the city one. Homeowners are exempt under 21-2902(2): 'No general contractor's license shall be required for any individual working on said individual's own residence.' The city license carries a $5,000 license and permit bond under 19-0103(1).

Plumbing License

North Dakota licenses no separate HVAC or mechanical trade — plumbing and electrical work are the only two state-licensed trades outside general contracting. An apprentice plumber pays an escalating fee across a four-year path: $20 in the first year, rising $10 a year to $50 by the fourth, before stepping up to the journeyman rate.

General Contractor License

North Dakota sorts contractor licenses into four classes purely by the size of job they cover, not by trade — a Class A license, good for any job over $500,000, costs $450 up front and $90 a year to renew, while the smallest Class D license is $100 and $30. Per the Secretary of State's contractor page, a contractor license is required when the cost, value or price of a job exceeds $4,000 (NDCC ch. 43-07).

Electrician License

Unlike plumbing and cosmetology, North Dakota law sets no ceiling at all on the electrician's license fee — the board sets its own amount, and no current fee table could be confirmed from the board's own materials, so no dollar figure is asserted here. What is confirmed by statute: the license runs one year, and a licensee who lets it lapse for three consecutive years must re-take the exam to get it back. Contracting licensees also carry a $500,000 liability insurance floor.

The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Grand Forks, ND; what each one involves is set out on the Grand Forks permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across ND and are covered on the ND state page.

How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Grand Forks?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs General Contractor License (city threshold is $2,000, lower than the state's $4,000), Plumbing License, General Contractor License and Electrician License. A auto repair shop needs Fire Operational and Construction Permit, Sign Permit, Auto Repair Shop — Fire Permit and Zoning (Grand Forks) and Auto Repair Licensing — State of North Dakota position, which a contractor or trade does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Grand Forks, ND, compared with a contractor or trade
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a contractor or tradeOnly a contractor or trade needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops4044
Childcare centres2042
Coffee shops5045
Fitness studios3043
Food trucks3043
Restaurants5045
Retail stores3043
Salons and barbers5045
Veterinary clinics4044

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Grand Forks permits page and the ND state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City of Grand Forks 2026 List of Fees, published January 7, 2026 (internally titled 'Proposed 2026 Fee List for budget book') — the consolidated license and permit schedule carrying food establishment, mobile food, contractor, sign, zoning, fire, pool, body art and alcohol fees in prior-year and 2026 columnsCity of Grand Forks · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
  2. Grand Forks City Code, codified through Ordinance No. 4934, adopted December 15, 2025 (Supp. No. 34) — Chapter XXI Article 7 (food and drink establishments), Article 29 (general contractors, including the $2,000 threshold at 21-2902), Article 5 (outdoor advertising and sign permits), 21-0106 (fees set by resolution, one-year term expiring December 31) and 18-0507 (certificate of occupancy)City of Grand Forks · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
  3. Contractor licensing — the North Dakota Secretary of State's own page setting the $4,000 job threshold under N.D.C.C. ch. 43-07 and the Class A to Class D license feesNorth Dakota Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
  4. Contractor Licenses — the Department of Building Safety's own current page listing the city contractor, electrical, excavator, mechanical, plumbing, sign hanger, house mover and sidewalk builder licenses and their bondsCity of Grand Forks Department of Building Safety · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  5. North Dakota Century Code chapter 43-18 — plumber licensing fee caps and annual December 31 expirationNorth Dakota Legislative Branch · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  6. North Dakota Secretary of State — general contractor license classes, fees, and the $4,000 minor-work thresholdNorth Dakota Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  7. North Dakota Century Code chapter 43-09 — electrician licensing term and the board's fee-setting authorityNorth Dakota Legislative Branch · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.