Civil Engineering in Bismarck, North Dakota.
We work with developers, architects, and landowners on civil engineering for Bismarck land development, from subdivisions on the north and southeast growth edges to commercial corridor sites and state government and institutional work.
Licensed Professional Engineer in North Dakota. The engineer designing your Bismarck project is the same engineer answering your call.
(612) 567-2154 →How stormwater is regulated in Bismarck.
Bismarck publishes a Stormwater Design Standards Manual and ties the stormwater plan to the platting process, so the drainage design and the plat move on the same schedule.
The City Commission adopted the current manual on August 22, 2017, effective January 1, 2018. Any project submitted after that date is designed to it. The city's Design Standards Guide covers grading, water distribution, sanitary sewer, stormwater facilities, and pavement.
A stormwater management plan is required for all plats unless City Engineering waives it, and the review runs in conjunction with the platting process. The city uses its own submittal forms, including a stormwater management permit application and a small-site checklist.
Any site disturbing one acre or more, or forming part of a common plan of development of one acre or more, needs coverage under the state construction stormwater general permit NDR11-0000. The SWPPP is written first, then the Notice of Intent goes through CERIS-ND at least seven days before construction starts.
Who reviews a Bismarck project.
Most of the review sits with city engineering and planning, with county and state layers depending on the site.
Stormwater management plan review, grading, storm sewer, water and sanitary design, and right-of-way permits, all against the Stormwater Design Standards Manual and the Design Standards Guide.
Plat, zoning, and land development review. Stormwater review runs in conjunction with platting rather than after it.
Zoning and subdivision review outside city jurisdiction and county road access. Burleigh County holds its own MS4 permit.
Access and drainage permits on I-94, US 83, and the state highway system. Drainage structures follow current NDDOT standard specifications.
Construction stormwater coverage under NDR11-0000, Notice of Intent through CERIS-ND, and SWPPP review on request. Bismarck also operates its MS4 program under NDDEQ permit NDR04-0000.
Section 404 review where a site touches waters of the US, and coordination on Missouri River floodplain questions.
What is different about engineering in Bismarck.
Bismarck has more relief than the Red River valley and a different set of receiving waters. Both change the design.
- •The stormwater plan is part of the plat, not a follow-up. A stormwater management plan is required for all plats unless City Engineering waives it, and it is reviewed in conjunction with platting. Treating drainage as a post-plat exercise is the most common way a Bismarck schedule slips.
- •There is a published manual to design to. The Stormwater Design Standards Manual has governed since January 1, 2018. Along with the Design Standards Guide it covers grading, water, sanitary sewer, stormwater facilities, and pavement, which means most review comments are avoidable by designing to the document in the first place.
- •Runoff reaches Hay Creek, Apple Creek, and the Missouri. The city storm system discharges to those receiving waters. Where a site drains changes the treatment expectations and the downstream capacity questions.
- •Real topography, unlike the valley. Bismarck has grade to work with. That helps gravity drainage but introduces slope stability, cut and fill balance, and erosion control problems that flat-site design never raises.
- •Missouri River floodplain on the west and south. Mapped floodplain along the river affects buildable area and minimum elevations. Where the parcel sits relative to that mapping belongs in due diligence rather than in design.
What we work on in Bismarck.
Growth-edge plats with the stormwater management plan carried through the platting process on the same schedule.
Site layout, parking, access, grading, and stormwater treatment designed to the city manual.
Large impervious areas, truck circulation, NDDOT access, and detention sized to the receiving system.
Campus build-out, structured parking, tight-site stormwater, and utility coordination.
Common questions about civil engineering in Bismarck.
What stormwater standards does Bismarck use?
The City Commission adopted the current Stormwater Design Standards Manual on August 22, 2017, with an effective date of January 1, 2018. Any project submitted after that date is subject to it. The city also publishes a Design Standards Guide covering grading, water distribution, sanitary sewer, stormwater facilities, and pavement.
Do I need a stormwater management plan for a plat?
Yes. Bismarck requires a stormwater management plan for all plats unless City Engineering waives the requirement, and the review runs in conjunction with the platting process. Planning for it at the start of the plat rather than after preliminary approval is what keeps the schedule intact.
Where does stormwater from a Bismarck site end up?
The city system collects surface and subsurface drainage and carries it to waterways and wetlands and then to Hay Creek, Apple Creek, or the Missouri River. Which receiving water your site drains to affects treatment expectations and the downstream capacity conversation.
Do I need a state permit as well as city approval?
Yes, if the project disturbs one acre or more or is part of a common plan of development of one acre or more. That is the NDDEQ construction stormwater general permit NDR11-0000, with the SWPPP prepared first and the Notice of Intent filed through CERIS-ND at least seven days before construction starts.
Are you licensed in North Dakota?
Yes. Paul Wallick is a licensed Professional Engineer in North Dakota, along with Minnesota, Colorado, and Utah. Plans submitted to Bismarck have to be sealed by an engineer licensed in the state.
Working on a Bismarck project?
Tell us about the site. You will get a same-business-day response from Paul, with a real read on the civil scope, the regulatory path, and the likely permitting timeline.