Civil Engineering in Dickinson, North Dakota.
We work with developers, architects, and landowners on civil engineering for Dickinson land development, from residential and commercial plats to energy service, industrial, and truck-heavy sites across Stark County.
Licensed Professional Engineer in North Dakota. The engineer designing your Dickinson project is the same engineer answering your call.
(612) 567-2154 →How stormwater is regulated in Dickinson.
Dickinson reviews private development for surface water management and water quality, and its subdivision chapter puts specific requirements on drainage structures and the report that justifies them.
Dickinson's Engineering group reviews and approves private development, including subdivisions and parking lots, for surface water management and water quality against city, state, and federal requirements. It also issues the concrete, excavation, driveway, and stormwater permits.
Chapter 34 requires culverts sized to carry the drainage, with a minimum of eighteen inches in diameter or equivalent, and two copies of a report covering the size, type, and location of every drainage structure. Structures follow current NDDOT standard specifications.
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 Dickinson project.
City engineering and planning carry the review inside the city. Stark County administers county zoning and subdivision, and Dickinson serves as the county building department.
Review and approval of private development for surface water management and water quality, plus concrete, excavation, driveway, and stormwater permits.
Plat, zoning, and land development review under Chapter 34, Subdivision of Land. Preliminary and final plat move through the commission with engineering review alongside.
Administration and enforcement of county zoning and subdivision regulations outside the city, plus county road access. The City of Dickinson serves as Stark County's building department.
Access and drainage permits on I-94, US 85, and the state highway system. Drainage structures follow current NDDOT standard specifications, which the city code points to directly.
Construction stormwater coverage under NDR11-0000, Notice of Intent through CERIS-ND, and SWPPP review on request. Dickinson also operates an MS4 program under NDDEQ permit NDR04-0000.
Section 404 review where a site touches waters of the US, including Heart River tributaries and draws crossing the site.
What is different about engineering in Dickinson.
Dickinson is a small city carrying a lot of industrial and energy traffic, on rolling ground that drains through coulees and draws rather than a flat grid.
- •Post-development flow cannot exceed predevelopment. The stormwater management plan has to show existing and proposed drainage patterns with justification that flow rates will be at or below predevelopment rates. That is the constraint the detention design has to satisfy.
- •Drainage structures carry explicit minimums. Culverts have to be adequate for the drainage and at least eighteen inches in diameter or equivalent, with two copies of a report on the size, type, and location of every structure going to the jurisdiction engineer. It is a specific, checkable submittal.
- •Over five acres of drainage area means calculations. Where a drainage structure serves more than five acres, the report has to include acceptable engineering calculations for the required hydraulic capacity. Below that the standard is adequacy; above it, it is arithmetic you have to show.
- •NDDOT specifications apply inside the city. The city code points at current NDDOT standard specifications for drainage structures, so state specs govern even where the project is nowhere near a state highway.
- •Energy and industrial traffic drives the pavement design. Truck and equipment loading on service, laydown, and industrial sites is heavier than the commercial equivalent elsewhere. Pavement sections, turning movements, and access design all have to be built for it.
- •Coulees and draws, not a flat grid. Runoff concentrates in draws across the landscape. Where those cross a parcel decides the layout, the crossings, and the easements, and it is the first thing to map on a new site.
What we work on in Dickinson.
Subdivision layout, grading, drainage, and utilities under Chapter 34, with the drainage structure report prepared as part of the submittal.
Heavy equipment circulation, large gravel and paved areas, erosion control, and detention sized to hold post-development flow at predevelopment rates.
Pavement design for heavy loading, turning movement analysis, NDDOT access, and drainage structure design to state specifications.
Projects outside the city under county zoning and subdivision review, with county road access coordination.
Common questions about civil engineering in Dickinson.
What does Dickinson require for site drainage?
A stormwater management plan showing existing and proposed drainage patterns, with justification that post-development flow rates will be less than or equal to predevelopment rates. City Engineering reviews and approves private development, including subdivisions and parking lots, for surface water management and water quality compliance with city, state, and federal requirements.
What are the culvert and drainage structure requirements?
Culverts have to be adequate to handle all drainage, with a minimum of eighteen inches in diameter or equivalent. Two copies of a report proposing the size, type, and location of all drainage structures go to the engineer of the appropriate jurisdiction. Where a structure serves a drainage area over five acres, the report has to include acceptable engineering calculations for the required hydraulic capacity. All drainage structures conform to current NDDOT standard specifications.
Which permits does the city issue?
Dickinson Engineering issues concrete, excavation, driveway, and stormwater permits. That is separate from the state construction stormwater coverage, which comes from NDDEQ at one acre of disturbance.
My project is outside the city, in Stark County. Who reviews it?
Stark County Planning and Zoning administers and enforces county zoning and subdivision regulations outside the city. The City of Dickinson serves as Stark County's building department, so the building side still runs through the city. We confirm which body has authority over the specific parcel before design starts.
Do you work on energy service and industrial sites?
Yes. Heavy truck and equipment loading changes the pavement section, the turning movements, and the access design, and large gravel or paved yards change the runoff and erosion control picture. That work gets designed for the loading it will actually see rather than to a standard commercial section.
Are you licensed in North Dakota?
Yes. Paul Wallick is a licensed Professional Engineer in North Dakota, along with Minnesota, Colorado, and Utah. The engineer who seals your drawings is the engineer you talk to.
Working on a Dickinson 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.