Civil Engineering in Fargo, North Dakota.
We work with developers, architects, and landowners on civil engineering for Fargo land development, from ag-conversion subdivisions on the growth edge to commercial redevelopment downtown and industrial sites along the interstate corridors.
Licensed Professional Engineer in North Dakota. The engineer designing your Fargo project is the same engineer answering your call.
(612) 567-2154 →How stormwater is regulated in Fargo.
Fargo writes its own numbers. Release rate, water quality volume, and pond design all come out of the city policy rather than the state permit, and the plan has to clear the city engineer at the plat stage.
Fargo operates its storm sewer system under NDDEQ permit NDR04-0000 and Chapters 17 and 37 of the city code. The Policy on Stormwater Discharge and Treatment Requirements, updated April 2023, sets the design standards for all development in the city.
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.
Allowable release is 1 cfs per acre for new development, with a tiered table for parcels between one and three acres. Water quality volume is 1,800 cubic feet per impervious acre, which is about half an inch off the impervious area.
Who reviews a Fargo project.
A Fargo land development project runs through city, county, state, and sometimes federal review. We prepare the submittals and coordinate the whole path.
Stormwater management plan review, storm sewer and utility design, grading, and right-of-way permits. A schematic stormwater plan goes in with the draft plat and the full plan has to be approved before construction plans are.
Plat, zoning, and land development code review. Because the city engineer's stormwater approval is a condition of plat approval, the planning and engineering tracks move together.
Zoning and subdivision review outside city jurisdiction, plus county road access. Cass County holds its own MS4 permit.
Access and drainage permits on I-29, I-94, 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.
Section 404 review where a site touches waters of the US, and coordination where a parcel sits near the FM Area Diversion alignment.
What is different about engineering in Fargo.
A few things decide how a Fargo project actually lays out. We design with them in from the first sketch.
- •The release rate is a fixed number. New development above three acres is held to 1 cfs per acre, with a tiered table below that. Redevelopment follows its own table for one to eight acres and can never release more than it did before. The detention volume falls out of that number, so it has to be in the layout early rather than discovered at plan review.
- •Water quality is a volume you have to find room for. 1,800 cubic feet per impervious acre, or half an inch off the impervious area. Flow-through devices get sized to treat the first half inch of runoff, and anything infiltrated has to draw down within 48 hours. On a tight commercial site that volume is a layout constraint, not a detail.
- •Ponds are modeled to the 100-year, 24-hour event. Minimum pond design is the 100-year, 24-hour storm with a foot of freeboard, modeled in HydroCAD or equivalent, with the 2-, 10-, and 100-year events all run. Street storm sewer is designed to a 2-year event on local streets and a 5-year event on arterials.
- •Stormwater approval gates the plat. The schematic plan goes with the draft plat and the full plan has to be approved before construction plan approval. A stormwater plan left to the end holds up the entire entitlement schedule.
- •There is almost no fall to work with. The Red River valley is close to flat. Moving water across a site without deep cuts is the real design problem in Fargo, and it sets finished floor elevations, pond depth, and where an outlet can physically go.
What we work on in Fargo.
Growth-edge residential on former farmland. Plat-stage stormwater plan, on-site or regional detention, and the full release-rate calculation behind it.
Parking, access, grading, and treatment on sites where the water quality volume has to fit somewhere real.
Large impervious areas, truck circulation, NDDOT access permits, and detention sized to the 100-year event.
Redevelopment release rates are tied to existing conditions and cannot go up. That math usually decides what fits on the site.
Common questions about civil engineering in Fargo.
What stormwater release rate does Fargo allow?
For new development, 1 cfs per acre once the parcel is larger than three acres. Parcels between one and three acres follow a tiered table in the city's stormwater policy. Redevelopment has a separate table covering one to eight acres, and in no case can a redevelopment site release more than it did before redevelopment.
When does the stormwater plan have to be approved?
A schematic stormwater management plan is submitted with the draft plat. The full stormwater management plan has to be submitted and approved before construction plan approval. The city engineer's approval is tied to the plat, so this is not something to leave until the end of design.
How is water quality treatment sized in Fargo?
The water quality volume is 1,800 cubic feet per impervious acre, which works out to roughly half an inch off the impervious area. Flow-through devices are sized to treat the first half inch of runoff. Volume that is infiltrated has to draw down within 48 hours.
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. The SWPPP is prepared first, then the Notice of Intent goes through CERIS-ND at least seven days before construction starts.
What does the flat ground mean for my site design?
It means drainage drives the grading plan rather than the other way around. With very little natural fall, finished floor elevations, pond depth, and outlet location all get set by where water can actually go. Sites that look simple on an aerial are often the ones where the grading takes the most work.
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 Fargo 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.