Civil Engineering in Minot, North Dakota.
We work with developers, architects, and landowners on civil engineering for Minot land development, from residential plats on the hill to commercial corridor sites and valley parcels sitting inside a flood protection project that is still being built.
Licensed Professional Engineer in North Dakota. The engineer designing your Minot project is the same engineer answering your call.
(612) 567-2154 →How stormwater is regulated in Minot.
Minot has the most demanding stormwater criterion in the state, and it is the one out-of-state engineers miss. Peak flow cannot increase for the rainfall storms or for a ten-day snowmelt event.
Minot's Storm Water Management Ordinance, Article 12, governs development stormwater. The City Engineer approves, approves with conditions, or denies the storm water management plan, and may waive a requirement only in writing with the finding and any conditions on file.
A project has to show no increase in peak flow for the 2-, 5-, 10-, and 100-year 24-hour storm events and for the 100-year, 10-day snowmelt event. Snowmelt on frozen ground produces runoff a rainfall-only model never sees, and it frequently governs the pond size.
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 Minot project.
City engineering carries the stormwater decision. Flood protection, county, state, and federal review layer on depending on where the site sits.
The City Engineer approves, conditions, or denies the storm water management plan under Article 12, and reviews grading, storm sewer, water and sanitary design, and right-of-way work.
Plat, zoning, and land development review, plus floodplain administration on parcels inside the mapped floodplain.
The board leading the Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project. Parcels near a current or planned phase need coordination on alignment, easements, and interior drainage.
Zoning and subdivision review outside city jurisdiction and county road access. Several flood protection phases extend into the county.
Access and drainage permits on US 2, US 52, and the state highway system. Drainage structures follow current NDDOT standard specifications.
Construction stormwater coverage under NDR11-0000 through CERIS-ND, and Corps review where a project touches waters of the US or the federal flood risk work.
What is different about engineering in Minot.
Minot flooded past the 100-year event in 2011 and has been rebuilding its flood protection since. The stormwater code reflects what the city learned.
- •Snowmelt is a regulated design event. Article 12 requires no increase in peak flow for the 100-year, 10-day snowmelt event alongside the 2-, 5-, 10-, and 100-year 24-hour storms. On many sites the snowmelt case sizes the pond, not the rainfall case. An engineer who has not designed in the north will not run it.
- •One foot of freeboard above the 100-year elevation. At least a foot of clearance is required between the lowest floor of a building, including equipment, and the 100-year storm water elevation of any adjacent stormwater facility. That constraint reaches back into the grading plan and the finished floor elevations.
- •The plan has to map the floodplain, floodway, and flood fringe. The storm water management plan has to depict the 100-year floodplain, flood fringe, and floodway, along with drainage easements including the areas inundated in the 100-year event and their water surface elevations. That is more mapping than most cities ask for.
- •Regional detention changes the requirement, once it exists. In areas contributing to a planned regional detention facility, the no-increase requirement applies until the regional ponds are actually built. Which side of that line a site falls on is a real question with a real cost attached.
- •Flood protection is still under construction. The Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project has been building in phases since the 2011 flood, with floodwalls, levees, and stormwater pump stations, and further phases are advancing in Ward County. Where a parcel sits relative to a current or planned phase changes the design and the financing.
- •Under an acre can still need review. Article 12 exempts some smaller work, but the City Engineer decides whether an activity has only a de minimis effect on the storm water system. Assuming an exemption without asking is a poor bet.
What we work on in Minot.
Plats on the hill and in the valley, with detention sized against the snowmelt case as well as the rainfall storms.
Site layout, parking, access, grading, and stormwater treatment on the US 2 and Broadway corridors.
Floodplain and floodway mapping, minimum elevations, freeboard, and coordination with the flood protection phases.
Large impervious areas, heavy truck circulation, NDDOT access, and detention that holds up under the snowmelt event.
Common questions about civil engineering in Minot.
What is the 100-year, 10-day snowmelt requirement?
Minot's Article 12 requires a project to show no increase in peak flow for the 2-, 5-, 10-, and 100-year 24-hour storm events and for the 100-year, 10-day snowmelt event. Spring melt over frozen ground generates runoff that a rainfall-only model never produces, and on many Minot sites the snowmelt case is what actually sizes the detention. It is the single most common thing an out-of-state design misses here.
How much freeboard does Minot require?
At least one foot of clearance between the lowest floor of a building, including equipment, and the 100-year storm water elevation of all adjacent storm water facilities. That requirement works backwards into the grading plan and the finished floor elevations, so it belongs in the design early.
What has to be shown on the storm water management plan?
Along with the drainage design, the plan has to depict the 100-year floodplain, flood fringe, and floodway, and delineate drainage easements including the areas inundated in the 100-year storm event with their water surface elevations and recorded easements. The City Engineer then approves, approves with conditions, or denies it.
My project is under an acre. Am I exempt?
Not automatically. Article 12 exempts certain smaller activities, including some construction affecting less than one acre, but the City Engineer determines whether an activity has only a de minimis effect on the storm water system. It is worth asking rather than assuming, and the state permit applies separately at one acre of disturbance.
How does the Mouse River flood protection project affect my site?
The Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project has been building in phases since the 2011 flood, which exceeded the 100-year event, and it includes floodwalls, levees, and stormwater pump stations, with more phases advancing in Ward County. Where your parcel sits relative to a completed or planned phase affects mapped flood risk, minimum elevations, interior drainage, and sometimes the financing.
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 Minot have to be sealed by an engineer licensed in the state.
Working on a Minot 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.