Grand Forks, ND Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Section 16-0408 is the operative permit trigger inside Article 4, Encroachments, Obstructions and Excavations: no person, firm, or corporation may dig up, break, tunnel, drill, bore, or otherwise excavate in a public right-of-way or public place without a permit, and even a permit holder must still follow the article's other terms and the permit's own conditions. Getting there takes more than the application itself. Section 16-0405 requires anyone who excavates in the city to first hold an excavator's license issued by the city auditor, subject to a council-set fee.

Section 16-0406 layers on insurance: liability coverage of at least $250,000 per person injured and $500,000 per incident, plus $100,000 to $200,000 in property-damage coverage, approved by the city attorney before work begins. Section 16-0407 adds a $5,000 bond conditioned on repairing any opening for three years, though federal, state, and local government agencies and utility companies are exempt from both the bond and insurance rules. The written permit application itself, filed at least twenty-four hours before work under § 16-0408, must name the applicant, give start and estimated completion dates, and describe the excavation's nature, location, and purpose, backed by a dimensional sketch of the work; a bona fide emergency lets the excavator file after the fact if the intent to excavate was already reported by phone or in person.

Once issued, § 16-0409 sets an added $100 fee for anyone who excavates without first getting the permit, and § 16-0412 requires the site restored to as good a condition as existed before, with sidewalks, paving, and curbing replaced safely.