The North Dakota Division of Community Services (DCS) is assigned the responsibility of updating and amending the North Dakota State Building Code. The DCS is not involved in the enforcement of the State Building Code. This is the responsibility of jurisdictions that elect to adopt and enforce building codes.

If a city, county, or township elects to adopt and enforce building codes, it must adopt and enforce the State Building Code. However, a jurisdiction is permitted to further amend the State Building Code to conform to local needs. Fully chartered Home Rule Cities may adopt something other than the State Building Code, but at the present time, all that enforce a building code have elected to adopt the same individual codes that make up the State Building Code. 

The North Dakota legislative assembly has mandated that the state building code consist of the International Building Code (IBC), International Residential Code (IRC), International Mechanical Code (IMC), and International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC). These are nationally recognized codes published by the International Code Council and updated nationally every three years. On September 5th, 2019 eligible cities and counties, along with eligible members of the Building Code Advisory Committee, adopted the 2018 updates to the International Building Code (IBC), International Residential Code (IRC), International Mechanical Code (IMC), and International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) and the proposed amendments. The 2018 versions of the International Energy Conservation Code and the International Existing Building Code and proposed amendments to these codes were also adopted. The new North Dakota State Building Code will go into effect January 1st, 2020.