Egress windows in Fargo
Escape windows for basements across North Dakota's largest city.
Fargo is the Cass County seat and North Dakota's most populous city, with 125,990 residents at the 2020 census. It sits in the flat Red River Valley across the river from Moorhead, and most of its single-family homes have full basements.
Older neighborhoods versus new construction
Houses in older parts of town, including the blocks around downtown, near NDSU and on the north side, often have small basement windows and finished rooms that went in long before anyone measured clear openings. Those are the most common candidates for cutting a new or larger opening. Much of Fargo's newer residential growth has been to the south and southwest. Newer homes there may already have an escape window in one part of the basement, but owners finishing the rest of the space often need more.
Fargo's local egress rules
The city's Building Inspection handout on egress windows adds a few local amendments to the residential code. Sill height is measured from the finished floor to the bottom of the clear opening, below-grade openings may have a sill up to 48 inches, a permanent platform at least 30 by 16 inches can reduce the climb out of a deep well, and terraced wells are accepted. Projects permitted since the 1988 code with non-complying windows have to be corrected.
Common Fargo jobs
- Enlarging old basement windows in finished basements
- New egress for a basement bedroom in a south Fargo home
- Replacing rusted metal wells and adding ladders
- Snow-rated covers that still open from inside
Common questions
Who issues egress window permits in Fargo?
The City of Fargo's building inspections office. Your contractor should apply and schedule inspections.
Does Fargo allow a higher sill for basement windows?
Yes. Fargo's local amendment allows a sill up to 48 inches above the finished floor for below-grade openings.
Services in Fargo
- Basement egress window installationA code-size escape window for a basement bedroom or finished basement, from dig to trim.
- Cutting and enlarging openingsSaw-cut a new opening or enlarge an old basement window in a poured or block foundation.
- Window wells and laddersNew or replacement wells sized for egress, with ladders, steps and drainage that work in clay.
- Window well coversCovers and grates that keep out snow, rain and critters but still open from inside.
- Basement bedroom code complianceMake a new or existing basement bedroom legal for finishing projects, rentals and home sales.
Nearby areas
Finishing the basement or adding a bedroom down there?
Call now and a local egress window installer will help you plan the opening, the well and the permit.