Fargo Egress Window Guide: Sizes, Wells, Permits (2026)

Updated October 22, 2026. This guide is general information, not legal or engineering advice. Rules change, so confirm with the agency listed before you start work.

Quick reference

Topic	What to know	Source
Where required	Basements, habitable attics and every sleeping room; each basement bedroom needs its own	City of Fargo; MN DLI
Clear opening	5.7 sq ft, or 5.0 sq ft at or below grade; at least 24 in high and 20 in wide	City of Fargo; MN DLI
Sill height	44 in max; Fargo allows 48 in for below-grade openings	City of Fargo
Window well	9 sq ft min, 36 in out and 36 in wide; ladder or steps if deeper than 44 in	City of Fargo; MN DLI
Covers and grates	Must open from inside without key, tool or special knowledge	City of Fargo; MN DLI
ND contractor license	Required when a job exceeds $4,000; Classes A through D	ND Secretary of State
MN contractor license	Required for more than one special skill; exemption under $15,000 gross receipts with a certificate	MN DLI

What size does an egress window have to be?

Both the City of Fargo's egress handout and Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry fact sheet set the same basic minimums: a net clear opening of 5.7 square feet, reduced to 5.0 square feet for grade-floor or below-grade openings, with at least 24 inches of clear height and 20 inches of clear width. The opening is measured with the window fully open through its normal operation from inside, counting only the space you could pass through. The sill can be no more than 44 inches above the floor. Fargo's handout includes a chart showing how width and height trade off: a 24-inch-high opening needs about 34 inches of width to reach the area requirement.

What are Fargo's local amendments?

Fargo measures sill height from the finished floor to the bottom of the clear opening, and allows below-grade openings to have a sill as high as 48 inches. For deep wells, a permanently attached platform at least 30 by 16 inches can bring the remaining climb to 42 inches or less, and terraced wells with a rise of no more than 24 inches and at least 12 inches of depth per step are accepted. Fargo also presumes existing windows met code when installed, allows same-size and same-style replacements, requires bedroom windows with a changed rough opening or style to meet egress, and requires non-complying windows in projects permitted since the 1988 code to be corrected.

What does the window well need?

A well in front of a below-grade escape window needs at least 9 square feet of horizontal area, at least 36 inches of projection and width, and enough room for the window to open fully. Deeper than 44 inches, it needs a permanently attached ladder or steps at least 12 inches wide, projecting at least 3 inches from the wall, with rungs no more than 18 inches apart for the full depth. The ladder may encroach up to 6 inches into the required well size. On the Minnesota side, the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code also requires window wells to connect to the foundation drainage system or an approved alternative unless the soil is well-drained sand or gravel.

How is Moorhead different?

Moorhead enforces the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code, which adopts the 2018 IRC with state amendments. According to DLI, alterations and repairs to an existing basement don't by themselves require an escape opening, but new sleeping rooms created in an existing basement must have one unless the basement is sprinklered under the code's exception. A replacement window is exempt from the size and sill rules only if it's the manufacturer's largest standard size that fits the existing frame, with equal or greater opening area and the same operating style. Moorhead's Building Codes office issues permits, and the city says no work may start before a permit is issued.

What does Red River Valley soil mean for the job?

Fargo and West Fargo sit on the bed of glacial Lake Agassiz. The North Dakota Geological Survey describes soft, expansive clays of the Brenna and Sherack formations under the area, with the Brenna about 70 feet thick near Fargo, and notes that the water table can sit only a few feet below the surface near the Sheyenne River when it's high. The survey has documented foundation movement in parts of Fargo and West Fargo. For an egress project, that means paying close attention to drainage at the bottom of the well, compacting backfill so it doesn't settle, and having a wall that has already moved evaluated before it's cut.

Who can do the work?

In North Dakota, the Secretary of State issues contractor licenses, and one is required when the cost, value or price of a job exceeds $4,000. Licenses come in four classes by job size, from Class D (up to $100,000 per job) to Class A (over $500,000), and applicants must provide a certificate of liability insurance and proof of coverage with Workforce Safety and Insurance. In Minnesota, a contractor who contracts directly with a homeowner to perform more than one special skill needs a residential building contractor or remodeler license from DLI, unless they hold a certificate of exemption for gross annual receipts under $15,000.

Before anyone digs

Fargo's handout reminds homeowners that North Dakota law requires a call to North Dakota One Call at least two business days before digging. Your contractor should request the locates.

Questions to ask an egress contractor

What's your North Dakota or Minnesota license number?
Will you pull the permit and schedule the inspections?
What's the clear opening of the window you're proposing?
How will the well drain, and what's it made of?
Does the wall need a header or an engineer's review?
What's warrantied, and for how long?

Common questions

How big does a basement egress window have to be in Fargo?

At least 5.0 square feet of clear opening for a below-grade window, with 24 inches of clear height and 20 inches of clear width. Fargo allows a sill up to 48 inches above the finished floor for below-grade openings.

Does an egress contractor need a license in North Dakota?

Yes, when the job exceeds $4,000. The North Dakota Secretary of State issues contractor licenses in Classes A through D.

When does a window well need a ladder?

When it's deeper than 44 inches. The ladder or steps must be permanently attached and usable with the window fully open.

Fargo-Moorhead egress window guide (2026)