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Commission recommends ordinance edits to remove conditional‑use language for oil wells, citing state authority
Summary
The commission recommended approval of a zoning text amendment to remove conditional‑use permit requirements for oil wells from local code and to reference the North Dakota Industrial Commission and North Dakota Century Code instead.
The City of Dickinson Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 8 recommended approval of ZTA‑006‑2025, amending municipal code language about oil wells to remove a local conditional‑use permit requirement and instead reference the North Dakota Century Code and the North Dakota Industrial Commission.
Natalie Burczyk, city planner, said the text amendment would change sections 16‑1‑170 (zoning) and 16‑1‑174 (spacing and distance limitations) in chapter 16 (environments) of the Dickinson Municipal Code to remove references to conditional‑use permits and to note that agriculture and general industrial districts allow oil‑well uses “after approval from the North Dakota Industrial Commission.” Burczyk summarized: “cities do not have the authority to permit or deny oil wells. It all goes through the Industrial Commission.”
Burczyk said the amendment follows an earlier zoning text amendment (ZTA‑005‑2025) that replaced local conditional‑use language with a requirement that the City Commission hold a public hearing prior to issuance of a permit by the North Dakota Industrial Commission. No members of the public spoke on the amendment at this meeting. After a motion, the commission recommended the zoning text changes to the City Commission.
The action aligns the municipal code language with state procedures and clarifies that oil‑well permitting authority rests with the North Dakota Industrial Commission rather than the city.
