Egress windows in Minot
Escape windows for basements on the valley floor and up on both hills.
Minot is the seat of Ward County and had 48,377 people at the 2020 census. The Mouse River, which is also called the Souris, winds west to east through the middle of the city, and the valley it runs in sits about 160 feet below the prairie around it. Neighborhoods spread from the valley floor up onto North Hill, where the airport sits, and South Hill.
Valley floor versus the hills
Where your house sits changes the dig. State geologists map river sand, gravel, silt and clay on the valley floor and dense glacial till on the uplands. Valley lots can have looser soil and wetter conditions in the well hole, and hill lots can mean heavy clay that takes effort to excavate and drains slowly.
After the 2011 flood
The Souris crested at a record level on June 26, 2011. More than 4,100 homes were affected, and 805 were damaged beyond repair. Many valley basements were gutted and rebuilt. If yours was refinished since then and a room is being used as a bedroom, it's worth measuring the window against today's sizes.
Permits in the city
The City of Minot's Building Safety division handles residential plan review and inspections. It takes permit applications through an online portal and publishes the egress handout this site's numbers come from.
Common questions
Do installers work all over Minot?
Yes. Give us your address and we'll connect you with an installer who covers your part of town.
Who issues building permits in Minot?
The City of Minot's Building Safety division, which reviews residential plans before a permit is issued and handles applications through its online portal.
Services in Minot
- Basement egress window installationA brand-new escape opening cut into the foundation, with the window, well, drain rock and ladder installed.
- Basement window enlargementMake an existing small basement window opening bigger, usually by cutting the sill down, so it meets egress size.
- Window wells and laddersCode-size egress window wells, drain rock and ladders, including replacing undersized, rusted or leaking wells.
- Window well coversCovers that keep snow, leaves, kids and pets out of egress wells but still push open from inside.
- Basement bedroom egress complianceHelp making a basement bedroom meet Minot's escape opening rules for a finish, a sale or a rental.
Nearby areas
Need a basement bedroom that passes inspection?
Call and a Minot-area egress installer will look at the wall and the yard, explain what the code asks for, and quote the job.