Comprehensive Plan

Bismarck’s Together 2045 Comprehensive Plan was adopted by the City Commission on December 22, 2022, and is amended periodically. This plan sets goals and objectives related to land use and development and functions as the legal basis for the zoning and subdivision ordinance and all development decisions.Comp Plan Image

Plan Maps

Interactive maps are available from links within the plan document or through the following:

 Previous Plans (inactive)

Older plans dating back to the 1940s are available online in the Plans and Studies Library.

Background Reports

Existing conditions, public comment summaries, data analysis, and projections used to support this plan are included in a series of background reports:

Overview of Public Outreach Activities (pdf): This report summarizes a series of public outreach activities for Together 2045.

Land Use and Development Capacity (pdf): This report envisions future growth and development of the City of Bismarck between 2020 and 2045, uses available data to project future development scenarios that are expected to occur if current trends persist.

Rural Development Timing (pdf): This report outlines policy options regarding rural development within areas in Bismarck extraterritorial area anticipated for future urban growth.

Bismarck in Context (pdf): A background report on census data comparing present and past City of Bismarck with peer communities in the region.

Household Survey Report (pdf): A representative survey of households in Bismarck and its extraterritorial area was administered in June 2021 to measure quality of life, transportation, housing, and attitudes regarding growth and development of the community.

A Century of Planning in Bismarck (pdf): A history of land use planning in the City of Bismarck, from the 1920s to the present, and how these plans have taken effect in the actual development of the City.

Existing Land Uses: The existing land use map identifies current uses of land within the City of Bismarck and the extraterritorial area.

Name Your Neighborhood Survey Report (pdf): Results of survey to determine neighborhood names and boundaries

Diagnostic Studies

Reports issued by consultants in 2022 on the existing Bismarck zoning and subdivision regulations and recommendations for revision:

Blue Zones Recommendations (pdf). Recommendations related to the following topics:

  • CODE TOPIC A: Upgrade Zoning for Bismarck’s Near-Town Neighborhoods
  • CODE TOPIC B: Upgrade Downtown Zoning to Enhance Bismarck’s Premier Gathering Place
  • CODE TOPIC C: Reduce Reliance on Arterial-Collector Status in Zoning Regulations
  • CODE TOPIC D: Stop Requiring Oversized Parking Lots in Bismarck
  • CODE TOPIC E: Update Bismarck’s Zoning to Support Compact Walkable Mixed-Use
  • CODE TOPIC F: Update Bismarck’s Street Connectivity Standards

Enabling Better Places: A Coding Reform Map for Bismarck (pdf). Recommendations from AARP and the Congress of New Urbanism summarized by the prioritized list:

  1. Accommodate a wider variety of households in Bismarck
  2. Regulate restrictive covenants that will apply to new neighborhoods
  3. Improve clarity of regulations for each zoning district
  4. Reform Bismarck’s restrictions on “nonconforming” housing
  5. Fill remaining gaps in Bismarck’s network of sidewalks
  6. Encourage “missing middle” housing in appropriate Bismarck locations
  7. Permit accessory dwellings “by right,” with adjusted standards
  8. Reconsider one-way travel on major streets