Basement egress windows for Minot homes

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Tell us where the house is and what the basement room will be used for.

2. We connect you

   We pass it to an independent egress window installer serving Minot, Burlington and Surrey.

3. They call you back

   The installer measures, checks it against Minot's code handout and quotes you directly.

Who calls us?

Mostly Minot-area homeowners with a basement that needs a way out. The usual reasons: a basement finish where the permit requires an escape opening, a spare room downstairs that you want to count as a bedroom, a home inspection that flagged a basement bedroom window, or a well that collects water, rusts through or fills with snow every winter. Landlords call too, when they want a basement bedroom ready before a lease starts.

What size does a basement escape window have to be in Minot?

The City of Minot's Egress Window Information handout spells it out. When the window is fully open, the clear space a person can climb through has to be:

• At least 5.7 square feet (821 square inches); a grade-floor opening can be 5 square feet
• At least 20 inches wide and at least 24 inches high
• No more than 44 inches from the floor to the sill

All three have to pass at once. A window that is 20 inches wide and 24 inches high is only 480 square inches, far short of 821, so the minimum width and height can't both be minimums on the same window. Casements usually meet the area with the smallest wall cut because nearly the whole frame swings open. Sliders and single-hung units only open halfway, so the frame has to be larger.

What about the window well?

The same handout says the well has to let the window open all the way, cover at least 9 square feet, and reach at least 36 inches out from the wall and 36 inches across. If the well bottom sits more than 44 inches below the ground beside it, it needs a permanent ladder or steps that work with the window fully open. The ladder may stick into the required well space by no more than 6 inches. Wells tucked under a deck need at least 36 inches of clear height under the deck.

Which code does Minot use?

Minot's published list of applicable codes includes the 2024 International Residential Code. That lines up with the North Dakota State Building Code, which the state Department of Commerce says moved to the 2024 editions on January 1, 2026. The city reviews residential plans for code compliance before it issues a permit and handles applications through its Online Permitting & Licensing Portal. The Minot egress window guide collects the details and links.

How does an egress install go?

1. Pick the spot. Inside, the opening has to miss the beam, ducts, drain lines and the electrical panel. Outside, it has to miss the gas meter, AC unit, deck footings, driveway and the property line.
2. Locate and dig. Underground utilities get marked, then the installer excavates for the well, a little below where the new sill will be.
3. Cut. A poured wall is cut with a diamond saw. On a block wall, courses come out and the open cores get filled. Wide cuts get a header or other support.
4. Set it. The window is installed and sealed, the well is fastened to the foundation, drain rock goes in the bottom and a ladder goes in if the depth needs one.
5. Finish. Backfill, slope the soil away from the house, add a cover if you want one, and trim the inside.

The basement egress window installation page walks through each step in more depth.

What's different about egress work around Minot?

• Valley or hill. The Mouse River (also called the Souris) cuts through the middle of town in a valley about 160 feet below the surrounding prairie. The North Dakota Geological Survey maps sand, gravel, silt and clay river deposits on the valley floor and clay-rich glacial till up on the hills. What the installer digs into depends a lot on which part of town you're in.
• Frost. Minot lists a 4-foot frost line in its design criteria. An egress well reaches several feet below grade, into ground that freezes, so the well, its drain and the seal around the cut all have to handle freeze-thaw.
• Snow. Minot averages about 42.5 inches of snow a year. A well on the north or west side can drift full, and a buried window isn't an exit. Covers help, but they have to open from below.
• Cold. January averages about 14°F at Minot International Airport. Good glazing and a tight, insulated seal between the frame and the cut concrete keep frost off the inside trim.

Can I just replace my old basement window?

If the room isn't a bedroom and the basement already has a legal escape opening, maybe. If you are creating a sleeping room, though, it needs its own escape opening, and a small high hopper rarely qualifies. Minot's handout also says smoke alarms must be brought up to code when permitted alterations happen, when sleeping rooms are added, and when windows are replaced. Ask the installer and the city what your specific project triggers. The bedroom egress compliance page covers the bedroom question in more detail.

How do I check an installer?

North Dakota requires a contractor license from the Secretary of State for any job over $4,000, and the FirstStop search shows whether a license is current. Ask for a written quote with the window's net clear opening, the well's dimensions and depth, the ladder, how the wall will be supported, who applies for the permit, and what the warranty covers.

Areas we cover

• Minot
• Burlington
• Surrey

Planning ahead? Read our Minot egress window guide.