New to Rural Burleigh County

Welcome to rural Burleigh County!

The following information is intended to answer questions you may have with road maintenance and living in the areas outside of city limits and in the country. First of all, not all the roads in rural Burleigh County are "county roads". Many feeder roads are "county roads", but nearly 60% of them, including all subdivision roads are township roads that have an organized body of government that oversees all of the townships affairs including roads. In Burleigh County we have 47 townships, only 8 of these are not organized. The unorganized townships are governed by the County Commission and County Highway Department. If in doubt, please call our department at 204-7748 to determine if a road is a county or township road.

Your township (if organized) has a board of supervisors that are elected by the residents of the township. They meet at various times during the year and as a township resident you are encouraged and welcome to attend the meetings to provide input or discuss various issues including roads, local taxes etc. Click here for a complete listing of all Burleigh County township supervisors

The local township board has the duty to maintain the road system within the township. They make decisions such as where and when to gravel, paving projects, road repairs, road projects, speed limits, section line improvements, etc. Most paving projects within subdivisions are done through a special assessment procedure and the cost is spread back over the benefited lots. This process is usually initiated by someone from within the subdivision and through a petition process need 60% of lot owners to agree on the project and assessment boundary.

The townships do not own any road equipment; they contract with the County Highway Department for most road work that is done. As part of the contract, the County routinely blades gravel roads, plows snow and sands intersections as needed, and mows the grass to 8 to 16 inches along roads in the fall. Any additional work that is needed is approved by and billed back to the townships.

Snow removal in rural Burleigh County is somewhat different than in the city. It can be nice in town and 2 miles out of town you can experience zero visibility. Be prepared! The County Highway Department has 47 townships to maintain, that includes approximately 500 subdivisions and close to 1500 miles of road that it plows within the County. Depending on the snow fall, it usually takes at least 3 days after a storm has subsided to cover all the roads. After major storms it can and has taken up to 5 to 7 days. Residents need to be patient and prepared for these situations. Residents that need to be in town for their work or medical reasons are encouraged to make arrangements to stay in town during extreme weather conditions.

Chances are that your road has a gravel surfacing. Just a warning, during the spring thaw and extended periods of wet weather they get soft, rutted, sloppy, muddy and at times are difficult to travel. During extended dry periods they get wash boarded and are very dusty. Conditions vary of course with traffic volumes and various types of gravel that are placed on roads.

As a rural resident you will want to drive on safe roads. Please report any unsafe conditions that you may encounter while traveling to your township or the County Highway Department. Report any downed or damaged road signs.

To report any road problems that need attention call your township or the Burleigh County Highway Dept. @ 204-7748. For emergency situations that need immediate attention after hours call the Burleigh County Sheriffs Dept. @ 222-6651, or dial 911.

We hope you will find the information on this page informative and useful... Thank You!