Bismarck’s 2026 hazard-mitigation plan wins federal and state approval

Bismarck’s 2026 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan has received federal and state approval, keeping the city eligible to pursue federal hazard-mitigation grant dollars during the plan’s five-year effective period.

The City of Bismarck announced July 2, 2026, that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services’ Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division had approved the plan. It is effective from May 28, 2026, through May 27, 2031.

A framework for reducing risk

Bismarck Emergency Management coordinated the plan’s development during 2025 and early 2026. The planning effort included public and private partners, according to the city’s announcement.

The plan addresses potential natural and human-caused hazards facing the Bismarck community. It identifies mitigation strategies and action items intended to provide a framework for reducing risks from those hazards over the plan cycle.

The approval establishes that framework for the city through May 2031. It does not mean that every strategy or action item identified in the document has been funded, started or completed.

What approval changes

The immediate result is that Bismarck remains eligible to pursue federal mitigation grants. The approval itself is not a grant award, and the city did not announce that it had received a specific federal grant tied to the plan.

Whether individual mitigation actions move forward will depend on later decisions and funding. The city’s announcement does not identify specific projects, funding amounts or rankings of the hazards covered by the plan.

That distinction is important for understanding the announcement: the plan is an approved planning document, not a completed list of projects. It identifies strategies and actions the city and its partners can consider within the five-year planning period.

Plan remains open for public input

The city said the plan and an opportunity for public input will remain available throughout the plan’s lifecycle. The plan’s current effective period ends May 27, 2031.

For now, the next known step is continued work under the approved plan while Bismarck retains the ability to seek federal mitigation funding. The announcement does not specify future grant applications, project schedules or funding decisions.