North Dakota is not a state where OSHA ladder citations pile up by the dozen. Over the past 12 months, the state recorded exactly one ladder violation under standard 1926.1053, issued against a roofing contractor working in Bismarck. But that single citation carried a penalty of $21,281, and it was not classified as a routine first-time miss. It was marked as a Repeat violation, which is the classification OSHA reserves for employers who have been cited for the same or a substantially similar hazard before. That distinction matters, and it is why one citation in a low-volume state deserves just as much attention as a hundred would somewhere else.
If you are staring down a ladder citation in North Dakota right now, the low statewide count does not work in your favor the way you might hope. A Repeat classification signals that OSHA already had this employer on its radar, and the agency does not treat that lightly.
Before you respond to anything in writing, talk to a North Dakota OSHA defense attorney. The clock on your right to push back starts the day you receive the citation, not the day you decide to deal with it.
What the Ladder Standard Actually Requires on the Job
The citation in Bismarck was issued under 1926.1053, the OSHA rule that governs ladder use in construction generally. This is not a narrow technical footnote. It covers how a ladder must be set up and secured, how far it needs to extend beyond a landing point so workers have something stable to grab as they step off, how much weight it can safely bear, and the requirement that damaged or compromised ladders get pulled from service rather than patched together and reused. It also addresses the basics of proper use in the field, things like not standing on the top rung or using a ladder for a task it was never built to handle.
The specific subsection cited in this case, 19261053 B01, points to a setup or use failure rather than a paperwork issue. You can read the full breakdown of the standard and how enforcement typically works on the 1926.1053 standard hub, which is worth reviewing before you draft any response to OSHA.
Why This Was a Roofing Job, and Why That Is Not a Coincidence
The only citation in North Dakota’s ladder violation data this period went to a roofing contractor, and that fits a pattern seen nationally. Roofing work depends on ladders more than almost any other trade in construction. Crews are constantly moving ladders between setup points, extending them past roof edges, and loading them with tools and materials while climbing. Every one of those steps is a place where the requirements in 1926.1053 can get skipped under time pressure, and OSHA compliance officers know it. That is part of why roofing contractors show up disproportionately in ladder enforcement data across the country, and North Dakota’s single citation this period lines up with that trend exactly.
If you run a roofing crew anywhere in the state, this citation is a useful signal even if it did not happen to your company. OSHA is watching ladder setup and extension on roofing sites specifically, and a Repeat finding means at least one contractor in Bismarck had already been through this once before.
What a Citation Like This Actually Costs
The numbers here are small in count but not small in weight. With only one citation on record, the average and median penalty in North Dakota are both $21,281, which is exactly what Lolandiz Construction, LLC of Bismarck was assessed on December 12, 2025. There is no dataset of dozens of citations to average out here; this figure is the number.
What stands out is that the average penalty reduction between the initial citation and the final resolved amount was 0 percent in this dataset. In many states, penalties get negotiated down through informal conferences or settlement discussions before a case closes. That did not happen here, at least not in the record available. Whether that reflects the specific facts of this case or simply the small sample size, it is a reminder that reductions are not automatic. They generally happen because someone with legal and regulatory experience pushed for them. For more context on how penalty amounts are calculated and where negotiation room typically exists, see this breakdown of OSHA ladder violations penalty amounts.
A $21,281 Repeat citation is not the kind of number a business owner should absorb without a second opinion. Before you decide whether to pay, contest, or negotiate, it is worth a conversation with a North Dakota OSHA defense attorney who has actually handled Repeat classification disputes.
The 15-Day Window You Cannot Afford to Miss
Once a citation is issued, employers in North Dakota, like everywhere else, get exactly 15 working days to file a Notice of Contest. That is not 15 calendar days, and it is not a soft deadline. Miss it, and the citation and the proposed penalty become final, with no further legal room to argue the facts, the classification, or the amount. Given that this citation was already marked Repeat, and that the record shows no penalty reduction happened along the way, this is not a situation to sit on.
If you believe the Repeat classification was applied incorrectly, if the ladder setup at the time did not actually violate 1926.1053 as written, or if the penalty simply seems disconnected from the facts of the jobsite that day, contesting is a real option, but only within that window. The process for doing it correctly, including what evidence and documentation actually move the needle, is laid out in this guide on how to contest an OSHA citation.
Fifteen working days moves faster than most business owners expect, especially once you factor in gathering jobsite records, photos, and witness statements. If you have a citation in hand, or think one is coming, reach out to a North Dakota OSHA defense attorney now rather than after the deadline has quietly passed.
Whether you run the crew that was cited in Bismarck or you manage a roofing operation elsewhere in the state watching this play out, the smartest move is the same: get your documentation together, note the date the citation was received, and get a qualified attorney reviewing the specifics before you sign anything or let the clock run out.