Kraus-Anderson Completes $63.7M Bismarck Lab
The three-story, 104,230-square-foot state laboratory on the Capitol grounds is built for two state departments.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Life Sciences
Kraus-Anderson has completed a $63.7 million laboratory facility in Bismarck, North Dakota, located on the State Capitol grounds next to the State Museum. The building is designed to serve the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Environmental Quality.
Why it matters
The facility consolidates laboratory work for state agencies and adds capacity for future testing, including toxicology for non-fatal overdoses, hematology, and chemistry tests for North Dakota correctional facilities. Shared resources among departments are intended to support the state's testing needs in one location.
The $63.7 million, 104,230-square-foot, three-story facility was built starting April 2024 and completed November 4, 2026. The extraction does not specify when the expanded tests, such as overdose toxicology and correctional-facility chemistry, will begin.
The players
Kraus-Anderson
Kraus-Anderson is a Minneapolis-based construction and development firm that served as the builder of the Bismarck laboratory facility.
Zerr Berg Architects
Zerr Berg Architects is the architecture firm that designed the three-story Bismarck laboratory facility.
North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services
The Department of Health and Human Services is the North Dakota state agency that will use the new laboratory facility for its testing work.
North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality
The Department of Environmental Quality is the North Dakota state agency that will share the new laboratory facility with the Department of Health and Human Services.
The details
Zerr Berg Architects designed the building, and Kraus-Anderson served as the builder. Separate state departments will share resources within the facility, which is adjacent to the State Museum on the State Capitol grounds.
Timeline
April 2024: Construction of the laboratory facility began.
November 4, 2026: Kraus-Anderson completed the laboratory facility.
Life Sciences Infrastructure
State-run laboratories that centralize health and environmental testing for multiple agencies are a recognized model for sharing equipment and staff across departments. The Bismarck facility follows that approach by housing the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Environmental Quality in one building on the Capitol grounds.
The facility is intended to let state health and environmental staff run more testing in one shared building. Residents will see its results indirectly through public health and environmental monitoring as the new testing categories come online.
The takeaway
Shared state laboratory space can cut duplication across agencies, and the expanded test menu planned for the building could affect how quickly North Dakota identifies health and safety problems. Watch for announcements on when the new test categories begin.
Further reading
For related coverage, explore more Life Sciences reporting on Bismarck's research and public health infrastructure.
