I'm in agreement with previous comments. I'm in northeastern Minnesota, so pretty much straight across from Fargo. We've been digging 5' 8" to 6' to bottom of footing, depending on concrete guy (8" or 12" is their preference). 5' walls in the ground is typical. Waterlines up here are 6', typically, when in a yard, 9' under driveways.
If bottom is wet, a couple of the concrete guys want 1-1/2" drain rock to walk on, and set their forms on. Helps minimize disturbing original soil (mud).
Some of the concrete guys swear by tile through the footings, while some absolutely don't want to create a potential conduit for water to get inside the perimeter.
What digger242j said, sewer line is a critical benchmark. On city sewer, it is what it is. I'm rural, and a septic system installer, and we keep those fairly close to the surface (tank with 2' - 3' cover, pipe invert 3' - 4' below grade, respectively).
The concrete guy is who you have to make happy (which I've found to be challenging, no matter what
). It seems that a crawl space, or half-basement excavation is okay with 2' of working room, while a full basement demands the 3' of space outside of wall.
If you like the concrete guys, digging a ramp, or stepping down an access for them is usually appreciated.
What old-iron-habit said - know who's doing the bracing! I'd add that you want to exercise patience, as well (allow curing time). A concrete guy that I work with, that I listen to the most, wants at least a week, in mid-summer, before he wants me doing any backfilling.