Apply for a Land Use Permit

A borrow pit is a land use involving the excavation or digging of material for use as fill at another site.

A permit is required whenever there is borrow material for sale. Ordinance 62 requires that certain standards must be followed.

There are two types of borrow pit permits:

1. General Purpose - requires public hearing and used for all types of extractive uses.
2. Public Works - used for single road improvement project not to exceed two years.

St. Louis County does not administer the Minnesota State Building Code, but does require land use permits for a wide range of activities.

The land use application is used for many types of construction, including but not limited to:

• Building, moving, or adding to structures
• Changing the height, pitch or projection of a structure
• Signs 
• Changing the type of building use (i.e. cabin converted to storage)
• Permit extension
• New or replacement foundations (a part of the structure that may be built at a later time, but the permit must be obtained prior to installation of the foundation)

Communication towers are allowed in all zone districts and on lots or leased parcels that are no smaller than 20,000 square feet. To find the standards for communication towers, see Ordinance 62.

Communication Tower Application
Conditional Use Permit (if required)

Land Use Standards
Accessory Dwelling
Water Oriented Accessory Structure
Additions
Land Alterations 
Shoreline Vegetation Alterations
Vegetative Screening
Construction on Nonconforming Lots of Record
Land Use District Chart
Zone District Dimensional Standards 
Shoreline Setbacks
Bluff Standards
Shore Impact Zone (SIZ)
Ordinary High Water Level (OHWL)
Short Term Rental

Land Use Districts
Closed Landfills and Dumpsites Overlay District 1,000 Ft
Closed Landfills and Dumpsites Overlay District 400 Ft
Commercial (COM)
Forest Agricultural Management (FAM)
Industrial (IND)
Lakeshore Commercial Overlay (LCO)
Limited Industrial (LI)
Multiple Use (MU)
Residential (RES)
Sensitive Areas (SENS)
Shoreland Multiple Use (SMU)

Filling, grading, or excavating on shoreland property requires a land alteration permit if the activity that you are planning exceeds certain limits. To find the standards for land alterations, see Ordinance 62 or Land Alteration Standards below. 

Land Alteration Application
Land Alteration Standards

External Links
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Soil & Water Conservation District North
Soil & Water Conservation District South

St. Louis County requires land use permits for most types of businesses. 

• Conditional Use: Typically a business on a property where the owner does not reside and/or has employees and customer traffic. The business needs additional controls or restrictions to assure that it is in harmony with the neighborhood. Examples may be mini storage or dog kennels. 
• Home Business: A business conducted on the property in which the owner’s home is located. It is consistent with the rural residential lifestyle and is compatible with the neighborhood. Examples may be a greenhouse or gift a shop. 

In some cases, rezoning a parcel may be necessary as the current zoning may be incompatible with the current activities in the area.  

Rezoning requests can be initiated by any of the following:  

1. St. Louis County Board
2. St. Louis County Planning Commission
3. Organized Township
4. Property Owner of Record

If you are unsure as to who administers the zoning for your property, consult the Administration of Zoning link on the right side of this page. 

Rezoning Application

Related Topics
Dates and Deadlines
Land Use Videos

For additional information regarding short term rentals, see our short term rental page linked HERE

Subdivision Applications- Planning

Parcel Review
Lot Line Adjustment
Performance Standard Subdivision Application 
Minor Subdivision-Preliminary Application 
Conventional Subdivision-Concept Application
Conventional Subdivision-Preliminary Application 

County Surveyor- Public Works

The County Surveyor's office reviews and approves final plats submitted as 505 Subdivision plats - 508 (RLS) Registered Land Surveys – 515 (CIC) Common interest communities together with the Auditor’s and Recorder’s offices prior to recording in accordance with applicable statutes, ordinances and regulations.  For final plat review requirements, go to the County Surveyor's plat review page.

Roads- Public Works
Road Design Standards for Plats and Subdivision 

Related Topics
Creating or Splitting Parcels
 

A variance may be necessary when a landowner has plans for the property that does not comply with the county ordinance Subdivision Ordinance 60, SSTS (Septic) Ordinance 61, and Zoning Ordinance 62. It is advisable that a landowner discuss a variance request with staff prior to submitting an application.

Variance
Variance After-the-Fact

Related Topics
Board of Adjustment Criteria
Dates and Deadlines
Land Use Videos

How to Calculate Slope
How to Prepare a Site Plan
Determining the OHWL 
Building a Rain Garden 
Introduction to Storm Water Management 
Wetland Identification 
Introduction to Temporary Erosion Control 
About the Shore Impact Zone
How to Identify a Bluff
Wetland Sequencing

For information regarding wetlands, see our wetland page linked HERE

Common Contacts List

Electrical Inspectors
Electrical Permits- Homeowner
Electrical Permits- Contractor 
MN Building Code
Gopher State One Call
Well Handbook
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Maps