Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Beseman Township, Minnesota

Beseman Township’s own rules

• Local zoningAbsent (with conditions)

  Land inside Beseman township: the county, not the township, is the zoning authority (county ordinance #27 applies)

  • Inferred from the county's exception list, which names only Thomson as a township with its own zoning; Beseman is not listed
  • No township-specific statement of non-adoption was found
  • Zoning district set by Carlton County Zoning Ordinance #27 determines lot size, setbacks and use

  “carlton county zoning and environmental services is the zoning authority for all areas of carlton county except the following cities: barnum, carlton, cloquet, cromwell, kettle river, moose lake, wrenshall, wright and one township, thomson.”

Rules another office applies inside Beseman Township

Beseman Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building permitLimited

  Structures on land inside Beseman township (unincorporated Carlton County, under county zoning): a county zoning permit is required; the state building code is not enforced by the county office in rural areas

  • This is a zoning permit, not a building-code permit
  • Not required for replacing doors, windows, re-siding or re-roofing
  • Separate septic permit, driveway permit (township for township roads) and e-911 address apply

  “zoning permits are required for building or moving any structure, no matter the size, including dwellings, additions, decks, privacy fences, garages, storage containers, outhouses, signs, recreational vehicles (under some circumstances) and sheds.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic systems inside Beseman township (unincorporated Carlton County, under county zoning)

  • Designer must hold a current MN Pollution Control Agency license
  • Certificate of compliance needed within 1,000 ft of a classified lake or 300 ft of a classified river or stream, or for adding bedrooms

  “a subsurface sewage treatment system permit is a separate application obtained from the zoning and environmental services office by you or a licensed designer.”

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.