Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Pine River, Minnesota

Pine River’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  All new structures, expansions to existing structures, plumbing, sewage-treatment-system work, and nonexempt shoreland grading and filling inside Pine River city limits.

  • Permit must be issued before construction commences.
  • A person must apply for and receive a zoning permit before assembling, installing, removing, or constructing a structure.
  • For uses requiring Board of Adjustment, Planning Commission, Council action, financial security, conditional-use permit, variance, zoning change, final plat approval, or metes-and-bounds approval, that action or security must occur before the zoning or building permit is issued.

  “No person shall assemble, install, remove, or construct any structure prior to applying for and receiving a zoning permit.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Structures and appurtenances inside Pine River city limits.

  “All structures and appurtenances shall be constructed in accordance with the Minnesota Building Code.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Pine River city limits.

  • Zoning districts are shown on the official zoning district map and may be amended under Section 10.4.

  “The City of Pine River is hereby divided into zoning districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Pine River city limits.

  • District boundaries are shown on the official zoning district map and may be amended under Section 10.4.

  zoning districts: Open (O); Residential-Shoreline (R-1); Residential-Urban (R-2); Commercial Waterfront (CW); Commercial (C-1); Industrial (I-1); Public Ownership (P)

  “Open (Same as Special Protection District) O Residential - Shoreline R-1 Residential - Urban R-2 Commercial Waterfront CW Commercial C-1 Industrial I-1 Public Ownership P”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-site sewage-treatment-system work inside Pine River city limits.

  • The municipal zoning or building permit applies to repair or construction of a sewage treatment system.
  • Other required agency permits remain the property owner's responsibility.

  “A drawing, to scale, showing the treatment system and nearby buildings, property lines and wells shall be provided to the City with each installation.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Repair or construction of a sewage-treatment system inside Pine River city limits.

  • Permit must be issued before construction commences.
  • The owner is responsible for securing necessary concurrent permits from other agencies.

  “repair or construction of a sewage treatment system”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Individual sewage-treatment systems inside Pine River city limits.

  • Sewage treatment systems must conform to MPCA Individual Sewage Treatment Systems Standards, Chapter 7080.
  • Systems must be constructed by state-certified on-site-treatment-system installers.
  • A nonconforming system must connect to community sewer when community sewer becomes available to the property.
  • Where a nonconforming system cannot be upgraded on-site or combined into a private cluster system, the owner must use a holding tank.

  septic tank or pressure sewer distance from well: >= 50 feet

  “Sewage treatment systems shall conform to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Standards, “Individual Sewage Treatment Systems Standards - Chapter 7080".”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Proposed plats and metes-and-bounds property divisions inside Pine River city limits.

  • The Planning Commission reviews and accepts proposed plats or floor plans, recommends final plats and final floor plans to City Council, and reviews and approves metes-and-bounds property divisions.

  “To review and approve all metes and bounds property divisions within the City.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning or building-permit applications inside Pine River city limits.

  • Required Board of Adjustment, Planning Commission, Council, financial-security, conditional-use, variance, zoning-change, final-plat, or metes-and-bounds actions must occur before permit issuance.

  “said action shall occur and the conditional use permit, variance, zoning district change, final plat plan approval, approval of metes and bounds division shall be issued or security posted before the zoning or building permit is issued.”

Rules another office applies inside Pine River

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

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in Pine River Residential-Shoreline (R-1) District.

  • The dwelling must be on a foundation.

  minimum dwelling width: >= 20 feet (Single-family dwelling in R-1)

  “Dwellings, single family, twenty (20) feet or wider on a foundation”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Pine River Residential-Shoreline (R-1) District at a General Development lake.

  • The waterfront setback is excepted as provided in Section 5.3(3) Conditional Uses.
  • The public-sewer and no-public-sewer columns have the same listed setback amounts.

  road setback: >= 30 feet (R-1) · waterfront setback with public sewer: >= 50 feet (Except as provided in Section 5.3(3)) · waterfront setback without public sewer: >= 75 feet (Except as provided in Section 5.3(3)) · side setback: >= 10 feet (R-1) · corner-side setback: >= 20 feet (R-1)

  “Setback, road (feet) 30 30 Setback, waterfront (feet) (Except as provided in 5.3(3) Conditional Uses) 50 75 Setback, top of bluff 30 30 Setback, side (feet) 10 10 Setback, side accessory structure (feet) 10 10 Setback, corner side (feet) 20 20”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Pine River Residential-Urban (R-2) District.

    “Lot area (square feet) 12,000 20,000 Setback, road (feet) 30 30 Setback, side (feet) 10 10 Setback, cornerside (feet) 15 20 Setback, rear yard (feet) 15 15 Setback, rear yard, garage (feet) 8 8 Setback, side yard garage (feet) 8 8”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Pine River Residential-Urban (R-2) District.

  • The maximum differs based on whether public sewer is available.

  maximum impervious coverage with public sewer: <= 30 percent (R-2) · maximum impervious coverage without public sewer: <= 25 percent (R-2)

  “Maximum impervious coverage (percentage) 30% 25%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Pine River Residential-Shoreline (R-1) District at a General Development lake.

    “Patio setback, waterfront (feet, minimum) 50 50 Maximum impervious coverage 25% 25% Parking/driveway setback from property line (feet, minimum) 5 5 Maximum building height (feet) 25 25”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Pine River Residential-Shoreline (R-1) District at a General Development lake.

  • The listed public-sewer and no-public-sewer columns have the same maximum height.

  maximum building height: <= 25 feet (R-1)

  “Patio setback, waterfront (feet, minimum) 50 50 Maximum impervious coverage 25% 25% Parking/driveway setback from property line (feet, minimum) 5 5 Maximum building height (feet) 25 25 Building above highest known groundwater, lake level or flood of record (feet) 3 3”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Pine River Residential-Urban (R-2) District.

    “Maximum impervious coverage (percentage) 30% 25% Setback, sign, road (feet) 1 1 Setback, unplatted cemetery (feet) 50 50 Parking/Driveway - setback from property line (feet) 1 1 Maximum building height (feet) 25 25 Building above highest known groundwater or flood of record (feet) 3 3”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Buildings inside Pine River city limits subject to Minnesota Rules 4714.0311.

  • Sewer connection applies if public sewer is available in a street or alley to the building or premises and connection is feasible.
  • Water connection applies if a public water supply is accessible, unless otherwise permitted by the Authority Having Jurisdiction.
  • A local ordinance or the code may otherwise prohibit discharge into public sewer.

  “If a public water supply is accessible, the water distribution system shall be connected to it unless otherwise permitted by the Authority Having Jurisdiction.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Pine River or Cass County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside Pine River city limits.
• Inspections — Building work inside Pine River city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Residential construction or occupancy inside Pine River city limits.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Pine River city limits.
• Manufactured homes — Individual manufactured-home occupancy inside Pine River city limits.

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.