Zoning, building permits and septic rules in West St. Paul, Minnesota

West St. Paul’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building construction inside West St. Paul city limits, enforced by the city under the Minnesota State Building Code

  • The city page lists the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code (single and two-family dwellings, townhouses and accessory structures), the 2020 Minnesota State Building Code, the National Electrical Code, the 2020 Mechanical and Fuel Gas Code, the 2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code, the 2020 Minnesota Energy Code, the 2020 Minnesota Accessibility Code and the 2020 Minnesota Fire Code as adopted state codes.
  • Elevators, boilers and food-service rules are enforced by other agencies, not the city.

  adopted state building code edition: 2020

  “the city of west st. paul enforces the minnesota state building code, providing minimum standards to safeguard life, property, and the well-being of the public.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside West St. Paul city limits, administered by the city under its own Chapter 153 Zoning Code

  • The code table of contents lists Chapter 153 Zoning Code with general provisions, administration and enforcement, and one-family, two-family, townhouse, multiple-family, business, industrial, planned development and overlay districts.

  “chapter 153: zoning code general provisions administration and enforcement r-1a one-family residential district”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside West St. Paul city limits

  • Listed in the code table of contents: R-1A, R-1B and R-1C one-family residential; R-2 two-family; R-3 townhouse 3-8 unit; R-4 multiple-family 3-16 unit; B-1 through B-6 business; I-1 and I-2 industrial; C conservancy; PD, PRD and PMD planned districts; Smith/Dodd overlay.

  “r-3 townhouse, 3-8 unit residential district”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-3 townhouse, 3-8 unit residential district in West St. Paul city only (section 153.113). It does not state the R-1A, R-1B, R-1C or R-2 single-family yards.

  • Subject to additional requirements, exceptions and modifications elsewhere in Chapter 153.
  • Side yard adjoining an R-1 district must conform to the established setback or 30 feet, whichever is greater.
  • Rear yard is 30 feet or 20% of average lot depth, whichever is greater.

  front yard building setback: 30 feet · side yard building setback adjacent to another lot: 10 feet (20 feet adjacent to street; established setback or 30 feet where abutting an R-1 district, whichever is greater) · rear yard building setback: >= 30 feet (or 20% of average lot depth, whichever is greater)

  “(3) yard, building setback: (a) front: 30 feet; (b) side: ten feet adjacent to another lot, 20 feet adjacent to street, except where the lot in question abuts any r-1 district where the side yard setback shall conform to the established setback or 30 feet, whichever is greater; and (c) rear: 30 feet or 20% of average lot depth, whichever is greater.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-3 townhouse, 3-8 unit residential district in West St. Paul city only (section 153.113). Not the single-family districts.

  • Buildings over 35 feet must have front, side and rear yards of at least one-half the building height.

  height above which larger yards are required: > 35 feet (yards of not less than one-half of building height)

  “(a) no limit shall be placed on height of buildings in this r-3 zone, except that buildings over 35 feet shall have front, side and rear yards not less than one-half of the height of the building.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside West St. Paul city limits

  • The code table of contents lists Chapter 155: Subdivision Regulations. The approval steps in that chapter were not opened.

  “chapter 154: stormwater management chapter 155: subdivision regulations”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask West St. Paul or Dakota County directly.

• Building permit — New construction inside West St. Paul city limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built homes inside West St. Paul city limits
• Inspections — Inspections of new construction inside West St. Paul city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new dwellings inside West St. Paul city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside West St. Paul 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in West St. Paul means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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