Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Maple Grove, Minnesota

Maple Grove’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Structures in mobile home courts inside Maple Grove city; general permit rule not reviewed

  • Article is enforced in addition to the building code

  “all structures, other than the mobile home, shall require a building permit.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Maple Grove city limits (Chapter 36 Zoning, official zoning map)

  “the following minimum requirements shall be observed in an r-a district, subject to additional requirements, exceptions, and modifications set forth in this chapter”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district inside Maple Grove city

  • 20 acres where public sewer is not available
  • Subject to additional requirements, exceptions and modifications in Chapter 36

  minimum lot area: >= 20000 square feet (20 acres where public sewer is not available) · minimum interior lot width: >= 100 feet

  “(1) lot area: 20,000 square feet (20 acres where public sewer is not available). (2) lot width. a. interior lots: 100 feet.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-A single-family agricultural district inside Maple Grove city

    “(1) lot area: 20 acres. (2) lot width. a. interior lots: 500 feet.”

  • Specified — R-2 single-family residential district inside Maple Grove city

    “a. minimum: 10,000 square feet (20 acres where public sewer is not available). b. average: 11,000 square feet (applies to all lots within each preliminary plat filed with the city after october 28, 1987). (2) lot width. a. minimum: 80 feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district inside Maple Grove city

  • Rear yard may be as little as 20 ft next to wetland, floodplain or open space if no principal structure is nearer than 60 ft to the adjacent buildable area

  front yard: >= 35 feet · rear yard: >= 30 feet (20 ft in listed cases) · interior side yard, one side: >= 5 feet (30 ft combined both sides)

  “a. front yards: not less than 35 feet. b. side yards. 1. interior lots: not less than five feet on any one side, and not less than 30 feet combined total for both side yards.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-A single-family agricultural district inside Maple Grove city

    “a. front yards: not less than 50 feet. b. side yards. 1. interior lots: not less than five feet on any one side, and not less than 30 feet combined total for both side yards.”

  • Specified — R-2 single-family residential district inside Maple Grove city

    “a. front yards: not less than 25 feet. b. side yards. 1. interior lots: not less than five feet on any one side, and not less than 15 feet combined total for both side yards.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Non-farm accessory buildings in the R-A district on parcels over three acres inside Maple Grove city

  • Principal-building height limits not reviewed
  • Farm buildings in R-A have no height restriction but must meet R-A setbacks

  maximum accessory building height: <= 25 feet

  “Accessory buildings in the R-A district for non-farm uses on parcels over three acres in size shall not exceed 25 feet in height.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile/manufactured homes inside Maple Grove city

  • Must conform to state law incl. Minn. Stats. ch. 327, be sanitary and structurally sound
  • All mobile homes must be owner-occupied and inhabited by only one family
  • Unoccupied mobile homes must be removed from the court within 90 days
  • Mobile home courts must have at least 150 lots (Sec. 8-205)

  “all mobile homes in the city shall be owner-occupied and no mobile home may be inhabited by more than one family”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  R-A district inside Maple Grove city: living quarters of employees as accessory use

  • Must be licensed under chapter 10 article XII
  • Building must have existed or had a permit on or before July 13, 1988
  • Must comply with chapter 8 article II and the definition of a household

  “living quarters of persons employed on the premises, so long as the following conditions are met: a. the living quarters must be licensed pursuant to chapter 10, article xii.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  R-3 district (and R-4 requires public sewer) inside Maple Grove city

  • R-3: no development where public sewer and water is not available
  • R-4: development not allowed without public sewer
  • Other districts not reviewed

  “No development is allowed in this district where public sewer and water is not available.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Farm buildings in the R-A district inside Maple Grove city (zoning size/height/location limits, not building permits)

  • Property must qualify as a farm under chapter definitions
  • R-A setbacks still apply
  • Garages and non-farm buildings remain restricted

  “all farming and agricultural related buildings and structures shall be permitted in the R-A zoning district with no restrictions as to size, height or location”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land subdivision inside Maple Grove city

  • Manufactured home parks and RV parks or campgrounds are considered subdivisions under the floodplain division

  “No land may be subdivided which is unsuitable for reasons of flooding or inadequate drainage, water supply or sewage treatment facilities.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Floodway, flood fringe and general floodplain overlay districts inside Maple Grove city

  • Overlay districts superimposed on all zoning districts; more restrictive standard applies
  • Building-site standards apply to floodprone areas anywhere in the city

  “all new construction and substantial improvements (including the placement of manufactured homes) must be:”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Maple Grove or Hennepin County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Maple Grove city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Maple Grove city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Maple Grove city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Maple Grove city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Maple Grove city

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.