Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Stewart, Minnesota

Stewart’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Placement of a manufactured home inside Stewart city.

  • Any other required permits must also be obtained.
  • The manufactured home must comply with zoning regulations for its district and Minnesota statutes regulating manufactured homes.

  “A building permit and any other required permits shall be obtained for manufactured homes.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings governed by Stewart's adopted Minnesota State Building Code inside Stewart city.

  • Optional State Building Code chapters are excluded unless specifically adopted in § 150.01(B).
  • Application, administration, and enforcement are under Minn. Rules Chapter 1300.
  • The code is enforced by a state-certified building official designated by the city.

  “The Minnesota State Building Code [...] is hereby adopted by reference with the exception of the optional chapters, unless specifically adopted in this division (B).”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Stewart city limits.

  • Uses and structures must conform to the regulations for the district in which they are located.

  “No structure or land shall hereafter be used or occupied [...] except in conformity with the regulations specified in the Zoning Ordinance for the district in which it is located.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts established by Stewart's city code.

  • The official zoning map controls if it conflicts with another map, ordinance, or source.
  • The code states that this provision does not require the city to zone all property within city limits.

  zoning districts: R-1; R-2; C-1; C-2; I; Rural Residential and Agricultural

  “R-1 Single-family Residential District; [...] R-2 Multi-Family Residential District; [...] C-1 Central Business District; [...] C-2 Central Business District; [...] I Industrial; and [...] Rural Residential and Agricultural District.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  RV motor homes in an RV motor home/tiny house campground inside Stewart city.

  • The campground is allowed only by conditional use permit in the R-1 and R-2 districts.
  • Sites must have city water, sewer, and electric; units must connect to those services.
  • An RV motor home may stay seasonally from May 1 through October 31.

  RV motor home seasonal stay: May 1 through October 31 (Applies in an RV motor home/tiny house campground.)

  “an RV Motor Home is allowed to stay in a campground on a seasonal basis from May 1 through October 31.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping in an RV motor home/tiny house campground inside Stewart city.

  • The campground requires a conditional use permit in R-1 or R-2.
  • A screened tent may be erected only for insect protection and only if its sides are screened.
  • Overnight sleeping outside an RV motor home or tiny house is prohibited.

  “One screened tent for insect protection maybe erected so long as the sides are screened [...] Overnight sleeping outside of the RV motor home/tiny house is prohibited”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Tiny homes in an RV motor home/tiny house campground inside Stewart city.

  • The campground is allowed only by conditional use permit in R-1 or R-2.
  • All sites must be served by city water, sewer, and electric and all units must be connected.
  • Tiny homes may stay year-round only in the campground.

  “A Tiny Home is allowed to stay in a campground year round”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Manufactured homes placed in residential districts inside Stewart city.

  • Connection is required only if city utilities are available.
  • The home must also comply with district zoning and permit requirements.

  “Connection to city utilities, if available, shall be required.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision plats and metes-and-bounds subdivisions inside Stewart city.

  • Chapter 152 includes exemptions, platting procedures, plat-design standards, required improvements, metes-and-bounds standards, administration, and fees.

  “no real property within the jurisdiction of this section shall be subdivided and offered for sale or a plat recorded until [...] a final plat has been reviewed and approved”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Work governed by Stewart's adopted building code.

  • Fees follow the municipality's Resolution 03-03 schedule.
  • A surcharge is collected on all permits for code-governed work under § 326B.148.

  “Permit fees shall be assessed for work governed by the code in accordance with the fee schedule adopted by the municipality in Res. 03-03.”

• Permit processPartial

  Conditional land uses in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Stewart city.

  • A conditional use permit must conform to the chapter's standards.
  • The City Council must determine that all applicable standards are met before granting the permit.

  “No conditional use permit shall be granted unless the City Council determines that all of the following standards will be met:”

Rules another office applies inside Stewart

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Stewart city.

  • Subject to additional requirements, exceptions, and modifications in the zoning chapter.

  minimum lot area: >= 10000 square feet (R-1 District; stated as 100 x 100.) · minimum lot width: >= 75 feet (R-1 District.)

  “Lot area. 10,000 square feet (100 x 100). (2) Lot width. 75 feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Structures in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Stewart city.

  • Water towers, chimneys, flag poles, antennas, wind energy conversion systems, church spires, church belfries, church domes without habitable space, and support towers permitted by § 150.04 are exempt.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (No structure may exceed two stories or 35 feet, whichever is less.)

  “No structure shall exceed two stories or 35 feet, whichever is less.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Lots in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Stewart city.

  • The lot must front on and have ingress and egress by a public right-of-way.

  “All lots shall front on and have ingress and egress by means of a public right-of-way.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Stewart or McLeod County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Stewart city.
• Inspections — Construction inside Stewart city.
• Certificate of occupancy — Buildings inside Stewart city.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings in Stewart zoning districts.
• Lot coverage — Residential lots inside Stewart 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.