Bolthole Index

Olmsted County, Minnesota

Building permits, zoning and septic in Farmington Township, Minnesota

Farmington Township, Minnesota administers its own zoning and local permits in Olmsted County.1 Minnesota requires building permits for work regulated by the State Building Code, but we could not confirm Farmington Township’s building-code administrator; start with the township zoning administrator.23 Olmsted County’s septic standards apply inside Farmington Township, and the county handles well applications for properties without municipal water.45

At a glance

Building permits
Required for work regulated by the Minnesota Building Code; ask the township who administers the project23
Zoning
Farmington Township administers its own zoning1
Septic
Countywide standards apply; confirm the application office by site address46
Wells
County well applications cover properties without municipal water5
Owner-builder
Conditional contractor-license exemption for owners occupying the home or retaining it as a rental7
RVs and tiny homes
Occupancy rules unconfirmed; ask Farmington Township’s zoning administrator before planning a residential use3

Who to call

Zoning

Farmington Township Zoning Administrator

Township zoning administration and local permit inquiries; ask for the building-code administrator

507-421-3033

Septic permits

Olmsted County Planning Department — Jurisdiction Assistance

Helps identify the address-specific septic, building, inspection and planning contacts

507-328-7100

Well permits

Olmsted County Planning Department — Well Program

Well permit applications for properties not on municipal water

507-328-7100

[email protected]

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in Farmington Township, MN?

Minnesota’s building-permit rule requires an application to the building official before construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, demolition or occupancy changes regulated by the code in Farmington Township.2 The rule includes an exemption for qualifying one-story detached tool or storage sheds, playhouses and similar structures not exceeding 200 square feet, but an exemption does not authorize violations of other laws or ordinances.2

We could not confirm Farmington Township’s building-code administrator, inspection arrangements or certificate-of-occupancy requirements. Ask the township zoning administrator to identify the building official and required approvals for your proposed project.3

Who handles zoning and building permit inquiries in Farmington Township?

Farmington Township administers its own zoning administration and local permits; the county’s township directory identifies a township zoning administrator as the contact.3 Call that office at 507-421-3033 with the parcel address and proposed use.3 Ask for the current zoning application, fee schedule and the official responsible for building-code review and inspections.

Olmsted County Planning offers an address-based jurisdiction lookup covering building permits, inspections, planning, zoning, wells and septic; call 507-328-7100 for help using it.6 Use the address-specific result to confirm where each application belongs rather than sending the entire project to a single counter.6

Does Farmington Township have zoning, lot-size and setback rules?

Farmington Township has its own zoning ordinance and administers its own zoning; county zoning dimensions should not be treated as Farmington Township’s parcel standards.1 We could not confirm the township’s district map, minimum lot size, minimum dwelling size, setbacks, lot coverage or building-height schedule. Ask the Farmington Township zoning administrator for the parcel’s district and the ordinance provisions governing the proposed home, barn or accessory building.3

Request a site-specific answer before committing to a building footprint or splitting land. For land outside the township, consult the Olmsted County guide: zoning and permit administration vary across the county’s local jurisdictions.8

How do septic permits work inside Farmington Township?

Olmsted County’s subsurface sewage treatment system standards apply inside Farmington Township, and township SSTS ordinances must be consistent with and at least as restrictive as the county ordinance.4 A septic construction permit is required for a new or replacement system, tank replacement, soil-dispersal reconstruction and repairs that change the system’s function, capacity, location or design; minor repairs that leave those characteristics unchanged are excepted.9

Where a septic permit is required, obtain it before issuance of a building or land-use permit.9 A system cannot enter operation until a valid certificate of compliance is issued.10 Confirm the application office through Olmsted County Planning’s site-address lookup.6 Olmsted County has only 7.7% of soils rated not limited for conventional drain fields; this countywide rating calls for parcel evaluation, not a conclusion that septic is impossible.11

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Farmington Township?

We could not confirm Farmington Township’s rules for residential RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny homes, manufactured homes or accessory dwellings. Ask the township zoning administrator about the exact use, including whether an RV may be occupied while a permitted home is under construction.3 Request the applicable ordinance provision and any duration, sanitation or siting conditions before arranging a temporary residence.

A small accessory-structure building-permit exemption does not authorize a use that violates another ordinance.2 Separately, Farmington Township septic projects remain subject to the countywide SSTS standards and applicable construction-permit requirements.49 Ask the identified septic authority about the proposed sanitation system rather than assuming an RV or tiny home avoids wastewater approval.6

What steps should you take before building in Farmington Township?

  1. Ask the Farmington Township zoning administrator to confirm the parcel district, proposed residential use, dimensional rules and local application requirements.3
  2. Identify the building and septic contacts using Olmsted County’s address-based jurisdiction lookup.6
  3. Resolve septic design and obtain the required SSTS construction permit before the building or land-use permit can be issued.9
  4. Arrange water approval: Olmsted County requires permits for well construction, reconstruction and sealing, with specified casing-modification exceptions.12
  5. Obtain applicable building approval before regulated construction and arrange septic compliance inspection before operating the system.210

An owner who will occupy the home or retain it as a rental may qualify for Minnesota’s residential contractor-license exemption; construction for resale or speculation does not qualify.7 Keep that licensing question separate from the building-permit requirement.2

Watch-outs

  • Farmington Township’s septic application office needs address-specific confirmation: countywide standards apply, but local administration can differ.4136
  • County-highway access needs an approved access permit; ask Olmsted County about access approval before relying on a proposed driveway.14
  • We could not confirm Farmington Township’s floodplain and shoreland administration; ask the township zoning administrator to identify the applicable review for the parcel.3

Sources

  1. Cities and townships in Olmsted County (Farmington Township), quoted and re-checked
  2. Minnesota Rules Part 1300.0120 (Farmington Township), quoted and re-checked
  3. Farmington Township Zoning Administrator (olmstedcounty.gov)
  4. Olmsted County Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems Ordinance (Farmington Township), quoted and re-checked
  5. Olmsted County Planning Department — Well Program (olmstedcounty.gov)
  6. Olmsted County Planning Department — Jurisdiction Assistance (olmstedcounty.gov)
  7. revisor.mn.gov (Farmington Township), quoted and re-checked
  8. Building, Zoning, Well and Septic Jurisdiction, quoted and re-checked
  9. Olmsted County Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems Ordinance (Farmington Township), quoted and re-checked
  10. Olmsted County Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems Ordinance (Farmington Township), quoted and re-checked
  11. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  12. Olmsted County Water Well and Water Supply Ordinance (Farmington Township), quoted and re-checked
  13. Olmsted County Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
  14. Olmsted County Access Management Ordinance, quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Farmington Township

Farmington Township’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Farmington Township, Olmsted County, Minnesota.

    • Farmington Township administers its own zoning administration and permits.
    • The Olmsted County zoning ordinance identifies the Farmington Township Zoning Ordinance as another zoning ordinance that may apply to lands within the county.
    “Zoning administration and permits are administered by Farmington Township.”

Rules another office applies inside Farmington Township

Farmington 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 permitRequired

    Construction, alteration, repair, movement, demolition, or occupancy changes regulated by the Minnesota Building Code inside Farmington Township.

    • The permit rule has listed exceptions, including one-story detached accessory structures used as tool or storage sheds, playhouses, and similar uses not exceeding 200 square feet; fences not over seven feet; certain retaining walls, tanks, sidewalks, driveways, decks, finish work, pools, awnings, partitions, playground equipment, and specified electrical substations.
    • Permit exemptions do not authorize work that violates the code or other laws or ordinances.

    detached accessory structure exemption floor area: <= 200 square feet (one-story detached accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses, and similar uses)

    “An owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure [...] shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit.”
  • Owner-builder exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

    Owner-builders performing residential construction or improvement inside Farmington Township.

    • The owner must occupy or intend to occupy the residential real estate for residential purposes, or retain ownership for rental purposes after completion.
    • The exemption does not apply when the owner constructs or improves residential real estate for resale or speculation.
    • An owner is presumed to be building for speculation if more than one property is constructed or improved within any 24-month period, unless the properties are retained for rental purposes.

    speculation presumption: more than one property within any 24-month period (unless the properties will be retained by the owner for rental purposes)

    “The license requirement does not apply to: [...] (3) an owner of residential real estate who builds or improves residential real estate if the owner occupies or will occupy the residential real estate for residential purposes, or will retain ownership for rental purposes upon completion of the building or improvement. This exemption does not apply to an owner who constructs or improves residential real estate for purposes of resale or speculation.”
  • Who permits septicCounty

    Subsurface sewage treatment systems inside Farmington Township, which is within Olmsted County.

    • The ordinance applies in incorporated and unincorporated areas of Olmsted County.
    • A township ordinance addressing SSTS must be consistent with and at least as restrictive as the county ordinance.
    “This Ordinance shall apply in all areas of Olmsted County, whether incorporated or unincorporated. The ordinance provides the minimum standards and regulations applicable to subsurface sewage treatment systems.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    New, replacement, qualifying repair, tank replacement, or soil-dispersal reconstruction SSTS work inside Farmington Township.

    • A construction permit is not required for minor repairs or replacements that do not alter the original function, treatment capacity, location, design, layout, or function of the system.
    • A valid SSTS construction permit must be obtained before a building or land-use permit may be issued where an SSTS permit is required.
    “A SSTS construction permit is required for installation of a: 1. new SSTS, or 2. for replacement of an existing SSTS, or 3. for any repair or replacement of components that will alter the original function of the system, change the treatment capacity of the system, change the location of the system, or otherwise change the original system’s design, layout, or function, 4. tank replacement, 5. reconstruction of a soil dispersal area and/or a soils dispersal system.”
  • Septic inspectionRequired

    SSTS construction, replacement, specified existing-system changes, and qualifying transfers inside Farmington Township.

    • For new construction or replacement, on-site inspections are conducted in accordance with the ordinance and applicable Minnesota rules.
    • Existing-system compliance inspections are required for qualifying repairs, modifications, upgrades, expansions or changes of use, complaints, or when otherwise deemed appropriate.
    • No SSTS may be placed into operation until a valid certificate of compliance is issued.

    existing SSTS certificate validity: 3 years (unless the Department finds evidence of noncompliance) · new or replacement SSTS certificate validity: 5 years (unless the Department finds evidence of noncompliance)

    “Compliance inspections must be performed on new or replacement SSTS to determine compliance with Minnesota Rules, Chapters 7080 or 7081.”
  • Well permitRequired

    Construction, reconstruction, sealing, or qualifying maintenance of wells inside Farmington Township.

    • A permit is not required for casing modifications necessary to install pumps or pitless units or to extend casing above the ground surface.
    • A maintenance permit is required for a well that has not been properly sealed and is inoperable, unused, or disconnected from power, subject to the ordinance's sealing limitations.
    “No person shall construct or reconstruct a well or seal a well within Olmsted County without having first obtained a permit to do so from the Agent stating that the proposed activity conforms to the requirements of this ordinance, except that a permit shall not be required for modifications to the casing necessary to install pumps or pitless units, or to extend the casing above the ground surface.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Farmington Township or Olmsted County directly.

  • Building code adopted — Building-code administration inside Farmington Township.
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Farmington Township.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate-of-occupancy requirements for buildings inside Farmington Township.
  • Zoning districts — Published zoning districts and district map for Farmington Township.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Farmington Township.
18 more unanswered
  • Minimum lot size
  • Setbacks
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees
  • Permit process

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Farmington Township publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Olmsted County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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