Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Stewartville, Minnesota

Stewartville’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  New, altered, or nonconforming use subject to the City floodplain zoning provisions.

  • A certificate of zoning compliance issued by the Zoning Administrator is required before occupation or use.

  “No building, land or structure may be occupied or used in any manner until a certificate of zoning compliance has been issued”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the incorporated area of Stewartville city.

  • The official zoning map determines district boundaries.

  “The incorporated area of the City, Minnesota, is hereby divided into the following districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  The incorporated area of Stewartville city.

  • District boundaries are shown on the Official Zoning Map.

  districts: R-1, R-2, R-3, B-1, B-2, M-1, M-2, P/SP, FW, FF, FP

  “R-1 Low Density Residential R-2 Medium Density Residential R-3 Multifamily, High Density Residential”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes in Stewartville's Ag, R-1, R-2, and R-3 residential districts.

  • Manufactured homes must meet the same listed foundation, setback, and minimum-square-footage standards as a site-built single-family dwelling on the same lot.
  • The City floodplain code separately prohibits new manufactured-home parks and expansions in any floodplain district.

  “Manufactured homes shall be located and installed according to the same standards”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Manufactured-home subdivisions inside Stewartville city.

  • A manufactured-home subdivision must have at least 15 lots, meet R-3 requirements, and have minimum lots of 5,000 square feet.

  minimum subdivision size: >= 15 lots (Manufactured-home subdivision.) · minimum lot size: >= 5000 square feet (Manufactured-home subdivision.)

  “A manufactured home subdivision shall contain not less than fifteen (15) lots.”

Rules another office applies inside Stewartville

Stewartville 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

  New construction, additions, and alterations inside Stewartville city limits.

  • The identified exceptions include the work listed by the County, such as qualifying retaining walls, fences, small accessory structures, certain low decks, private-property walkways and driveways, small above-ground pools, playground equipment, finish work, and small movable partitions.

  “Building permits are required for new construction, additions to existing construction, and alterations to existing construction.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings governed by the State Building Code, including those inside Stewartville city.

  • The State Building Code does not apply to agricultural buildings except for the statutory exceptions stated in Minn. Stat. § 326B.121, subd. 1(c).

  “The State Building Code is the standard that applies statewide”

• InspectionsRequired

  Building projects inside Stewartville city that are administered by the Olmsted County Inspections Division.

  • County administration includes field inspections for each building project.

  “carrying out field inspections for each building project.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Principal structures in Stewartville's Ag, R-1, R-2, and R-3 residential districts.

  • The principal structure must meet both the stated minimum floor area and main-body minimum dimension.

  minimum principal-structure floor area: >= 768 square feet · minimum main-body dimension: >= 20 feet

  “The principal structure shall have a floor area of not less than seven hundred sixty eight (768) square feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Properties in Stewartville's Shoreland Overlay District.

  • The stated 40-percent exceptions apply only to the specifically identified Dewey Avenue, Woolridges 2nd Addition, River Oaks Addition, Riverside Addition, and Block 3 Riverside Addition parcels/lots.

  maximum impervious surface lot coverage: <= 25 percent (Except identified properties subject to a 40 percent maximum.)

  “shall not exceed an impervious surface lot coverage of twenty-five percent (25%)”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles in Stewartville's mapped floodplain districts.

  • New RV parks or campground expansions are prohibited in floodplain districts.
  • Placement in existing floodplain RV parks or campgrounds must meet the listed requirements.
  • The stated exemption requires a current highway-use license, highway-ready condition, quick-disconnect utilities, and no permanent structural additions.

  “New recreational vehicle parks or campgrounds and expansions to existing recreational vehicle parks or campgrounds are prohibited in any floodplain district.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Subsurface sewage treatment systems in Stewartville city, a small city in Olmsted County.

  • The County page states that its septic-system ordinance administration covers all small cities within Olmsted County.

  “This Ordinance shall apply in all areas of Olmsted County, whether incorporated or unincorporated.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural buildings within the Olmsted County building-permit jurisdiction, which includes Stewartville city.

  • The building must be used strictly for agricultural purposes.
  • An agricultural use permit is required.
  • A later change of use requires final approval before the new use is granted.

  “Agricultural buildings built within Olmsted County’s jurisdiction are not required to obtain a building permit. An agricultural use permit is required. This holds true as long as the use of the building is used strictly for agricultural purposes only as specified in Minnesota State Statutes Section 326B.103, Subdivision 3:”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development requiring a permit in Stewartville's mapped floodplain districts.

  • Applications must be submitted to the Zoning Administrator on the Administrator's forms.
  • The application must include the applicable site plan, fill/storage information, required permits or approvals, and other relevant requested information.

  “A permit must be obtained from the Zoning Administrator”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permits administered for Stewartville city by Olmsted County.

  • The County directs users to its Fee Finder for the most up-to-date fee information.
  • State surcharges also apply to listed permits.

  residential and commercial building state surcharge: 0.05 percent of valuation (In addition to listed permit fees.)

  “Residential and Commercial building - 0.05% of valuation”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications for construction inside Stewartville city limits.

  • Applicants are asked to email electronic copies of plans to the County.
  • For a new residence, the completed worksheet must be submitted with the building-permit application.

  “When submitting a building permit application, please also email electronic copies of plans”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside Stewartville city.
• Minimum lot size — General single-family residential development inside Stewartville city.
• Setbacks — Principal single-family structures inside Stewartville city.
• Building height — Principal single-family structures inside Stewartville city.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Stewartville 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.