Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Rock Creek, Minnesota

Rock Creek’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, placement, or addition of permanent structures within Rock Creek city.

  • No building permit is required for residing, reroofing, or replacement of windows if the structure has not been altered in any way.

  “Building permits shall be obtained from the City office before construction, placement or addition of any permanent structure, including but not limited to dwellings, accessory buildings, and structures. No building permit is required for residing, reroofing or replacement of windows if the structure has not been altered in any way.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Structures within Rock Creek city.

  “The City follows the State Building Code. All Structures require a Building Permit.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land within the corporate limits of Rock Creek city, Pine County, Minnesota.

  • The ordinance's geographic jurisdiction is the entire corporate limits of Rock Creek city.

  “This Ordinance shall be known as "THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF ROCK CREEK, PINE COUNTY, STATE OF MINNESOTA," and will be referred to therein as "The Rock Creek Zoning Ordinance" or "this Ordinance".”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land within Rock Creek city corporate limits.

  • District regulations are minimum regulations and apply uniformly to each class or kind of structure or land.
  • The ordinance states that the citywide lot-and-setback table illustrates minimum requirements in each established zoning district.

  “Lot requirements and setbacks. The following table illustrates the minimum requirements for lots and setbacks in each established zoning district. All requirements and setbacks are to be construed as indicating the minimum footages permitted unless otherwise specified.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family and attached two-family dwellings in any Rock Creek city zoning district.

  • Attached garages are excluded for one-story single-family dwelling calculations.
  • Attached garages are included for multi-level single-family dwelling calculations.

  one-story single-family minimum ground-floor area: >= 950 square feet (Attached garages excluded.) · multi-level single-family minimum ground-floor area: >= 750 square feet (Attached garages included.) · two-family attached dwelling-unit minimum size: >= 750 square feet

  “All single-family dwellings with one story shall have a minimum ground floor area of not less than nine hundred and fifty (950) square feet, measured around the perimeter of the dwelling. Attached garages shall not be included in computing the minimum square footage. Multi-level single-family dwellings shall have a minimum ground floor area of not less than seven hundred and fifty (750) square feet, measured around the perimeter of the dwelling. Attached garages shall be included in computing the minimum square footage. All two-family attached dwelling units shall have at least seven hundred and fifty (750) square feet minimum size for each unit.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Shoreland and non-shoreland sewage treatment within Rock Creek city.

  “Applications for sewer permits shall be submitted to the City office along with proposed plans and appropriate fee. The city office will forward the application to the Sewer Inspector who will approve, deny or approve with modifications and conduct the necessary inspections.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision within Rock Creek city.

  “To receive the second building eligibility, the owner shall subdivide the land through either the platting process or through a minor subdivision and meet the following requirements.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Access or entrances onto public roads or streets under Rock Creek city jurisdiction.

  • The access must be onto a public road or street under city jurisdiction.
  • New culverts must meet stated material, diameter, length, and end-section requirements.

  minimum new culvert diameter: >= 15 inches (Must be galvanized metal or concrete.) · minimum driveway entrance width: >= 24 feet

  “No access/entrance onto a public road or street, under the jurisdiction of the City of Rock Creek, shall be constructed, except upon a written permit issued by the City office.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Floodplain development within Rock Creek city.

  • Development may not adversely affect the hydraulic capacity of a tributary watercourse or drainage system where no floodway or other encroachment limit is on the Official Zoning Map.
  • Manufactured homes must be securely anchored to an adequately anchored foundation system.

  “Floodplain developments shall not adversely affect the hydraulic capacity of the channel and adjoining floodplain of any tributary watercourse or drainage system where a floodway or other encroachment limit has not been specified on the Official Zoning Map. [...] All manufactured homes must be securely anchored to an adequately anchored foundation system that resists flotation, collapse and lateral movement.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Petitions and permits described in the Rock Creek Zoning Ordinance.

  • Fees follow the City Council schedule and are due when the petition is filed.
  • Fees are not refundable.
  • Applicants may have to reimburse professional, postage, and publication costs; the city may require a deposit before final hearing.

  “Any person filing a petition requesting an amendment, appeal, adjustment, conditional use permit, interim use permit, variance or other permit described within this Ordinance shall pay a fee according to the schedule established by the City Council.”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit applications submitted to Rock Creek city.

  • A permit is numbered only after review is complete and fees are paid.

  “All applications become numbered permits AFTER the REVIEW is complete and PAYMENT of fees have been received at the City of Rock Creek Office.”

Rules another office applies inside Rock Creek

Rock Creek 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

  Land in Rock Creek city's R-1 Residential District.

  • At least one acre must be buildable, with sufficient area for two on-site sewage treatment systems.

  minimum lot size: >= 1.5 acres (Must include at least one acre of buildable area and area for two on-site sewage treatment systems.)

  “One and one half (1.5) acres with at least one (1) acre of buildable area and sufficient area to accommodate two (2) on-site sewage treatment systems.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal structures in Rock Creek city's R-1 Residential District.

  • Corner lots must apply front-yard setback requirements to both street frontages.

  state-highway front setback from centerline: >= 130 feet · county-road front setback from centerline: >= 100 feet · city-or-private-road front setback from centerline: >= 75 feet · rear-yard setback: >= 50 feet · side-yard setback: >= 30 feet

  “State highway: One hundred and thirty (130) feet from the center line. [...] County road: One hundred (100) feet from the center line. [...] City or private road: Seventy-five (75) feet from center line. Rear yard: Fifty (50) feet. Side yard: Thirty (30) feet. Side yard setback corner lot: On corner lots, front yard setback requirements apply to both street frontages.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Natural-environment and general-development waters in Rock Creek city's Shoreland Overlay District.

  • Where the underlying zoning district is more restrictive, the more restrictive standards apply.

  maximum lot area covered by impervious surface: <= 30 percent (Applies to natural-environment and general-development waters.)

  “Maximum lot area covered by impervious surface in percent. 30 Percent 30 Percent”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Rock Creek or Pine County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction within Rock Creek city.
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction within Rock Creek city.
• Building height — Buildings within Rock Creek city.
• Living in an RV — Long-term occupancy of a recreational vehicle on private land within Rock Creek city.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land within Rock Creek 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.