Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Ely, Minnesota

Ely’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Most building projects within Ely city limits.

  • The City page qualifies the requirement as applying to “most building projects”; applicants should contact the building official for project-specific applicability.

  “Permits are required for most building projects within the City of Ely. Please contact the building official for further information.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction projects inside Ely city limits.

  • The owner or representative must notify the Building Department when ready for each listed inspection; 24-hour notice is normally adequate.

  “It shall be the responsibility of the owner or his representative to notify the City of Ely Building Department (218-504-5142 ) when the project is ready for each of the inspections listed, providing notice sufficiently in advance so as to allow adequate time for the inspection to be made without causing unnecessary delays in the construction.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Completed building projects inside Ely city limits.

  • The Building Department states that a certificate is issued upon the owner's request following final inspection.

  “FINAL INSPECTION: To be made after building is completed and ready for occupancy. If the building has an onsite septic system, our office must receive an “As Built Record” from the septic system installer. A certificate of occupancy (CO) will be issued upon the request of the owner.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land and development inside Ely city limits.

  • The City Planning and Zoning function reviews zoning requests, conditional use permits, and variances.

  “Planning and Zoning promotes and regulates development, tax base diversity and orderly and efficient community growth. Staff also reviews zoning requests, conditional use permits, variances, proposed subdivisions and annexations.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Ely city limits.

  • Permitted, conditional, interim, and prohibited-by-blank-cell uses are determined under § 11.40's legend and table.

  “SEC. 11.39. ZONING DISTRICT DEFINITIONS. For the purposes of this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings stated:”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Connections to Ely Utilities Commission public sewer inside Ely city limits.

  • A written EUC permit is required; new construction connections are allowed only if capacity is available in all public-wastewater-facility components.
  • Existing failing systems with public-sewer frontage may connect if capacity is available.

  “New connections will be allowed, with EUC Permit, according to the following conditions: [...] New connections to the public sewers will be permitted for new construction if capacity is available in all components of the public wastewater facility.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Proposed subdivisions inside Ely city limits.

  • Planning and Zoning staff review proposed subdivisions.

  “Staff also reviews zoning requests, conditional use permits, variances, proposed subdivisions and annexations.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  City planning and zoning permits inside Ely city limits.

  • The City states that permit applications are online.

  “All of our permit applications are online as well, and we recently transitioned to an online application system. You can now apply for a permit online by following the link: https://elymn.ourcommunityconnect.com/”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Ely or St. Louis County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside Ely city limits.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Ely city limits.
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Ely city limits.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Ely city limits.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Ely city limits.

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.