Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Horton Township, Minnesota

Rules another office applies inside Horton Township

Horton 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

  Buildings in unincorporated Stevens County including inside Horton township: county land use permit

  • Applies to erecting, adding on to, or moving buildings above the footing threshold
  • All buildings, permitted or not, must meet setback and other ordinance requirements
  • Agricultural buildings are no longer exempt
  • Application to the zoning administrator on the land use application form
  • The county page says 240 sq ft; an ordinance permit summary reportedly says 120 sq ft; confirm current threshold
  • County page does not itself name towns; reach into Horton township rests on the ordinance jurisdiction clause
  • Building code (state) permits not researched

  permanent footing ground coverage threshold: > 240 square feet (county page; ordinance text may say 120 sq ft)

  “no person shall erect, add on to, or move any building with a permanent footing greater than two hundred forty (240) square feet in its ground coverage, or part thereof without first securing a land use permit.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Horton township, Stevens County, MN: zoned under the Stevens County Zoning Ordinance (county zoning), not a Horton township ordinance

  • Ordinance covers all area outside incorporated municipalities; Horton township is an unincorporated township
  • No Horton township zoning ordinance or official township statement was found; township adoption of its own zoning not ruled out, except that Appendix A lets townships adopt only shoreland controls at least as restrictive as the county's
  • Approved Oct 1, 2024, effective Oct 8, 2024
  • Districts include A-1 General Agriculture, R-1 Rural Residence, B-1 Highway Service Business

  “the jurisdiction of this ordinance shall apply to all the area of stevens county outside the incorporated limits of municipalities.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic systems inside Horton township, Stevens County, MN, administered by the county Environmental Services office

  • County SSTS ordinance covers all county lands except incorporated areas or townships that run their own SSTS ordinance at least as strict; no Horton SSTS ordinance found
  • Permit needed before installing a new or replacement system; design approved by the county, inspected during installation
  • Ordinance copy is dated 2014; check for newer version
  • Systems over 10,000 gallons/day need an MPCA state permit

  “stevens county requires a septic system permit prior to installation of a new or replacement septic system.”

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.