Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Long Prairie, Minnesota

Long Prairie’s own rules

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Long Prairie city limits.

  • District boundaries are shown on an incorporated zoning district map.

  districts: A-O Agricultural; R-1 General Residential; R-2 Multi Dwelling; MH Mobile Home Residential; C-1 General Commercial; C-2 Highway Commercial; I-1 Light Industrial; I-2 General Industrial; I-3 Heavy Industrial; FP-SD Flood Plain-Shoreland

  “(1) A-O Agricultural District (2) R-1 General Residential District (3) R-2 Multi Dwelling District (4) MH Mobile Home Residential District (5) C-1 General Commercial District (6) C-2 Highway Commercial District (7) I-1 Light Industrial District (8) I-2 General Industrial District (9) I-3 Heavy Industrial District (10) FP-SD - Flood Plain-Shoreland District”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Lots in a subdivision inside Long Prairie city limits where connection to public water and sanitary-sewer trench lines is feasible.

  • Water connection is required only where a public water-system connection is feasible.
  • Sanitary-sewer connection is required only where connection with sanitary-sewer trench lines is feasible.
  • Water and sewer service must be provided and stubbed into each lot.

  “Where connection with a public water system is feasible, that system shall be utilized and service shall be provided and stubbed into each lot. [...] Where connection with sanitary sewer trench lines is feasible, that system shall be utilized and service shall be provided and stubbed into each lot.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land within the corporate limits of Long Prairie city.

  • No subdivision lot may be sold, altered, or built upon unless the subdivision plat has been approved and recorded and required unit improvements have been met.

  “After adoption of this code, no lot in a subdivision shall be sold, no permit shall be issued to alter or erect any building upon land in a subdivision, and no building shall be erected in a subdivision unless a subdivision plat has been approved and recorded and the unit improvements required in accordance with the provision of This Article and Chapters 15 and 16 of the Long Prairie City Code have been met.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  City building, land-use, utility-connection, and related permits inside Long Prairie city limits.

  • The adopted fee schedule prevails if it conflicts with the City Code.
  • Building-permit fee is stated by reference to Chapter 15; the schedule separately gives stated fees for particular permits.
  • Failure to obtain a building permit incurs a $100 fine plus two times the otherwise applicable permit fee and possible monthly additional fees.

  preliminary/platting/final plat: 750 USD (Plus actual attorney and engineering review fees and $500 additional deposit) · variance: 400 USD · conditional use permit: 400 USD · water connection: 300 USD · sewer connection: 300 USD

  “Preliminary/Platting/Final Plat | $750.00 (Platting, Preliminary, Final, plus actual attorney and engineering, review fees) ($500 Additional Deposit) [...] Variance | $400.00 [...] Conditional Use Permit | $400.00 [...] Connection-Water | $300.00 [...] Connection-Sewer | $300.00”

• Permit processPartial

  City building and land-use permits inside Long Prairie city limits.

  • The city provides applications for conditional use permits, variances, preliminary plats, rezoning, lot splits, zoning, and building permits.
  • The city page directs applicants to City Hall or downloadable forms.

  “Building permits as well as permit requests for variances, conditional uses or zoning amendments may be obatined at City Hall or downloaded from the city's website.”

Rules another office applies inside Long Prairie

Long Prairie does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  New dwellings in the R-1 General Residential District inside Long Prairie city limits.

  • The provision specifies minimum building width, not minimum floor area.

  minimum building width: >= 24 feet (All new dwellings)

  “All new dwellings shall have a minimum building width of at least twenty-four (24) feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the A-O Agricultural District inside Long Prairie city limits.

  • The code expressly provides that agricultural buildings have no lot-size, lot-width, rear-yard, or side-yard requirements.

  minimum lot size: >= 2.5 acres (A-O Agricultural District) · minimum lot width: >= 150 feet (A-O Agricultural District) · minimum lot depth: >= 150 feet (A-O Agricultural District)

  “Minimum Requirements: a. Lot size 2 ½ Acres b. Lot Width 150 feet c. Lot Depth 150 feet [...] There shall be no lot size, lot width, rear yard, or side yard requirements for agricultural buildings.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R-1 General Residential District inside Long Prairie city limits.

    “Minimum Requirements: Single-Family Two-Family a. Lot Size 12,000 sq. ft. 15,000 sq. ft. b. Lot Width 80 ft 100 ft. c. Lot Depth 150 ft. 150 ft.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Lots in the A-O Agricultural District inside Long Prairie city limits.

  • Agricultural buildings have no rear-yard or side-yard requirements under §16.313(2).
  • A corner lot must have a front-yard setback on each road or highway side, and no accessory building may project beyond the front-yard line.

  front yard from public right-of-way: >= 50 feet (A-O Agricultural District) · side yard: >= 25 feet (A-O Agricultural District) · rear yard: >= 50 feet (A-O Agricultural District)

  “d. Front yard 50 feet from public right-of-way e. Side yard 25 feet f. Rear yard 50 feet [...] There shall be no lot size, lot width, rear yard, or side yard requirements for agricultural buildings.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R-1 General Residential District inside Long Prairie city limits.

    “d. Front Yard 25 ft. 25 ft. e. Side Yard 10 ft. 10 ft. f. Rear Yard 10 ft. 10 ft.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 General Residential District inside Long Prairie city limits.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 40 percent (Principal-use and accessory-use buildings)

  “Maximum Lot Coverage. Not more than 40% of an R-1 lot shall be covered by the principle use building and all accessory use buildings.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Nonagricultural structures in the A-O Agricultural District inside Long Prairie city limits.

  • There is no height requirement for agricultural buildings.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (Maximum of two and one-half stories; agricultural buildings excepted)

  “Height Requirements: a. Two and one-half (2 ½) stories or thirty-five (35) feet. b. There shall be no height requirements for agricultural buildings.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings in the R-1 General Residential District inside Long Prairie city limits.

    “No building may be more than two and one-half (2 ½) stories or thirty-five (35) feet in height.”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Use of a camper or motor home as a dwelling unit in the R-1 General Residential District inside Long Prairie city limits.

  “No tent, camper, motor home or accessory building shall at any time be used as a dwelling unit.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable

  Agricultural uses in the A-O Agricultural District inside Long Prairie city limits.

  • The exemption stated is from lot-size, lot-width, rear-yard, and side-yard requirements for agricultural buildings.

  “There shall be no lot size, lot width, rear yard, or side yard requirements for agricultural buildings.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Long Prairie or Todd County directly.

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Long Prairie city limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Long Prairie city limits.
• Inspections — General residential building inspections inside Long Prairie city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Buildings inside Long Prairie city limits.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Long Prairie 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.