Building permits, zoning and land rules in Winona County, Minnesota

In Winona County, the Minnesota permit rule requires an application to the building official and the required building permit before code-regulated construction, alterations, demolition or changes of occupancy; local administration varies¹. The Minnesota State Building Code is the statewide minimum construction standard, but local enforcement depends on adoption by ordinance¹². One-story detached storage sheds, playhouses and similar accessory structures no larger than 200 square feet are among the building-permit exemptions; county development-certificate requirements are separate^1,13. Inside Goodview and Lewiston, the cities issue building permits^14,15. City building approval does not replace onsite-septic approval through Winona County Planning & Environmental Services¹⁶.

Winona County Planning & Environmental Services issues county zoning certificates and septic permits; a zoning certificate is separate from a building-code permit issued by the applicable building official^3,17. Contact the county planning office at 202 W Third Street, Winona, MN 55987, or 507-457-6520³. Every Winona County permit application is submitted through the county's online permitting system, with fees paid online by e-check or credit card and email progress notices as the application moves⁴. Construction Management Services handles zoning and septic applications in Saratoga, St. Charles and Utica townships; call 507-282-8206 or email planning@tpamn.org³. Incorporated cities administer planning and zoning within city limits, and Wilson Township runs its own zoning process, so applications for those parcels do not go through the county system⁴.

Unincorporated Winona County has county zoning districts, while Wilson Township and incorporated municipalities administer their own zoning regulations². Goodview and Lewiston have their own city zoning; onsite-septic regulation remains with Winona County Planning rather than moving with city zoning approval^14,16,18. Saratoga, St. Charles and Utica townships use Construction Management Services for zoning and septic permitting³. The county map distinguishes agricultural, business, community-development, industrial and residential districts². County variance requests go to the Board of Adjustment; conditional/interim use applications and zoning amendments go through Planning Commission review and a Board of Commissioners vote⁴. We could not confirm district-specific minimum dwelling sizes, lot sizes, setbacks, height limits or accessory-dwelling rules; ask the zoning administrator serving the parcel before finalizing a site plan⁴.

Winona County Planning regulates subsurface sewage treatment system design, permitting, installation and inspection under the county zoning ordinance and authority from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency¹⁶. The county septic application lists a $350 fee plus site-evaluation, soil-log, design and management-plan materials⁵. The installation must also be inspected under the county ordinance⁵. Saratoga, St. Charles and Utica townships use Construction Management Services for septic permitting beginning in early 2026, although project-specific county or state permits may still apply³. Systems designed for more than 10,000 gallons per day require an MPCA permit¹⁹. Only about 8.5% of Winona County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so make the soil evaluation an early feasibility check²⁰.

We could not confirm a rule allowing long-term RV occupancy or temporary camping on private land in unincorporated Winona County; ask Winona County Planning & Environmental Services, or the township administrator serving the parcel, about occupancy, placement and sanitation before relying on an RV homesite^3,4. A tiny house used as a dwelling must meet the Minnesota Residential Code, while local zoning determines whether the dwelling is allowed on the parcel²¹. We could not confirm Winona County's local tiny-home occupancy standards; building-code compliance alone does not establish zoning approval²¹.

1. Identify the parcel's township and zoning administrator because the county, specified townships and incorporated cities use different processes³.

1. Confirm the zoning district and obtain the local zoning approval before construction^3,13.

1. Apply to the building official and obtain the required building permit before code-regulated work begins¹.

1. Submit county permit applications through the online permitting system, which collects fees by e-check or credit card; parcels in a city, Wilson Township or the three Construction Management Services townships follow that jurisdiction's process instead^3,4.

1. Budget for the county fees that fit the project; the 2026 schedule lists $200 for a development-certificate application, $500 for a new dwelling or commercial structure, and $200 for an accessory structure²².

1. Submit the septic application, supporting site and design materials, and arrange the required installation inspection with the correct authority^5,16.

1. Confirm well requirements, floodplain status and road access before site work^8,10,11.

1. Minnesota's owner-builder exemption is from residential-contractor licensing when the owner will occupy the property or retain it as a rental; it does not waive permits and does not apply to building for resale or speculation^6,7.

Check the parcel's jurisdiction first because zoning and septic administration changes among the county, certain townships and incorporated cities⁴. Then verify the mapped zoning district, road authority, floodplain status, septic feasibility and well-permit authority with the offices that will review the project^{8,10,11,16,23}. A proposed land division needs an early county conversation because the County Surveyor checks subdivision plats and new land splits require a filed survey²⁴. About 63.9% of county land has a slope of 15% or less, while about 41.4% is wooded, so parcel-level topography and clearing needs can differ sharply from county averages²⁰.