Bloomington is the fourth largest city in Minnesota, south of Minneapolis. It enforces the same statewide code as everywhere else, and adds two local requirements that between them touch every homeowner and every heating contractor in the city.
The Building and Inspections Division sits within Community Development and adopts the building codes the state department has set forth, with all permit applications submitted through the city’s online portal.
This guide covers work inside the Bloomington city limits in Hennepin County, Minnesota. There are cities of the same name in other states with entirely different rules — confirm the state as well as the city before filing.
The inspection comes before the sign goes up. The city requires Time of Sale inspections to be done prior to listing your house on the market, not merely before closing. The inspection is done by a city Time of Sale inspector, booked through the Building and Inspection Division, or by one of the independent evaluators licensed by the city. On a property with unpermitted history that timing matters enormously, because the findings land before any buyer is involved.
What requires a building permit in Bloomington?
Minnesota runs one building code and only one. The Minnesota State Building Code is the standard that applies statewide to the construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair and use of buildings, and it supersedes the building code of any municipality. A city administers and enforces it; it does not get to rewrite it. That makes Bloomington far more predictable than a jurisdiction in a local-option state — the edition, the exemptions and the technical provisions are the same ones in force across Minnesota.
Typically permit required
- New buildings, additions, alterations and change of occupancy or use
- Structural alterations, load-bearing changes, foundations, decks and retaining walls
- Electrical work, performed by a state-licensed electrical contractor
- Plumbing work, performed by a state-licensed plumbing contractor
- Mechanical and fuel gas work, and anything touching the state energy provisions
- Re-roofing, demolition, egress window openings and signs above the local threshold
Often exempt
- Ordinary repairs and maintenance replacing materials in kind
- Small accessory structures below the local threshold, where zoning allows
- Painting, flooring, cabinetry and other finish work
- Most agricultural buildings, which sit outside the code entirely
An exemption from a building permit is never an exemption from zoning, from the state energy provisions or from a trade permit. Confirm scope with Bloomington Building and Inspections before work starts.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →What is actually local, and what is not
Local government decides fees, submittal formats, counter hours, inspection scheduling, zoning and land use — and nothing about the technical code. A municipality must not require building code provisions different from the state code, whether by ordinance or through a development agreement. The single exception is an ordinance that is more restrictive, justified by geological conditions, and approved by the state building official. Separately, agricultural buildings sit outside the code almost entirely, and a city that requires exterior work to be finished within a set period cannot demand completion earlier than 180 days after the permit issues. Bloomington also fills the one gap the state leaves in trade licensing: Minnesota issues no mechanical contractor licence, only a bond — so trade contractors performing mechanical, heating and gas-related work in Bloomington must obtain a contractor licence through the Building and Inspections division itself, a municipal credential covering exactly the trade the state does not license
Residential building contractors, remodelers and roofers, electricians and plumbers are licensed by the state Department of Labor and Industry, so the same credential is valid in Bloomington as anywhere in Minnesota. Building without a required permit exposes a job to stop-work orders, penalties and delayed occupancy, and unlicensed residential contracting is a separate violation enforced by the state. How Minnesota’s statewide code works
Who handles permitting in Bloomington?
The Building and Inspections Division issues building and trade permits, reviews plans and inspects work, adopting the codes the state department has set forth rather than writing its own, and running the time of sale housing inspection programme alongside.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | City of Bloomington Building and Inspections Division |
| Address | 1800 West Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington, MN 55431 |
| Phone | (952) 563-8930 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| inspections@BloomingtonMN.gov; plan review to PlanReview@BloomingtonMN.gov | |
| Time of sale | Required before listing, by a city or city-licensed evaluator |
| Mechanical licence | Issued by the division for mechanical, heating and gas work |
| Portal note | Do not verify a new account on a mobile device |
Filing is online and only online. All building and inspections permits must be submitted through the portal unless a prior discussion with city staff provides an alternative, and a registered account is needed first. The city gives one specific warning worth heeding: do not verify a new account on a mobile device, as it may not verify correctly.
Older records are harder to reach than newer ones. Permits processed between late 1998 and early 2017 sit in a legacy system that cannot be searched by property address — only by a seven-digit permit number. On a due diligence search for a house of that vintage, the division has to be telephoned rather than the portal queried.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →In 2025, building permits issued in Bloomington authorized 5 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Permit types
Residential permits
Residential permits cover the usual scope, with flat-fee permits published for residential roofing, residential siding and the two combined. Pools and spas carry their own rules: a minimum 4 foot fence is required, with self-closing, self-latching, lockable or removable ladders and gates, and a hot tub with a conforming safety cover may be exempt from the fencing requirement where the label is permanently affixed for the inspector to see.
Commercial permits
Commercial and larger work runs through the same portal, with plan review questions directed to a dedicated review address. The municipal code chapter on buildings additionally covers stormwater and erosion control, design by architect or engineer, survey and platting requirements at application, performance bonds, grading permits and toilet facilities during construction.
A contractor doing residential building or remodeling work in more than one special skill needs a state licence, unless its gross annual receipts from that work stay at or under $15,000 and it holds a certificate of exemption; residential roofers must always be licensed. Licensees pay into the Contractor Recovery Fund instead of posting a bond, and mechanical contractors need no state licence but must give the state a $25,000 bond. Contractor licensing in Minnesota
Bloomington permit costs and fees
Bloomington publishes flat fees for common residential envelope permits and valuation-based fees elsewhere, with deck fees calculated on valuation. The state surcharge is collected alongside, and the mechanical contractor licence is a separate annual cost.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Set locally on valuation; the code is statewide but the fee schedule is not |
| Plan review | A percentage of the permit fee or a flat charge, set locally |
| State surcharge | A statutory surcharge collected with the permit and remitted to the state |
| Electrical | Permitted and inspected through the state electrical programme or the municipality |
| Plumbing | State plan review where it applies; otherwise local, under any plan review agreement |
| Energy compliance | Documentation against the state energy provisions, which are not locally variable |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Because the technical code is identical statewide, fee differences between Minnesota cities are differences of policy rather than of requirement — two cities enforcing the same provisions can price the same project very differently. Ask Bloomington Building and Inspections for the schedule in force on your filing date, and confirm whether the state or the city holds the plumbing and electrical route for your scope.
Need a real number for a specific Bloomington project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the fee categories, the trade routes and the review steps that will apply.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Minnesota separates the credential from the permit. The licence to do the work is issued by the state and is valid everywhere; the permit for a particular job is issued locally, or by the state where it holds the administrative authority for that scope.
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar photovoltaic and EV charging
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures, backflow and gas piping
- Mechanical installation and change-out, ductwork and venting
- Any work in a public building or a residential building of five or more units, which may trigger state plan review
Typically exempt
- Replacing a fixture, switch, receptacle or light with no alteration to wiring or piping
- Clearing a stoppage without replacing or rearranging concealed piping
- Filter, thermostat and routine component service
- Like-for-like appliance repair that does not alter the connection
Electrical and plumbing work must be done by state-licensed trades, though an individual may do electrical work on a home they own and occupy if it has its own electrical service. Whether the electrical permit comes from the state or the local office depends on whether that city or township has taken on electrical inspection. Electrical and plumbing rules in Minnesota
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply for a Bloomington building permit
The city requires it prior to the house going on the market, not before closing.
Mechanical, heating and gas contractors need a licence from the division, which the state does not issue.
Filing is online only, and a registered, verified account is required.
The city warns that mobile verification may not complete correctly.
Permits from late 1998 to early 2017 cannot be searched by address.
A 4 foot fence is required, with conforming self-closing and self-latching hardware.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
Because the technical code does not vary, most delay in Minnesota is procedural rather than substantive. The common causes are submitting to the wrong authority for plumbing where the state holds plan review; assuming a neighbouring city’s exemption list applies when the difference was only ever a local administrative practice; missing the state energy compliance documentation; and treating a structure as agricultural when it does not meet the statutory definition. Confirm the checklist with Bloomington Building and Inspections before filing.
Inspections in Bloomington
Standard checkpoints include footing and foundation, framing, rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and energy compliance, fire systems on commercial work, and final, with a certificate of occupancy before the building is used. A hot tub safety cover only avoids the fencing requirement where the conformity label is permanently affixed and visible to the inspector at the time of inspection.
Do not cover work before the required inspection has been approved. Keep the issued permits, the approved plans and the energy compliance documentation available on site.
On public buildings, state-licensed facilities and school district and charter school projects, plumbing permits and inspections generally run through the state Department of Labor and Industry rather than the local office. State plumbing review in Minnesota
Bloomington permit search and official resources
Bloomington Building and Inspections holds the building permit record for the City of Bloomington. Where the state carried out plumbing plan review or inspection, that record sits with the department instead, so a full history on a commercial building or a larger residential one may need both.
Two questions, not three. In a local-option state you would have to establish which code a jurisdiction adopted. In Minnesota you do not — the code is the same everywhere. What you do need to establish is who holds the plumbing and electrical route for your scope, and what this particular city requires procedurally at the counter.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →These are the primary sources behind this guide. Fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- Bloomington building and inspections
- Bloomington permit information and fees
- Bloomington building frequently asked questions
- Minnesota Statutes 326B.121, state building code application and enforcement
- Minnesota DLI licensing and registration
Frequently asked questions
When do I need the time of sale inspection?
Before you list. The city requires time of sale inspections to be done prior to listing the house on the market, and it can be done by a city time of sale inspector or by an independent evaluator licensed by the city.
Does my heating contractor need a city licence?
Yes. Trade contractors performing mechanical, heating and gas-related work in Bloomington must obtain a contractor licence through the Building and Inspections division, which fills the one trade the state does not license. Contractor credentials in Minnesota are held by the state. The Department of Labor and Industry licenses residential building contractors, remodelers, roofers, electricians and plumbers for the whole state, so a licence travels between jurisdictions. A contractor doing residential building or remodeling work for homeowners in more than one special skill needs a state licence, unless its gross annual receipts from that work stay at or under $15,000 and it holds a state certificate of exemption; residential roofers must be licensed regardless. The licence attaches to the business with a named qualifying person holding the competence, and every licensee contributes to the Contractor Recovery Fund rather than posting a surety bond. Specialty contractors offering only one special skill generally need no state licence, except residential roofers, who always do.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Can Bloomington write its own building code?
No. The city adopts the building codes the state department has set forth. Minnesota runs one building code and only one. The Minnesota State Building Code is the standard that applies statewide, and it supersedes the building code of any municipality. A city administers and enforces it but must not, by ordinance or through a development agreement, require building code provisions regulating components or systems of any structure that differ from the state code. The single exception is an ordinance that is more restrictive, justified by geological conditions, and approved by the state building official. That is why an edition question in Minnesota has one answer rather than one per city.
Can I file on paper?
Not normally. All building and inspections permits must be submitted online unless a prior discussion with city staff provides an alternative, and you must be a registered user to apply.
How do I find a permit from the early two thousands?
By permit number rather than address. Permits processed between late 1998 and early 2017 sit in a legacy system that does not allow searching by property address, and the division can be telephoned if you do not have the seven-digit number.
Do I need a fence around a hot tub?
Usually, but not always. A minimum 4 foot fence is required for pools and spas, with self-closing, self-latching, lockable or removable ladders and gates. A hot tub with a safety cover conforming to the referenced standard may be exempt where the label is permanently affixed so the inspector can confirm it.
Simplify Bloomington permitting with Alliance Permitting
An inspection that precedes the listing turns permit history into a selling problem months early. We settle it before the sign goes up.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Bloomington because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- 21+ years of filing, against one statewide code rather than 50 local ones
- We confirm the plumbing and electrical route before the application goes in
- State contractor licences verified with the department, and any city licence on top of it
- Zoning and certificate obligations checked alongside the building permit, not after it
- Completion-control periods checked so the exterior clock is known at issuance
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Minnesota. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.
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Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Bloomington permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Minnesota permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Bloomington permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.