Brown County, Minnesota Building Permit Guide

For land outside city limits, Brown County’s Planning and Zoning Department on the second floor of 14 S. State Street in New Ulm issues the zoning permits the county calls building permits, plus septic, grading and wetland approvals, all filed through its online permit portal. A dwelling or garage is 8 cents a square foot with a $26.25 minimum, and exterior work like re-siding is a flat $20. Its pages describe no State Building Code inspections; the cities issue their own permits.

What requires a permit in Brown County?

Section 508.1 of the Brown County Zoning Ordinance says no one may erect, alter, repair or move a building or part of one, decks included, without a zoning permit, in all of the county outside city limits. A second permit list in the same section adds fences, dams, septic systems, changes of use and any work in the floodplain.

The narrow exemption matters: a re-roof costing more than $2,500 still needs the $20 exterior maintenance permit, and in shoreland or floodplain even small jobs do. Rebuilding after a fire, wind or other catastrophic loss needs a permit but carries no fee.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Planning and Zoning administers the county comprehensive plan through the zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations, checks setbacks, septic compliance, wetlands and feedlot standards, and enforces the Wetland Conservation Act. Although its page says it issues building permits, the permit it describes is the zoning permit, and the county’s pages describe no State Building Code plan review or framing inspections. Electrical work is permitted by the Department of Labor and Industry, and trade licenses are state licenses.

Brown County building department: who handles permitting

The department handles zoning, septic, feedlot, wetland, solid waste and weed and agricultural inspection work. The Planning Commission advises the County Board on conditional use permits, plats and ordinance amendments, and the Board of Adjustment hears variances. Its staff include the zoning administrator, who is also the county solid waste officer, an assistant zoning administrator who covers septic and feedlots, and a second feedlot officer. The portal’s first instruction is blunt: if you live within city limits, apply through the city.

Cities in Brown County

County zoning stops at city limits; each city runs its own zoning and decides on building-code enforcement. The flood program column comes from FEMA’s Community Status Book.

Brown County permit types

The online portal lists every Planning and Zoning application: construction and zoning permits, exterior maintenance permits, conditional and interim use permits, feedlot permits, grading and filling permits, new site addresses, platted lots for new parcels under 10 acres, rezonings, septic permits and the septic loan program, sign permits, variances, and wetland and tile project requests. A help request form lets owners ask staff about a project before applying.

Residential permits

A new rural home needs the construction and zoning permit, a septic permit, a new site address and road access; the ordinance bars any zoning permit for land without road access. In the A-1 Agricultural/Shoreland Protection district a new non-farm dwelling needs 2½ acres and a lot 200 feet wide and deep, and buildings stand 150 feet from a state highway centerline, 125 feet from a county road and 110 feet from a township road, with 10-foot side yards and a 40-foot rear yard (20 feet for accessory buildings). The lowest floor, basement included, must sit at least 3 feet above the highest known water level, and buildings keep 50 feet from non-eroding bluffs and 100 feet from eroding ones. Plantings have rules too: hedges and shrubs stay 20 feet off the road right of way, and trees 40 feet from county drainage ditches and tile lines.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit filing, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial and other permits

Commercial and business buildings and additions pay by the square foot, towers by the foot of height, and solar and small wind systems a flat fee. Conditional uses, including adult uses, and interim uses such as mining, communication towers and temporary dwellings go through the Planning Commission. New hog feedlots or expansions that build an earthen basin or open-topped pit are prohibited in the A-1 district. Brown County is a delegated feedlot county under the MPCA program, with 467 active feedlots, 319 of them required to register.

What comes before the permit

• Hearing approvals. A conditional use permit or variance must be granted first; an application filed before then is treated as incomplete.
• Septic check. In shoreland, and anywhere a bedroom is added, the existing system needs a compliance inspection, and a failing system needs an approved design on file before the permit.
• Road planning. Farm buildings may have to show they fit planned road work, using information from the County Highway Engineer.
• Floodplain. State and federal permits must be in hand, and an engineer, architect or surveyor certifies elevations before occupancy.
• Driveway. The Highway Department’s driveway permit covers access onto county roads.
• Septic siting. Lots created after January 23, 1996 must have room for two soil treatment areas; septic systems keep 150 feet from lakes and 75 feet from rivers (100 feet along the Cottonwood River east of Section 4, Township 109N, Range 31W), and never sit in a floodway.
• Wetlands. Because the department enforces the Wetland Conservation Act, wetland or tile work goes through its online request form, with exemption, delineation and replacement-plan reviews priced on the fee schedule.

Brown County permit fees

The ordinance has the County Board set zoning fees each year by resolution; the figures below are from the Planning and Zoning section of the county’s online fee schedule, which lists every department’s charges on one page.

Worked examples from the schedule: a one-story 30-by-32-foot detached garage (960 square feet) costs 960 × $0.08 = $76.80; a 12,000-square-foot machine shed works out to $600 at 5 cents a foot, so the $525 agricultural maximum applies. A new home site adds $100 for a Type I septic permit and $125 for the address.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Brown County issues no electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits. Electrical permits are filed with the Department of Labor and Industry, whose directory shows whether a city inspects electrical work itself. Contractors, electricians and plumbers are licensed by the state.

• Septic. No system may be covered before a county employee or representative inspects it, and point-of-sale inspections are done by state-licensed SSTS inspectors, who file the result with the county within 15 days.
• Wells. Unused wells must be sealed by a state-licensed well contractor, who handles the paperwork and permits; the county pays half the cost, up to $400, when grant funds allow.
• Highway work. Driveway, utility, moving, heavy-truck and no-spray permits go to the Highway Department by fax or email.

How to apply for a Brown County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The Planning Commission meets on the second Tuesday of each month (in 2026: November 10 and December 8), and the Board of Adjustment meets as needed on the same dates with the same application deadlines; packets are posted a week ahead, and the public can join by Zoom on request. A special Planning Commission meeting costs $600. Applications missing a prior hearing approval are deemed incomplete under state law, and a non-compliant septic system or missing road access stops a permit.

Inspections in Brown County

County staff inspect new and replacement septic systems, and section 508.1 bars covering any sewer system before a county employee or representative has inspected it. The first inspection, soil verification and design review are included in the permit, with $50 for each extra visit. A compliance inspection is needed whenever a zoning permit is sought in shoreland on a septic-served lot and before a permit to add a bedroom.

At a sale needing a certificate of real estate value, the seller gives the buyer a certificate of compliance or notice of noncompliance. For transfers between November 1 and April 1 the inspection may wait until June 1, with the report due by June 15; if none reaches the office within six months, county staff inspect and the $600 charge goes on the property taxes. A system that is an imminent threat must be replaced within 10 months, and one failing to protect groundwater within a year.

An owner who installs a septic system under the state homeowner exemption must attend SSTS construction training and sign an agreement indemnifying the county. The county’s pages describe no State Building Code construction inspections; electrical work is inspected under the state permit.

Minnesota building code

Brown County regulates township land through its Zoning Ordinance (current text updated April 16, 2024), Subdivision Ordinance and zoning map, and is preparing the Vision 2040 comprehensive land use plan. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the county as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since August 15, 1977, with a current flood map dated September 25, 2009.

Minnesota has one State Building Code that applies statewide and overrides local building codes, but enforcement is local: whether a building permit is needed depends on whether the city, township or county enforces the code there. Electrical permits come from the Department of Labor and Industry unless the local government runs its own electrical inspection. Minnesota rules

Brown County permit search and official resources

Permit applicants track their own applications in the online portal account. Parcel ownership and tax data are in the county’s Beacon parcel search, and the Planning Commission page posts agendas and minutes from September 2024 on, with older minutes on a separate page. Copies of other zoning records come through the Planning and Zoning office.

• Brown County planning and zoning
• Brown County online permits
• County fee schedule
• Brown County Zoning Ordinance
• Subdivision Ordinance
• Zoning map
• 2026 Planning Commission meeting dates
• Planning Commission agendas and minutes
• Property transfer septic disclosure form
• Variance worksheet
• Feedlots
• Well sealing and cost share
• Highway Department permits
• State electrical permits (DLI)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Minnesota

Brown County permit FAQs

Do I need a permit to re-roof or re-side my house?

Usually yes: an exterior maintenance permit at $20, unless the job costs under $2,500, keeps the footprint and is outside shoreland and floodplain.

How much is a permit for a new garage?

8 cents a square foot with a $26.25 minimum, so a 960-square-foot garage is $76.80.

Is there a cap on farm building permits?

Yes. Agricultural structures pay 5 cents a square foot, at least $26.25 and no more than $525.

Can I apply online?

Yes, through the county’s RTVision online permit site, which covers every Planning and Zoning application.

Does the county issue permits in New Ulm or Sleepy Eye?

No. Applicants inside city limits must apply through the city.

What happens to my septic when I sell?

The seller provides a certificate of compliance or notice of noncompliance from a licensed inspector at or before closing.

How long is a zoning permit valid?

One year, with yearly extensions possible up to three years when diligent work could not finish sooner.

Simplify Brown County permitting with Alliance Permitting

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.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Brown County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.