Fillmore County, Minnesota Building Permit Guide

Outside its cities, Fillmore County’s Land Use Department, in the courthouse at 101 Fillmore Street in Preston, issues the land use (zoning) permit needed to build, move or alter a structure, along with septic, access, address and feedlot approvals. Applications are filed on paper, by mail or at the counter, and a complete one usually takes one to two days. Under the 2026 fee schedule a house costs $10 per 100 square feet of floor area and a standard septic permit $450, and work begun before the permit adds a $500 late fee.

What requires a permit in Fillmore County?

Section 404 of the Fillmore County Zoning Ordinance requires a zoning permit, called a land use permit on the county’s forms, before anyone erects, installs, alters, converts or moves a building or structure, or demolishes a historically significant one. It applies outside the incorporated cities, and inside any city that adopts the county ordinance as its own.

The ordinance carries its own sections on sinkhole dumping, bluffs and shoreland. In the Agricultural District no dwelling may be built in the floodplain, structures stay 80 feet from the top and 50 feet from the toe of a bluff, and a survey by a licensed engineer or surveyor is needed within 200 feet of a bluff top or 100 feet of its toe.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county sets districts, density and setbacks: in the Agricultural District, at most two dwellings per quarter of a quarter section, 1,000 feet between a new house and a feedlot or rock quarry, and 73 feet from a road centerline or 40 feet from the right of way, whichever is greater. The ordinance and permit forms describe zoning and septic review; they set up no county building-code plan review. The forms point owners to the state electrical inspector, because Minnesota Statutes 326B.36 requires inspection of new electrical work, and wells follow Department of Health rules.

Fillmore County building department: who handles permitting

The Land Use Department runs planning and zoning, the floodplain and shoreland rules, septic systems and the feedlot ordinance from the courthouse. The Highway Department handles moving, utility and right-of-way permits, but access permits for county roads are issued through the zoning office and approved by the County Engineer, the Land Use Director and the County Board. Where a township has enacted its own zoning ordinance, a county application is not complete until the township’s permit, resolution or other approval is attached.

Cities in Fillmore County

Each city sets its own zoning and building-code policy unless it adopts the county ordinance. Chatfield straddles the Olmsted County line, and Olmsted County’s Inspections Division provides building code and permit administration for the City of Chatfield, as our Olmsted County guide explains. The county septic ordinance covers all land except cities running an approved program of their own. Flood-program status is from FEMA’s Community Status Book.

Fillmore County permit types

The county posts separate land use applications for dwellings and dwelling additions and for accessory buildings, plus forms for new addresses, access permits, conditional use permits, variances, rural home-based businesses and bed and breakfast or country inn establishments. The septic page carries the SSTS permit application, pumping and monitoring plan, tank abandonment and as-built forms and a land transfer checklist. Every landowner named on the deed must sign, and for a new house the signatures on the farm assumption-of-risk agreement must be notarized.

Residential permits

The dwelling form counts every level, finished or not: basement, first and second floors, attached garage, porches and decks all go into the square footage that sets the fee. A permit for a new house will not issue until the department has a septic design for a new system or a valid certificate of compliance for an existing one. An aerial photo marking the building site is required, with distances to the road centerline, lot lines, the well, the septic system, any bluff, the nearest feedlot and any rock quarry.

Accessory buildings count one level only, and grain bins are priced from their floor area, worked out from the bin diameter. Houses may not exceed 35 feet in height.

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

Commercial and other permits

Uses that need a conditional use permit include country inns, sand pits and rock quarries, industrial mining, adult uses and feedlots over 1,000 animal units. Rural home-based businesses and bed and breakfasts have their own permits. On April 7, 2026 the County Board approved Resolution 2026-011, amending the telecommunications tower section to require 1,000 feet, up from 500, between a tower and a residence.

What comes before the permit

• Buildable lot check. The county recommends calling before filling out the form to confirm the parcel is buildable.
• Township approval. In townships with their own zoning, attach the township’s permit or resolution.
• Septic design. A licensed designer sizes the system; soils, not the county, decide whether a mound is needed.
• Shoreland and bluffs. Within 300 feet of protected waters the shoreland section applies, and bluff setbacks may need a survey.
• Road access. A new driveway onto a county road needs the $200 access permit and County Board approval.
• Address. A new dwelling needs an E911 address from the zoning office.

Fillmore County permit fees

The County Board approved its 2026 Fee Schedule on January 6, 2026; the land use rows below are from that schedule as printed in the meeting’s board packet. The version linked from the county’s feedlot page is the 2025 schedule (approved February 25, 2025, revised July 1, 2025), whose land use figures match except that it lists no $50 minimum for a dwelling permit. The Highway page still links a 2022 schedule. The office takes no credit or debit cards.

Worked example: a house with a 1,500 sq ft basement, a 1,500 sq ft main floor, a 600 sq ft attached garage and a 200 sq ft deck counts 3,800 square feet, so the land use permit is 38 × $10 = $380. Adding the $450 septic permit, a $200 address and a $200 county road access brings the county total to $1,230.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Fillmore County issues no building, plumbing or mechanical permits in the townships. Its permit forms quote Minnesota Statutes 326B.36 and tell owners to contact the state electrical inspector, whose name and number appear on the forms, for the required inspection of new electrical work. Contractors, electricians and plumbers are licensed by the Department of Labor and Industry, not by the county.

• Septic designers and installers. The application records both licenses, and the county posts a list of septic professionals and pumpers.
• Feedlots. Fillmore is a delegated county: the feedlot officer handles registrations for 10 or more animal units in shoreland and 50 or more elsewhere, and construction or expansion must be reported at least 30 days ahead.
• Water testing. Test kits for the Southeast Minnesota Water Analysis Lab can be picked up at the zoning office, and the Fillmore Soil and Water Conservation District tests for bacteria and nitrate.

How to apply for a Fillmore County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

An application is not complete until every item and fee, late fees included, is in. Conditional use permits and variances take about 60 days because they need a published notice and a public hearing before the Planning Commission or Board of Adjustment; conditional use notices go to owners within a quarter mile or the 10 nearest and to towns and cities within two miles, and variance notices to owners within 500 feet. Access permits wait for County Board approval. Once issued, a permit lapses unless footings, sidewalls and roof are up within one year and the building is ready for use within two. The department’s FAQ describes a one-year permit that may be extended for a second year once significant construction has occurred; under the 2026 ordinance a permit that has become void cannot be renewed, and the owner must wait 90 days before filing a new, full application.

Inspections in Fillmore County

Site inspections are required for every new house: the footings must be dug and inspected before construction goes further. Other projects may also get a site visit, and the forms ask applicants to call the office before starting.

Every septic system is inspected by the zoning office before it is covered, with at least 24 hours’ notice. A certificate of compliance lasts five years for a new or replacement system and three years after a compliance inspection. Compliance inspections are required for permitted repairs or upgrades, bedroom or bathroom additions, changes in use and before a sale or change in ownership.

New electrical installations are inspected by the state electrical inspector.

Minnesota building code

Fillmore County’s own rules are its zoning, feedlot, septic (adopted December 3, 2013, amended October 27, 2021), subdivision, soil erosion control, wind energy, airport, park and adult use ordinances. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the county as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since September 18, 1987, with a current flood map dated August 15, 2019.

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

Fillmore County permit search and official resources

The department posts a year-to-date list of land use permits showing applicant, project and township (the 2026 list runs through June 30). Parcels, ownership and aerial photos are on the free Beacon GIS site, and County Board agendas, packets and minutes are posted on the meetings page.

• Fillmore County Land Use Department
• Zoning FAQs
• Land use permit applications
• Land use permit application, dwelling and addition
• Land use permit application, accessory building
• Land use ordinances
• Fillmore County Zoning Ordinance (2026)
• January 6, 2026 board packet with the 2026 Fee Schedule
• 2025 Fee Schedule (revised July 1, 2025)
• Septic forms
• SSTS permit application
• Sub-Surface Sewage Treatment System Ordinance
• Access permit application
• Feedlot program
• Highway Department permits and forms
• Current land use permits
• GIS and Beacon
• County Board agendas and minutes
• Olmsted County building and planning (Chatfield)
• State electrical permits (DLI)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Minnesota

Fillmore County permit FAQs

How much is a land use permit for a new house?

$10 for every 100 square feet of floor area, counting basement, every level, attached garage, porches and decks, with a $50 minimum.

Can I apply online or pay by card?

No. Applications are mailed or delivered to the courthouse office, and the department does not accept credit or debit cards.

How fast is a permit issued?

About one to two days for a complete application; conditional use permits and variances take around 60 days because of the hearing.

Does remodeling need a county permit?

No. Remodeling or repairing a structure is exempt, as are driveways and concrete poured inside an existing building.

What happens if I start building before the permit?

A $500 late fee is charged on top of the normal permit fee.

Who issues building permits in Chatfield?

Olmsted County’s Inspections Division provides building code and permit administration for the City of Chatfield.

Is a septic inspection required when I sell?

Yes. The county septic ordinance requires a compliance inspection before a point of sale or change in ownership.

Simplify Fillmore 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 Fillmore County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.