Goodhue County, Minnesota Building Permit Guide

Goodhue County’s Land Use Management Department, on the first floor of the Government Center at 509 West Fifth Street in Red Wing, enforces the Minnesota State Building Code in all 21 townships and does plan review and inspections for six small cities, while Red Wing, Lake City, Pine Island and Zumbrota run their own. A township project needs township zoning approval first, then county zoning, septic and well review, then building code review. Under the 2026 fee schedule plan review is 65 percent of the permit fee and a new-home septic permit is $475.

What requires a permit in Goodhue County?

The county’s zoning ordinance makes it unlawful to change the use of, erect, enlarge or structurally alter any building without the Zoning Administrator’s approval and, where the code applies, the Building Official’s approval of a building permit. Its building page puts the scope plainly: the building code covers the construction, alteration, moving, demolition, repair and use of any building, structure or building service equipment.

A shed or farm building that will have plumbing roughed in still needs a plumbing permit applied for by a state-licensed plumber, and septic and well work are permitted separately by Environmental Health.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county decides zoning, density and setbacks through its zoning ordinance, first adopted June 4, 1993, and administers the State Building Code itself, with its own building official. The townships add their own approval: county permit approval waits on it. The code, its energy provisions and the state surcharge come from the state, and all electrical permits in the county area are issued by the state.

Goodhue County building department: who handles permitting

Land Use Management, led by director Megan Smith, has three divisions: Building Code Administration, Environmental Health and Zoning. Doug Morem is the county’s building official. Building code staff receive applications, review construction documents, issue permits, inspect and authorize occupancy; zoning staff handle land use permits, conditional uses, variances and plats; Environmental Health runs the septic ordinance and issues well permits on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Health.

Cities in Goodhue County

In six cities, applicants file with the city and the county reviews the plans and makes the inspections; the county’s page also lists Nerstrand in that group. Four cities run all code administration themselves. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists every city, and the Prairie Island Indian Community, as participating in the flood program.

Goodhue County permit types

Building permit applications can be emailed to buildingpermits@goodhuecountymn.gov. Township projects use the county building permit application with the township zoning approval form signed by the township; city projects use each city’s own application form posted by the county. Zoning applications cover zoning permits for land use and land alterations, conditional and interim use permits, variances, appeals, zoning map and text amendments, preliminary, final and administrative plats, solar energy systems, timber harvesting and temporary mineral extraction or hot-mix plants.

Residential permits

For a new house the county asks for the building permit application, the township zoning approval, a site plan showing the house, lot lines, well and septic with dimensions, a building certificate and two full-size sets of construction drawings. Additions and garages need the same set without the certificate; a remodel needs the application and drawings; re-roofing, siding, windows or a furnace need only the application. An owner acting as contractor files the owner-as-contractor form; otherwise the applicant must be a Minnesota-licensed contractor. The county posts handouts on decks, garages, floating slabs, roofing, siding, smoke alarms and moved buildings. Its garage handout says permits are needed for accessory buildings, sheds and garages and even for garage door replacements; zoning staff review the site plan, building staff the construction plans, and one approved set is returned to be kept on site. A house moved into or within the county must meet the code for new buildings, except the energy code, including egress, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and radon mitigation.

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

Commercial and other permits

Commercial buildings follow the same review path with a 65 percent plan review fee. Conditional uses for utility-scale solar, mineral extraction and commercial wind carry higher application fees, and silica sand, aggregate and other mining operations register annually. Communication tower additions have a flat fee.

What comes before the permit

• Township zoning approval. The township reviews land use and conformity with its zoning first.
• Preliminary county zoning review. Staff check completeness, land use concerns and other approvals needed.
• Driveway. The township, county Public Works or MnDOT approves new driveways.
• Soil and Water Conservation District. It reviews state land use and environmental rules.
• Environmental Health. Well and septic approvals.
• Final zoning approval. Then building staff review the plans against the State Building Code.
• Address. The county’s Office of Emergency Management assigns new rural addresses, usually after the building permit, from the staked driveway location; numbers must be at least 3 inches tall and visible from the road by the final inspection.

Goodhue County permit fees

The County Board approved the 2026 Goodhue County Fee Schedule on November 18, 2025, effective January 1, 2026. The figures below are its 2026 column. One change from 2025: residential plan review rose from 40 percent to the same 65 percent charged on other permits. The total building permit cost is the permit fee plus plan review plus the state surcharge.

Worked example: a house valued at $300,000 is in the $100,001–$500,000 band, so the permit fee is $993.75 + 200 × $5.60 = $2,113.75. Plan review at 65 percent adds $1,373.94 and the state surcharge on a $300,000 valuation is $150, for a building permit total of $3,637.69; a $475 septic permit and a $140 county road access would bring the county charges to $4,252.69. The bands chain exactly at their edges.

Trade permits and who may pull them

In the county’s jurisdiction, plumbing and mechanical work is permitted and inspected by the county as part of the building permit or under its flat-fee plumbing and mechanical permit. Electrical permits are issued by the state for the whole county area. Residential building permits may be taken out by a Minnesota-licensed contractor or by the property owner; plumbers, electricians and residential contractors are licensed by the Department of Labor and Industry, and the county links the state’s licensed-contractor enforcement information.

• Plumbing in sheds and farm buildings. The owner acknowledgment form says a state-licensed plumber must apply for that permit.
• Septic. Environmental Health permits and inspects new systems, issues operating permits and handles compliance on sale.
• Wells. New wells and sealing are permitted and inspected by the county on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Health, with separate state fees.

How to apply for a Goodhue County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county’s process sheet runs in order: township approval, preliminary zoning review, driveway, Soil and Water Conservation District and Environmental Health reviews, final zoning approval, and only then building code review, so a missing township signature or septic approval stops everything after it. Variances and appeals go to the Board of Adjustment, which met at 5:00 p.m. nine times in 2026 through October 26. Changes after review are billed at $120 an hour for additional plan review.

Inspections in Goodhue County

The county’s required inspections list covers footings before concrete, foundation rebar and backfill, radon piping, slabs, framing after the trade rough-ins pass, lath, insulation, underground and above-ground plumbing rough-ins with a five-pound air test for 15 minutes, gas piping tested at 25 psig for 30 minutes, mechanical rough-in and final, fireplaces and manufactured home piers and anchoring. Work must stay exposed until it passes, and each inspection must pass before construction continues.

Inspectors also check addresses: a project needs adequate temporary numbering at the first inspection and full compliance with the addressing rules at the final. A certificate of occupancy issues only after the final inspection passes. Electrical inspections are made by the state electrical inspector.

Minnesota building code

Goodhue County administers the State Building Code in all its townships and in the cities it serves, alongside its zoning, subdivision, septic, water quality, access management and cannabis ordinances. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the county as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since April 17, 1978, 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

Goodhue County permit search and official resources

The building division posts permit activity reports on its website, County Board agendas, packets and minutes are listed by meeting date, and the Board of Adjustment page posts the agenda for each of its hearings. Questions about an existing permit go to the permit staff at 651-385-3114 or the building permits email.

• Goodhue County Land Use Management
• Building code administration
• Building permit applications
• Items needed to apply for a building permit
• Who administers the building code in Goodhue County
• Permit process for township applications
• Required building inspections
• Township zoning approval form
• Owner as contractor form
• Building resources and handouts
• 2026 fee schedule (County Board, November 18, 2025)
• Planning and zoning
• Zoning applications
• Goodhue County Zoning Ordinance
• Board of Adjustment
• Environmental Health
• Septic forms and information
• County Board meetings and minutes
• State electrical permits (DLI)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Minnesota

Goodhue County permit FAQs

Does Goodhue County issue building permits?

Yes. It administers the State Building Code in all 21 townships and does plan review and inspections for Bellechester, Cannon Falls, Dennison, Goodhue, Kenyon and Wanamingo.

Who issues permits in Red Wing, Zumbrota, Pine Island or Lake City?

The city. Those four cities handle all code administration themselves.

What does a building permit cost for a $300,000 house?

$2,113.75 for the permit, $1,373.94 for plan review and $150 state surcharge, $3,637.69 in total under the 2026 schedule.

Do I need township approval?

Yes. Townships must approve most construction projects, and the county will not approve the permit until the signed township zoning approval is submitted.

How much is a permit to re-roof?

A flat $85, which covers all structures on the parcel with the same final inspection date.

Can a homeowner pull the permit?

Yes. The applicant can be a Minnesota-licensed contractor or the property owner, who files the owner-as-contractor form.

Who handles septic and wells?

The county’s Environmental Health division: a new-home septic permit is $475 and a well construction permit $380 in 2026.

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