Houston County, Minnesota Building Permit Guide

Outside its seven cities, Houston County’s Zoning & Planning Department, in Room 209 of the Historic Courthouse at 304 South Marshall Street in Caledonia, issues the zoning permit needed to build, add to, repair or move a building, along with septic, wetland and E911 address approvals. Applications are filed online through GeoPermits, reached from the county’s Beacon property search. A new house costs $400 under the fee schedule adopted October 7, 2025, a house on less than 40 acres also needs a $700 conditional use permit, and the county does not enforce the building code.

What requires a permit in Houston County?

Section 5.2 of the Houston County Zoning Ordinance, in its March 2025 edition, says no one may install, repair, add to or move any building or part of one without first getting a zoning permit, and it names decks, homes, cabins, accessory structures and farm structures such as machine sheds, livestock housing, grain bins and upright silos. Interior and exterior maintenance and minor repairs are exempt. In the floodplain districts a permit is also needed before filling, excavating or storing materials or equipment.

Rebuilding after an involuntary loss such as fire or wind still needs a permit, but no fee is charged. Other approvals ride alongside. Every new single-family dwelling needs an erosion control plan, a project disturbing an acre or more needs the state construction stormwater permit, and the department administers the Wetland Conservation Act, so wetland work needs a county wetland permit.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county sets districts, lot rules and setbacks; in the Agricultural Protection District a house on less than 40 acres needs a conditional use permit, and in shoreland structures stay 40 feet from the top of a bluff, 50 feet from a federal, state or county highway right of way and 20 feet from a town road. The department’s permit page states that Houston County does not enforce the building code, while Minnesota law still requires plumbing and electrical inspections; those are made by state inspectors.

Houston County building department: who handles permitting

Zoning & Planning, led by Environmental Services Director Amelia Meiners, covers planning and zoning, feedlots, noxious weeds, the Wetland Conservation Act and septic regulation, and issues zoning permits, septic permits and certificates of compliance. It also prepares every conditional use, interim use, amendment and variance petition. Staff are often in the field, so the county asks visitors to call ahead for an appointment. Each applicant must notify the township, which gets at least seven days to comment before a permit is issued.

Cities in Houston County

The department’s page says municipalities run their own planning and zoning and should be asked about permits and building code; the zoning ordinance applies inside a city only if it chooses to come under it. Flood-program status is from FEMA’s Community Status Book.

Houston County permit types

All zoning applications go through GeoPermits. The county’s how-to sheet walks through it: find the parcel on Beacon, choose Apply for Permit, register and verify an account, confirm the prefilled township, upload plans and a site drawing (or draw one with the mapping tools), and sign electronically. Someone applying for an owner, such as a contractor or relative, uploads written consent or a contract. Fees fill in automatically and are paid afterward by check. Septic applications are separate and go to the office in person or by email; the feedlot permit application and the property owner signature and authorization sheet are posted as PDFs.

Residential permits

The county’s new-house checklist lists the online zoning permit, an erosion control plan, a septic design and application completed by a licensed contractor, a conditional use permit where the lot is under 40 acres, an E911 address request and a driveway approval from the township, county engineer or MnDOT. Additions with plumbing or bedrooms may trigger a septic upgrade, so the septic contractor completes that application. The $400 dwelling permit covers the house with its deck, porch and attached garage; a later addition is $150.

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

Commercial and other permits

Uses not permitted outright need a conditional or interim use permit, heard by the Planning Commission and decided by the Board of Commissioners, and dimensional relief needs a variance from the Board of Adjustment. Mineral extraction rules were amended again on April 21, 2026, and the county regulates cannabis businesses through text amendments approved in February 2025. Feedlots of 50 animal units, or 10 in shoreland, register with the county feedlot officer.

What comes before the permit

• Township notice. Tell the township about the application; it has at least seven days to comment.
• Driveway. Township roads need the township official’s approval, county roads the Highway Department’s driveway permit, state highways MnDOT’s.
• Address. Zoning & Planning assigns E911 addresses with the Highway and Surveyor departments once it knows the structure and driveway location.
• Septic. A licensed contractor designs the system and fills in the septic application.
• Erosion control. A plan is required with every new single-family dwelling.
• Hearing. A house on less than 40 acres goes through the conditional use permit process first.

Houston County permit fees

The county fee schedule adopted by the Board of Commissioners on October 7, 2025 sets these amounts. The office does not take cards; checks go to the Houston County Treasurer and can be mailed, dropped off or left in the drop box by the courthouse door in an envelope marked Zoning. Zoning permit fees are processed once the permit issues. For a conditional use permit the $700 hearing fee and the $46 recording fee are paid by separate checks, and the hearing fee is processed when the notice goes to the newspaper.

The county’s how-to sheet lists septic fees as $375 to $750 and the E911 address at $50, while its dwelling checklist shows $375 to $1,000 for septic and $280 for the address with sign installation. The adopted schedule above is the one to budget from for septic: it reaches $1,000 for Type IV and V and homeowner-installed systems. For addresses it lists the $50 assignment and only replacement signs, so the $280 for a new address with its sign comes from the checklist alone.

Worked example: a house on 40 or more acres with a Type I septic system pays $400 for the zoning permit, $375 for the septic permit and the checklist’s $280 for the address and sign, $1,055, plus an erosion control plan of $80 to $240 depending on its type and, for a new driveway onto a county road, the $550 residential access permit. On less than 40 acres add the $700 conditional use permit and the $46 recording fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Houston County issues no building, plumbing or mechanical permits in the townships. Its permit page sends owners to the state electrical inspector for electrical inspections of all structures and to the state plumbing inspector for commercial plumbing, and to Minnesota OSHA at 651-384-5050 for building code questions. Contractors, electricians and plumbers hold Department of Labor and Industry licenses; the county licenses none of them.

• Septic contractors. The county posts the MPCA list of licensed septic contractors working in the county, updated March 9, 2026, and the contractor completes the septic application.
• Homeowner septic installs. The fee schedule prices a homeowner-installed system at $1,000, holding tank or not.
• Feedlots. Houston is a delegated county, so its feedlot officer handles registration, permits and inspections for operations under 1,000 animal units.

How to apply for a Houston County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Hearings are the long pole. The Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission hold hearings on the fourth Thursday of each month in the Commissioner’s Room, usually the third Thursday in November and December. A complete conditional use application is due about three weeks before its hearing; notice runs in the Caledonia Argus two weeks ahead and goes to the ten closest owners, and the Board of Commissioners decides about ten days after the hearing, with recording taking two to four weeks. A zoning permit lasts one year and can be extended once, for $50, where reasonably diligent construction could not start.

Inspections in Houston County

With no county building code enforcement, the county’s checks are zoning and septic checks: Zoning & Planning issues certificates of compliance confirming that improvements meet the zoning standards. In the floodplain, no certificate is issued until a registered engineer or land surveyor certifies that the flood protection measures comply.

Septic work is reviewed under the county septic program with licensed contractors, and the department notes that additions adding plumbing or bedrooms can require the system to be upgraded. Electrical work on every structure, and plumbing on commercial work, is inspected by the state inspectors named on the county’s permit page.

Minnesota building code

Houston County administers zoning, shoreland, floodplain, septic, feedlot, wetland and cannabis rules and does not enforce the building code. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the county as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since January 6, 1982, with a current flood map dated December 7, 2018.

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

Houston County permit search and official resources

GeoPermits users log in to My Dashboard to follow each application and receive email updates. Parcel, ownership and map data are on Beacon, Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission agendas and approved minutes are linked from the Public Hearings page, and Board of Commissioners agendas, packets and minutes are posted by meeting date.

• Houston County Zoning & Planning
• Zoning permits and online permitting
• How to apply for a building (zoning) permit
• New dwelling checklist
• County fee schedule (adopted October 7, 2025)
• Zoning ordinances and amendments
• Houston County Zoning Ordinance (March 2025)
• Septic systems
• Feedlots
• Public hearings
• Timeline for a conditional use permit
• Highway permits and maps
• Board of Commissioners agendas and minutes
• State electrical permits (DLI)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Minnesota

Houston County permit FAQs

Does Houston County enforce the building code?

No. The county says so on its permit page; it issues zoning and septic permits, and state inspectors handle electrical and commercial plumbing inspections.

How much is a zoning permit for a new house?

$400, covering the house with its deck, porch and attached garage, under the fee schedule adopted October 7, 2025.

Can I build a house on less than 40 acres?

Yes, with a conditional use permit: a $700 hearing fee and $46 recording fee, a Planning Commission hearing and a Board decision.

How do I apply?

Online through GeoPermits, opened from your parcel on Beacon; payment is by check mailed or dropped off at the courthouse.

Why does the township need to know?

Applicants must notify their township, and townships get at least seven days to comment before the county issues a zoning permit.

How much does a shed permit cost?

Accessory buildings are 15 cents per square foot with a $300 cap, so a 20 by 30 foot shed is $90.

When are zoning hearings held?

On the fourth Thursday of each month, usually the third Thursday in November and December, in the Commissioner’s Room.

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