Kandiyohi County, Minnesota Building Permit Guide

Kandiyohi County enforces the State Building Code itself: under Ordinance No. 31 of 2004 the Department of Environmental Services, at 400 Benson Avenue SW in Willmar, issues building permits and inspects construction through its certified building official, alongside zoning, septic and floodplain permits. It covers land outside the cities except St. John’s Township, and building permit fees are figured from project valuation after plan review.

What requires a permit in Kandiyohi County?

Two permits can apply to one project. The Zoning Ordinance requires a land use permit to erect, alter or move any structure, and Ordinance No. 31 requires a building permit for work governed by the State Building Code. The county’s exemption sheet follows Minnesota Rules 1300.0120 and marks where a land use permit is still needed.

The Planning and Zoning FAQ adds that re-shingling, re-siding and installing gas water heaters, fireplaces and furnaces need no permit, and the Zoning Ordinance exempts interior alterations, slabs and patios under 12 inches outside the shore impact zone, and one accessory building of up to 120 square feet, under 10 feet tall and at least 5 feet from the side line, from the land use permit. The gas and mechanical lists also exempt portable heating, cooling and ventilation appliances, self-contained refrigeration units holding 10 pounds of refrigerant or less or run by motors of 1 horsepower or less, and replacement parts that do not change the equipment’s approval.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Ordinance No. 31 adopts the State Building Code and its later editions without the optional appendix chapters, and names Environmental Services as the enforcing agency. The county sets zoning, setbacks, septic, shoreland and floodplain rules on top. The state keeps electrical inspection: house wiring must be inspected and approved by the state electrical inspector, and wells are permitted through the Minnesota Department of Health, since Kandiyohi is not on its list of delegated well programs.

Kandiyohi County building department: who handles permitting

Environmental Services houses both the Building Department, led by Building Official Chris Lorensen, and Planning and Zoning, led by Zoning Administrator Eric Van Dyken. Planning and Zoning covers land use, subdivisions, septic systems and floodplains outside city limits and assigns E911 addresses county-wide. Since October 15, 2013, St. John’s Township has handled permitting for its own properties, and the county’s 2026 permit list runs through the other 23 townships.

Cities in Kandiyohi County

Each city runs its own zoning and building-code decisions. Land within two miles of New London must also meet the City of New London’s permitting and building code requirements, and moving a structure into New London Township needs the township’s permit too. The county septic ordinance reaches cities that do not run an approved septic program of their own.

Kandiyohi County permit types

To get a permit packet, email envservices@kcmn.us with the property address or parcel number, a project description and a phone number. Every building permit needs the application, a site plan and building plans; the county also posts a property owner waiver form, an assessor form, an energy code compliance form, an impervious surface calculation form and an erosion control worksheet, plus required-information sheets for each project type and technical handouts on footings, decks, egress windows, insulation, stairs and snow loads.

Residential permits

A new house needs the application, a site plan (a registered survey may be required), elevation, floor and section drawings, floor and roof truss specifications stamped by a Minnesota licensed structural engineer, the energy code certificate and proof of septic compliance. The county requires overhead garage doors rated for 90 mph wind, a blower door test showing no more than 3 air changes per hour, and a radon mitigation system. The Zoning Ordinance does not allow a dwelling narrower than 14 feet.

A new home must show a septic permit or compliance inspection with the building application, unless it connects to the Glacial Lakes Sanitary Sewer and Water District (320-796-4523) or the Eagle Lake Sanitary Sewer District, handled through the City of Willmar engineer (320-235-4202). On the land use side, staff check setbacks, which vary with the zoning district and the road or lake the lot fronts.

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

Commercial and other permits

Business, commercial and industrial buildings have their own submittal sheet, and commercial structures carry a $300 land use fee. Conditional uses go to the Planning Commission and then the County Board; the commission met on September 8, October 12 and November 9 in 2026. Variances go to the Board of Adjustment, which met on January 12, June 8 and August 10, 2026. Rezoning, plats, signs and environmental review have their own fees, and wind energy systems have their own section of the zoning ordinance.

What comes before the permit

• Access. State highway access goes through MnDOT (320-214-3776), county road access through the County Highway Department and township road access through the township clerk.
• Septic. A design or compliance inspection, unless the lot is sewered by a sanitary district.
• Watershed. Inside the Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District, a district permit may be needed for stormwater, erosion control or drainage.
• Survey. Splitting land into less than a full government lot or quarter-quarter section needs a certificate of survey by a registered land surveyor.
• Utilities. Call Gopher State One Call at least 48 hours before digging.

Kandiyohi County permit fees

Building permit fees are set by cost tables the County Board adopts, applied to the project valuation from the state’s building valuation data, plus the state surcharge; the department figures them after reviewing the application and plans, and they must be paid in full before the permit issues. Ordinance No. 31 sets plan review for an approved similar plan at 25 percent of the building permit fee and an investigation fee of 50 percent of the permit fee when work starts before the permit. Land use fees come from the schedule the Planning and Zoning page links, effective January 20, 2012; it charges the largest applicable fee when an application covers several structures.

These are land use fees only; any required building permit fee is added. A refund of the building permit fee, less plan review, is possible if the project has not started and the written request reaches the office within 180 days of issuance.

The only building permit fee table the county posts is attached to its copy of Ordinance No. 31 and marked “Table 1-A, March 03/2003”: $15 for valuations up to $500; $45 for the first $2,000 plus $9 for each further $1,000 to $25,000; $252 for the first $25,000 plus $6.50 per $1,000 to $50,000; $414.50 for the first $50,000 plus $4.50 per $1,000 to $100,000; and $639.50 for the first $100,000 plus $3.50 per $1,000 to $500,000. When plans are required, that table adds a plan review fee of 65 percent of the permit fee. Both the 2003 building table and the 2012 land use schedule are old, and no newer adopted schedule is posted, so confirm current fees with Environmental Services at 320-231-6229 before budgeting.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county’s building permit application asks for the general contractor’s license number and the plumbing, electrical and mechanical contractors, and plumbing, mechanical and gas work is inspected by the county as part of the building permit. Electrical work is the exception: wiring is permitted, inspected and approved by the state electrical inspector, and the certificate of occupancy waits for that final approval. Homes built before 1978 require a lead-certified contractor for the work.

• Owner-builders. The county posts a property owner waiver form for owners acting as their own contractor.
• Septic systems. The county septic ordinance, run by Environmental Services, governs the siting, design, installation, operation and maintenance of every system in its jurisdiction, and all sewage in unsewered areas must go to an approved system.
• Large septic systems. A system or group designed for more than 10,000 gallons a day needs a state disposal system permit from the MPCA.

How to apply for a Kandiyohi County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Allow at least ten working days for a new house; land use permits are generally issued within five business days of a complete application, but summer is busier and incomplete applications wait. The zoning office will call if extra zoning permits or a hearing are needed. The building permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days, and a land use permit must be started within one year.

Inspections in Kandiyohi County

Call 320-231-6229, option 2, at least 24 hours ahead. For a new house the county lists 12 inspections: footings, foundations, under-slab compaction and vapor barrier, radon, under-slab plumbing, plumbing rough-in, mechanical rough-in, gas piping, framing, energy, plumbing final and the final.

The plumbing tests are spelled out: a 5 psig air test held for 15 minutes under the slab and on the waste and vent rough-in, and a manometer test at the plumbing final; gas piping is tested at 1.5 times the working pressure, at least 25 psig, for 10 minutes. A certificate of occupancy is required before moving in, and failing to complete required inspections is treated as a violation of the State Building Code.

Minnesota building code

Kandiyohi County enforces the State Building Code under Ordinance No. 31 and administers Zoning Ordinance No. 9A, last amended November 19, 2024, the 2014 septic ordinance and a June 2016 floodplain ordinance; a violation of the building code ordinance is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine or both. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the county as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since July 17, 1986, with a current map dated September 30, 2015 that shows flood areas without base flood elevations.

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

Kandiyohi County permit search and official resources

The Building Department posts a year-to-date list of permits issued, by township, with permit number, parcel, address, date and project. Septic records go back to 1972 on most properties; ask Environmental Services with the parcel number, address and legal description. County Board, Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment agendas are on the county’s CivicWeb meeting portal.

• Kandiyohi County Building Department
• Planning and Zoning
• Listing of permits issued
• Ordinance No. 31, adopting the State Building Code (2004)
• Zoning Ordinance No. 9A
• Subsurface Sewage Treatment System Ordinance
• Zoning and land use permit fee schedule (2012)
• Planning and Zoning responsibilities
• Work exempt from permits
• Single-family dwelling permit requirements
• Building permit application
• Technical handouts
• County meeting portal
• Delegated well programs (Minnesota Department of Health)
• State electrical permits (DLI)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Minnesota

Kandiyohi County permit FAQs

Does Kandiyohi County inspect new houses?

Yes. Its Building Department enforces the State Building Code outside the cities and St. John’s Township.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

A building permit starts above 200 square feet, and a land use permit above 120 square feet.

Do I need a permit for a deck?

A land use permit if it is more than 12 inches above grade; a building permit if it is over 30 inches or attached to a structure with frost footings.

Who inspects the wiring?

The state electrical inspector, whose final approval is needed before the certificate of occupancy.

How long does a house permit take?

Allow at least ten working days after a complete submittal.

What does a land use permit for a house cost?

$300 under the posted 2012 schedule, plus the building permit fee based on valuation; because the posted schedules date from 2012 and 2003, confirm the current amounts with Environmental Services.

I am near New London. Who permits my project?

Within two miles of New London you also need to meet the city’s permitting and building code requirements.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 320-231-6229, option 2, at least 24 hours in advance.

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