Morrison County, Minnesota Building Permit Guide

Outside its cities, Morrison County requires a land use permit from Land Services’ Planning and Zoning division in Little Falls for every structure that occupies ground space, every septic system and every new address; the county says it issues land use permits in place of building permits. A new house costs $0.30 per square foot under the fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, and applications take 2 to 3 weeks. Electrical permits come from the state.

What requires a permit in rural Morrison County?

The county’s rule is broad: all structures and septic systems placed or erected on property in Morrison County require a land use permit, and in shoreland every grade-and-fill job, rip rap installation and stairway does too. The permits page lists buildings, decks, storage sheds, barns, and stairways and patios along the shoreline, plus septic systems and new addresses.

Deck replacement is not maintenance: the county’s answer to whether a deck needs a permit is yes.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Morrison County’s permit is a land use permit: it checks zoning, setbacks, shoreland, floodplain, septic and feedlot rules under the Morrison County Land Use Control Ordinance, and along the Mississippi River the Mississippi Headwaters Board plan applies too. The county’s pages describe no State Building Code plan review or inspections. Setbacks are measured from the roof eaves, and new houses and attached garages must also meet feedlot setbacks. Shoreland went under county ordinance in 1972.

Morrison County building department: who handles permitting

Land Services, under Director of Land Services Amy Kowalzek, includes the Planning and Zoning division (land use, septic, shoreland, floodplain, subdivisions and parcel splits), the feedlot program, GIS, the assessor and a cannabis regulation page. The division also staffs the Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission. Driveways onto county highways belong to Public Works.

Cities in Morrison County

The county’s land use controls cover the unincorporated area; each city handles its own zoning and decides on its own building code enforcement.

Morrison County permit types

Applications can be mailed or dropped off, filed in person or submitted through the county’s RTVision online portal; paying online adds processing fees. Payment must come with the application. Variances, conditional and interim uses, rezonings and plats have separate hearing applications.

Residential permits

The land use permit application asks for the road type, whether a 911 address and sign or a septic permit is needed (and when the existing system was last inspected), a description of the project with dimensions and use, height, contractor, estimated value, the date the site will be staked and whether it is in a floodplain. Setbacks are filled in from the eaves to the road right of way, side and rear lines, any feedlot, the ordinary high water mark, a bluff, wetlands and the septic tank and drainfield. A sketch shows all buildings, the road access, all wells including abandoned ones, and septic systems. Before applying for a house, the property must be recorded in your name and a septic design must be on file.

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

Commercial and other permits

Buildings in commercial zoning and churches are $0.35 per square foot, and cell towers, signs, wind and solar projects and gravel pits have their own fees. A feedlot growing beyond 300 animal units needs a conditional use permit, with a new one each time it passes a tier, and new feedlots are allowed only in the Agricultural districts. Feedlots register with Land Services at least once every four years.

What comes before the permit

• Development Review Team. Every public hearing application starts with a DRT meeting with Land Services.
• Variance. The Board of Adjustment decides; its decisions can be appealed only through district court.
• Conditional or interim use, rezoning, subdivision. The Planning Commission recommends to the County Board.
• Shoreland. Within 1,000 feet of a protected lake or 300 feet of a protected river: structures stand 75 feet from a general development lake, 100 from a recreational development lake and 150 from a natural environment lake or the Mississippi River.
• Septic certificate. A current certificate of compliance or installation is needed before applying to build or expand a dwelling, for any commercial building, and for any structure permit in shoreland.
• Parcel splits. A Certificate of Review from Land Services comes before recording a split.
• Access. A driveway onto a county highway needs a Public Works access permit.

Morrison County permit costs and fees

The Morrison County Permit Fee Schedule took effect January 1, 2026. Most structure fees are charged per square foot with a minimum.

Worked example. A 1,600-square-foot house costs 1,600 × $0.30 = $480. A septic permit adds $250 and a new E911 address $150, for $880 in county permits. A detached 720-square-foot garage would add $80, because 720 × $0.10 = $72 is below the $80 minimum.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county’s fee schedule includes no electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits; its permits page sends electrical inspections to DLI’s homeowner electrical permit page, and DLI requires the 2026 National Electrical Code for permits filed on or after August 17, 2026. DLI licenses electricians, plumbers and residential builders, remodelers and roofers.

• Shoreland contractors. From May 1, 2026, anyone in the business of excavating or landscaping in the shoreland district must hold a Morrison County license: attend training given by Morrison County Land Services, apply with the license fee and post a $25,000 performance bond in favor of the county. The work covered includes basement or structure excavation, hauling fill, and installing rip rap, patios, sand blankets, retaining walls and new driveways, and a county permit for such work must name a licensed contractor before it is issued unless the owner does the work. The county posts a list of licensed shoreland contractors.
• Septic. Only people licensed by the state may inspect, design or install a septic system.
• Right of way. Anyone placing equipment in the county right of way registers with the county, and utility companies apply online for commercial utility permits.

How to apply for a Morrison County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Land Services says applications can take 2 to 3 weeks to approve. The most common hold-ups are a missing or expired septic certificate (a compliance inspection is good for three years, an installation certificate for five), a site sketch without setbacks measured from the eaves, and a project that needs a variance and so a DRT meeting and a hearing before the five-member Board of Adjustment. Starting work early is at the owner’s risk: the county notes that projects are often halted for environmental or land use problems.

Inspections in Morrison County

Planning and Zoning staff inspect the staked site; the land use application has a line for the staff member who inspected it, and a second visit caused by applicant error costs $25. The county’s pages describe no building code inspections of footings, framing or finishes.

On the day a new septic system is installed, a certified county employee inspects it, and once approved the county sends a certificate of compliance. A current certificate is required whenever property is sold. Feedlot sites are overseen by the county’s feedlot program, which publishes an annual feedlot officer report. New or expanding feedlots and non-feedlot houses must keep reciprocal setbacks, measured from the closest point of the feedlot to the house or attached garage.

Minnesota building code

Morrison County administers its Land Use Control Ordinance, including the 2011 version of the state septic rules, in the unincorporated area, and issues land use permits in place of building permits. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Morrison County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since June 15, 1981, on a flood map effective July 31, 2024; it lists Bowlus, Buckman, Elmdale, Genola and Harding as not participating.

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

Morrison County permit search and official resources

For an earlier land use or septic permit, or a septic certificate on a property you are buying, ask Land Services at 320-632-0170. Online applicants can follow their applications in RTVision.

• Morrison County Planning and Zoning
• Permits and how to apply
• RTVision online permit applications
• Permit fee schedule, effective January 1, 2026 (PDF)
• Land use permit application packet (PDF)
• Minimum setback requirements (PDF)
• Planning and Zoning FAQs
• Shoreland and shoreland contractor licensing
• Septic systems
• Feedlots
• Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission
• Land Services
• Public Works permits
• DLI electrical code adoption (2026 NEC)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Minnesota

Morrison County permit FAQs

Does Morrison County issue building permits?

It issues land use permits in place of building permits, for any structure that occupies ground space outside the cities.

Do I need a permit to re-roof or replace windows?

No; new shingles, windows and siding are nonstructural maintenance. Replacing the roof deck or supports does need a permit.

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

$0.30 per square foot with a $100 minimum, so $480 for 1,600 square feet.

Do I need a permit for a deck or shed?

Yes; decks and sheds are $0.10 per square foot with an $80 minimum.

Who handles wetlands?

The Morrison County Soil and Water Conservation District; the zoning office has no wetland authority.

Can any contractor work on my lakeshore?

Since May 1, 2026, excavating and landscaping businesses working in the shoreland district must hold a county shoreland contractor license, and the county permit must name the licensed contractor unless the owner does the work.

How long does a permit take?

Land Services says 2 to 3 weeks, with payment due when you apply.

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