Mower County, Minnesota Building Permit Guide

For land outside the cities, Mower County Environmental Services, a division of Public Works at 1105 8th Avenue NE in Austin, issues the zoning permit needed to build, add on to, replace or move a structure, plus septic and feedlot approvals. A residential structure costs $150 and a home septic system $550, applications can be emailed to the office, and addresses and driveway permits are requested through GeoPermits. The county’s ordinance and pages describe zoning review, not county building-code inspections.

What requires a permit in Mower County?

Section 14-13 of the Mower County Zoning Ordinance, as updated October 9, 2026, bars anyone from erecting, altering or moving a building without a zoning permit, and any change to a structure’s exterior shape, enclosed porches included, needs one whatever it costs. The department’s permit flyer spells out what that means in the countryside.

The flyer lists decks among the structures that need a permit, while the ordinance treats decks as minor structures that need only zoning review unless they are in shoreland, in the floodplain or on a nonconforming lot. The ordinance is the adopted rule; a quick call settles which form to file.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The County Board sets districts, setbacks and allowed uses for everything outside city limits; uses not listed as permitted in a district need a conditional use permit or are prohibited, and where shoreland or floodplain overlays a district the stricter standard applies. Nothing in the zoning ordinance or the department’s permit pages creates a county building permit or a county building inspection for houses. Electrical work is inspected by state electrical inspectors, and private wells fall under the Minnesota Department of Health.

Mower County building department: who handles permitting

Environmental Services, a division of Public Works, covers zoning and land use permits, septic systems, feedlots, solid waste and recycling, water planning and floodplain management. The Highway Department in the same building handles 911 addressing, driveway and access permits and oversize moving permits, all requested online through GeoPermits with an email address. Four townships, Lansing, Udolpho, Red Rock and Pleasant Valley, have adopted zoning of their own and may add permit steps, and every county zoning application is copied to the affected town board.

Cities in Mower County

The zoning ordinance stops at the limits of every city, and each city sets its own zoning and decides whether it enforces the building code. The county septic ordinance reaches all land except areas running their own approved septic program. Flood-program status is from FEMA’s Community Status Book.

Mower County permit types

The zoning permit form has four columns, residential, accessory, agricultural and commercial or auxiliary, each marked new, replacement or addition, with dimensions, height over or under 35 feet, total cost and, for grain bins, bushels. The contractor’s name and license number are required. Land use applications cover conditional use permits, variances, rezonings and amendments, and plats; demolition, impervious surface and bedroom determination guides sit beside them.

Residential permits

A new or replacement house must come with either a septic permit application or a certificate of compliance for an existing system designed for at least as many bedrooms. Adding bedrooms, or rooms that could serve as bedrooms, needs a passing compliance inspection or an unexpired certificate, and a noncompliant system must be upgraded. New dwellings need an E911 address through GeoPermits. In the agricultural and rural management zones the county uses a recorded Homeowners’ Assumption of Risk form acknowledging farm odors, noise, chemicals and traffic. Accessory dwelling units gained their own article, Article X, under Ordinance #04-26 adopted August 11, 2026.

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

Commercial and other permits

Commercial, manufacturing and industrial structures pay the higher zoning fee, and any use not permitted outright needs a conditional use permit approved by the County Board. Solar farms and gardens need a conditional use permit in the Agricultural and Rural Management districts, wind turbines in several districts, and new feedlot structures need a feedlot registration first, except hobby farms under 10 animal units. Outdoor cannabis grow facilities were added to Article VIII by a 2026 amendment.

What comes before the permit

• Township. In Lansing, Udolpho, Red Rock and Pleasant Valley townships ask about township zoning requirements.
• Septic. A design and permit application, or a certificate of compliance under five years old for a new system or three years for an existing one.
• Shoreland and floodplain. Lots within 1,000 feet of a lake or 300 feet of a river or stream, or in mapped floodplain, follow the overlay rules; the county’s floodplain inquiry tool shows mapped areas.
• Feedlot officer. Meet early for any new feedlot structure.
• Address and access. Request the E911 address and driveway permit through GeoPermits.
• Hearings. Variances go to the Board of Adjustment, conditional uses and rezonings to the Planning Commission and County Board.

Mower County permit fees

Zoning fees are set by County Board resolution; the amounts below are those on the department’s zoning page and current application form, and the septic rows come from the 2024 Septic Permit and Related Fees schedule adopted December 26, 2023. Card payments online or by phone carry a 2.5 percent charge ($1.50 minimum), and e-checks a flat $1.50.

The department’s undated permit flyer says permit fees triple once construction has started, while the zoning page and the current application both set after-the-fact permits at 1.5 times the base fee. Type III and holding tank review fees are waived when the owner’s annual report arrives before March 1.

Worked example: a new house in the Agricultural District with a standard Type I system pays the $150 residential zoning permit and the $550 septic permit, $700 to the county before the GeoPermits address and driveway charges, which the county posts inside that portal rather than on its pages.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Mower County issues no building, plumbing or mechanical permits in the townships. Electrical permits come from the state; the county ordinance itself requires solar installations to be permitted and inspected by state electrical inspectors. Residential builders, electricians and plumbers are licensed by the state, and the county form asks for the contractor’s license number; the county issues no trade license.

• Septic contractors. The county posts a septic contractor list, updated July 15, 2026, and contractors file on the county’s SSTS application template, Type III operating permit template and the state compliance inspection form.
• Feedlot work. Mower is a delegated county in the state feedlot program, so registrations and feedlot permits run through the county feedlot officer.
• Wells. New wells and well setbacks follow Minnesota Department of Health rules; the county no longer tests private water, and free kits come from Austin Utilities or the Mower Soil and Water Conservation District.

How to apply for a Mower County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Conditional use and variance requests take the longest. An incomplete packet comes back with a written list of what is missing within 15 business days. A complete one goes to the next hearing date: notice runs in the legal newspaper at least 10 days ahead and is mailed to landowners within a quarter mile or the nearest 10, a staff member and two Planning Commission members visit the site about a week before, and the County Board makes the final decision on conditional uses. The Board of Adjustment’s next variance session begins with site visits from the Public Works Office at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, before the hearing at the Government Center. Missing septic paperwork, a feedlot registration or a needed variance holds up the zoning permit.

Inspections in Mower County

County inspections here are zoning and septic checks, not building-code inspections. Staking the planned buildings, easements and lot lines helps both the zoning review and any hearing site visit.

Septic compliance is the inspection most owners meet. A certificate of compliance, the result of a passing inspection, lasts five years for a new installation and three years for an existing system. A valid certificate must be on file before property changes hands; if one cannot be done, an escrow covering inspection, design, installation and abandonment is required, set by the County Board at $35,000 for 2025 and 2026. Where a permit needs a compliance inspection that cannot be done in time, the county’s flow chart allows a $3,000 escrow with a set due date, typically July, between November 1 and May 1 or whenever the applicant chooses.

Electrical inspections are made by the state electrical inspector.

Minnesota building code

Mower County’s own rules are its zoning ordinance, subdivision ordinance, septic ordinance (adopted January 12, 2021, last revised April 9, 2024), buffer, cannabis and airport zoning ordinances, and a comprehensive land use plan adopted March 12, 2026. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the county as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since July 16, 1979, with a current map dated September 4, 2013, and as a Community Rating System class 8 county with a 10 percent premium discount.

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

Mower County permit search and official resources

The Environmental Services Map on the county GIS hub shows parcel boundaries, zoning, shoreland and floodplain and can be used to sketch a site drawing; GeoPermits keeps the history of address, access and moving requests for each applicant. Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment legal notices, recent ordinance amendments and the comprehensive plan are on the Notices page, and hearing applications can be reviewed at the Public Works Office during business hours before each meeting.

• Mower County zoning and land use permits
• Environmental Services
• Zoning Permit Application
• When do I need a zoning permit?
• Mower County Zoning Ordinance (updated October 9, 2026)
• Ordinance #04-26, Accessory Dwelling Units
• County ordinances
• Public notices and ordinance amendments
• What happens after I submit a land use application
• Septic systems
• 2024 Septic Permit and Related Fees
• Mower County SSTS Ordinance (rev. April 9, 2024)
• Do I need a compliance inspection? (flow chart)
• Septic systems at property transfer (2026)
• Feedlots
• Water management and floodplain
• Highway Department permitting
• Mower County GeoPermits
• Mower County GIS hub
• State electrical permits (DLI)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Minnesota

Mower County permit FAQs

Do I need a county permit for a fence?

No. The department’s permit flyer states that fences do not require a permit from Mower County.

Does a small shed need a permit?

A storage or utility building of 200 square feet or less and under 14 feet tall gets a free zoning review instead of a permit, unless it is in shoreland, floodplain or on a nonconforming lot.

How much does a zoning permit cost for a new house?

$150 for a residential structure, plus $550 for a standard home septic permit under the 2024 schedule.

Does Mower County do building inspections?

Its ordinance and permit pages describe zoning review and septic inspections only; electrical work is inspected by the state.

What septic paperwork is needed to sell a rural home?

A valid certificate of compliance on file before the transfer, or an escrow, set at $35,000 for 2025 and 2026.

Can I email my application?

Yes. Send the completed zoning application and site drawing to zoning@co.mower.mn.us; addresses and driveway permits are requested in GeoPermits.

Do any townships have their own zoning?

Yes. Lansing, Udolpho, Red Rock and Pleasant Valley townships have adopted zoning and may require their own permits.

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