Nobles County, Minnesota Building Permit Guide

Nobles County Environmental Services, run from Public Works at 960 Diagonal Road in Worthington, requires a land use permit for anyone who erects, alters or moves a permanent or portable building in the unincorporated county, and it also issues septic permits and enforces the Wetland Conservation Act. Its posted fee list, effective January 2, 2024, charges $750 for a new dwelling and triples any permit applied for after the fact; the 2026 fee schedule adopted on February 3, 2026 returned the office to its approved 2025 fees. Worthington and the other cities permit inside their own limits.

What requires a permit in Nobles County?

Section 507.1 of the Land Use Ordinance makes the land use permit the county’s basic building approval: anyone intending to erect, alter or move a permanent or portable building must get one from the Planning and Zoning Administrator, who issues it within 60 days if the project conforms. Section 507.2 adds separate permits for signs and billboards, land alteration, feedlots and essential service utilities.

Feedlots carry their own layer. Any feedlot with more than 10 animal units present needs a Nobles County Feedlot License, and a land use permit is also required to build or expand a building that is part of a feedlot. Where the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is the permitting authority, its permit comes first.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county sets zoning districts, setbacks, lot sizes, shoreland and floodplain standards and septic rules for land outside the cities. Its pages describe land use permits rather than State Building Code permits for houses; the one building code it does administer is the State Accessibility Code (Minnesota Rules 1341), which Section 726 adopts for buildings subject to it, with a state-certified building official appointed by the county and review billed on time and materials. Electrical permits come from the Department of Labor and Industry and wells fall under the Minnesota Department of Health.

Nobles County building department: who handles permitting

Environmental Services, led by Environmental Services Manager Mark Koster, handles planning and zoning, lot splits, septic permits and inspections, feedlots, wetlands, agricultural and weed inspection, private well water testing and the county recycling program. Its zoning staff process conditional use and variance applications and work with the Planning Commission and the Board of Adjustment.

Cities in Nobles County

Each city controls its own zoning and decides whether it enforces the State Building Code. Around Worthington the county applies a Joint Jurisdictional Area covering land within half a mile of the city, with its own districts and a Joint Planning Commission. The septic ordinance covers all county land except incorporated areas running their own county-approved program. Flood-program status is from FEMA’s Community Status Book.

Nobles County permit types

The land use permit covers buildings, while conditional use permits, special conditional use permits, variances, rezonings, plats, grading and filling permits, sign permits and septic permits each have their own fee line. A lot split or boundary adjustment starts with the Split Authorization Request Form, emailed with the subject line “Parcel Split Request – Township or City Split” so staff can check the new parcels against county ordinances before anything is recorded.

Residential permits

In the Agricultural Preservation district a new home site needs at least 2 acres, enough room for two standard septic soil treatment areas, and a lot at least 150 feet wide and 200 feet deep; a house must have 800 square feet of floor area or more. Buildings are measured from the road centerline: 125 feet on a state highway or county road, 80 feet on a township road and 225 feet along the two-lane stretches of Trunk Highway 60, with 20-foot side and rear yards and a 45-foot or three-story height cap that does not apply to grain elevators, silos and bins. Field windbreaks and living snow fences stand 150 feet from a road right-of-way and farmstead trees 25 feet.

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Commercial and other permits

Commercial buildings pay by square foot, towers and wind turbines by height, and sand or gravel pits need a land alteration permit and may not operate within half a mile of a city or a residential district. Larger or unusual uses go to the Planning Commission as conditional uses. In 2026 a proposal to make data centers a conditional use in the Agricultural Preservation district drew two public hearings and 1,146 written comments; the commission recommended no change, and on April 21, 2026 the County Board voted 3–2 to uphold that recommendation, so data centers were not added.

What comes before the permit

• Septic. A new system needs a septic permit and a design by a licensed professional; adding a bedroom triggers a compliance inspection first.
• Lot creation. New parcels go through the split authorization review or platting.
• Hearings. Conditional uses, rezonings and plats go to the Planning Commission and County Board; variances to the Board of Adjustment.
• Road access. A new, moved or widened driveway on a county highway needs the Public Works access permit.
• Wetlands and shoreland. Environmental Services enforces the Wetland Conservation Act, and shoreland grading over 50 cubic yards needs a permit.

Nobles County permit fees

Environmental Services’ web page lists the land use fees below, effective January 2, 2024, and triples every land use permit applied for after the fact.

Accessibility code review for buildings covered by Minnesota Rules 1341 is billed on time and materials, with the state surcharge added.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Nobles County’s pages list no electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits. Electrical permits are filed with the Department of Labor and Industry, which applies the 2026 National Electrical Code to permits filed on or after August 17, 2026; builders, electricians and plumbers are licensed by the state, and the county keeps no trade license.

• Septic work. The county charges $2,000 for a self-installed system against $200 to $400 for a standard new one, and compliance inspections must be signed by licensed inspectors.
• Feedlots. Owners of open lots and confinement buildings hold a county feedlot license, updated when animal numbers or types change.
• Wells. Environmental Services tests private well water, while well construction and sealing go through the Minnesota Department of Health.

How to apply for a Nobles County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The ordinance gives the Planning and Zoning Administrator up to 60 days to issue a conforming land use permit. The Planning Commission holds its hearing on a conditional use permit within 30 days of a complete application, after newspaper notice at least 10 days ahead and letters to owners within a quarter mile or the 10 nearest properties, whichever reaches more people; a rezoning is mailed to owners within half a mile. The county is also rewriting its Comprehensive Plan; on February 3, 2026 the board agreed the Planning and Zoning Commission may still take up land use text amendments before the plan is finished, because some developers’ timelines cannot wait a year or more.

Inspections in Nobles County

Environmental Services provides the inspections for the septic program. A compliance inspection is required before a permit to add a bedroom, though an application made between November 1 and April 30 can proceed if the inspection follows by June 1 and a certificate of compliance is filed by September 30. Inspections are also required when a system needs a repair permit or the use of the building expands or changes, and the ordinance says they will be considered at a property sale.

Driveways get a final inspection by Public Works after construction, and the slope must fall at least 3 inches over the first 15 feet away from the road shoulder. Work under the accessibility code is reviewed and inspected through the county’s certified building official. The county’s pages describe no construction inspections for houses, and electrical work is inspected under the state permit.

Minnesota building code

Nobles County’s land use rules sit in its 2016 Land Use Ordinance, the Joint Jurisdictional Ordinance, the SSTS ordinance, the feedlot ordinance effective June 1, 2019, the solar ordinance approved November 3, 2020 and the cannabis ordinance approved September 3, 2024. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the county as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since June 3, 1986, with a current flood map dated May 19, 2014. The county is also setting up a sewer service district for the unincorporated community of Reading.

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

Nobles County permit search and official resources

Parcels can be looked up on the county’s Beacon GIS map viewer, and past land use and septic permits are kept by Environmental Services. Board agendas and approved minutes, including conditional use and fee decisions, are posted on the commissioners’ page.

• Nobles County Environmental Services
• Land use permit fees
• Zoning ordinances and maps
• Nobles County Land Use Ordinance
• Joint Jurisdictional Ordinance (Worthington area)
• Septic system ordinance and forms
• SSTS ordinance
• Feedlot ordinance
• Split authorization request form
• Public Works engineering permits
• Driveway or entrance permit
• County Board agendas and minutes
• January 28, 2026 fee schedule review minutes
• Minnesota Department of Health well programs
• State electrical permits (DLI)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Minnesota

Nobles County permit FAQs

Do I need a permit for a portable shed?

Yes. The land use permit applies to permanent and portable buildings alike; the posted rate is $0.05 per square foot with a $50 minimum.

What does a new house permit cost?

The posted list shows $750 for a new dwelling, plus $200 to $400 for a standard new septic system.

What if I build first and apply later?

After-the-fact land use permits cost three times the listed fee.

Can a data center be built in rural Nobles County?

Not as the ordinance stands: the County Board declined on April 21, 2026 to add data centers as a conditional use.

Who reviews land near Worthington?

Land within half a mile of the city falls in the county’s Joint Jurisdictional Area, reviewed by a Joint Planning Commission.

Is a septic inspection needed to add a bedroom?

Yes, a compliance inspection is required, with a winter allowance for applications made from November 1 to April 30.

Does the county inspect home construction?

Its pages describe land use and septic permits, not house inspections; the only building code it lists is the accessibility code, run by its building official.

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