guide to land development, zoning and records in todd county

GUIDE TO LAND DEVELOPMENT, ZONING ANDRECORDS IN TODD COUNTYProperty Boundaries – Recorder’s Office Know where your property boundaries are. You can obtain a drawing of your property from the half-section and plat mapsavailable online at http://www.co.todd.mn.us/toddcounty/propertyinfo0002.asp or by contacting the Todd County Recorder’sOffice (note that these maps are often not surveyed boundaries). To obtain an accurate map of your property, you would need tohave a professional surveyor do a survey based on your legal description. If you have a small lot or will be building close to aproperty line or road right-of-way, you will want to clearly identify where your property lines are.Easements –Recorder’s Office Know whether there are any easements on your property. Some common types of easements include public utility easements (gas,electric, telephone, etc…), access easements (allowing neighboring property owners access to their land through yours), ordrainage easements (protecting areas for stormwater and other drainage). Certain restrictions will apply to how you can use theland where the easement is located. If you don’t know whether there are any easements on your property, check your abstract orthe Todd County Recorder’s Office.Zoning Districts – Environment & Land Resource Management Office In general, if you are within 1000 feet of a DNR protected lake or 300 feet of a DNR protected stream, your zoning district is“Shoreland.” The rest of the County has various zoning districts. You can access the zoning map under “Zoning DistrictInformation” on the Todd County Environment & Land Resource Management page. The Environment & Land ResourceManagement Office is available for assistance if you have questions regarding the zoning district of your property.Land Splits – Environment & Land Resource Management Office, Auditor’s Office Certain zoning regulations apply to how land can be split, including minimum lot sizes and road frontage. Check with theEnvironment & Land Resource Management Office before making any property split. Also, check with the Auditor’s Officeto make sure that all taxes have been paid and make sure that a correct legal description of the new parcel(s) is created. The splitwill need to be recorded at the Recorder’s Office.Property Transfers – Environment & Land Resource Management Office, Auditor’s Office, Recorder’s Office Septic System Requirements. In Todd County, all property transfers involving an existing septic system must show that theseptic system is compliant with state and local regulations. This may require that a licensed sewer inspector perform aninspection. If a system is not compliant, the seller must upgrade the system prior to transfer or place a sufficient amount of moneyinto an escrow account so that the buyer may upgrade the system. Contact the Environment & Land Resource Management Officewith any questions. Recording. Property transfers need to be recorded at the Recorder’s Office.Property Tax Questions – Assessor’s Office If you are planning to build on your property or make changes to how it is being used, check with the Assessor’s office to see howthese changes will affect your property taxes. The Assessor’s Office will also be able to help you with homesteading and propertyvaluation questions.Wetlands The filling or draining of any wetlands in Todd Co. is prohibited without a permit from the Wetland Conservation Act Officer atthe Soil & Water Office. Many wetlands do not appear wet at all times of the year, so be sure to check before starting any work.Driveway and Moving Permits – Public Works Department, Townships State Roads. If your property is located on a State Highway, contact the regional MN Department of Transportation Office toobtain permits for driveway approaches or moving permits. The Regional MN DOT office (Baxter) can be reached at 1-800-657-3971. County Roads. If your property is located on a County Road, you will need a permit to construct a driveway approach or to movea building or other oversize objects. Contact the Todd County Public Works Office at (320) 732-2722. Township Roads. If your property is located on a Township Road, contact your local township official to see what permits arerequired for constructing approaches or moving buildings on a road.911 Addressing Any new building site that will have mail delivery or utilities such as phone, electricity, etc… will need to be assigned an addressby the GIS & Land Services Office. They will need to know your parcel number and the location of your driveway approachbefore they can assign an address.April 24, 2008

Septic Systems – Environment & Land Resource Management Office Septic system – Undeveloped property. If you are building a home on an undeveloped lot, you will need to have a sewer designcompleted by a licensed designer before you can obtain a sewer permit or a permit to build your home. A list of local sewerdesigners can be obtained from the Environment & Land Resource Management office. Septic system – Developed property. If your are adding on to an existing home (including enclosed decks and attached garages),you will need to show that your sewer system is in compliance with state and local regulations. This may require that you havethe existing sewer system inspected by any state-licensed sewer inspector. Septic systems that don’t pass the inspection will needto be upgraded. Low-interest loans. If you need to have your sewer system upgraded or a new system installed, there are several sources of lowinterestloans available. Check with the Environment & Land Resource Management Office for a list of these loans.Land Use Permits – Environment & Land Resource Management Office Structures. All structures require a land use permit before they are constructed. This includes homes, small sheds, storagebuildings, decks (enclosed and unenclosed), agricultural buildings and anything else constructed. Shoreland Alterations (including riprap, grading work, retaining walls, etc…). Most work that involves significant alterationof shoreline or land within the shoreland districts of Todd County requires a land use permit. Check with the Environment &Land Resource Management Office if you have questions. Work conducted within a lake or stream may require a permit from theMN Department of Natural Resources. The DNR can be contacted at (320) 616-2470. Feedlots. The construction or expansion of feedlots is regulated within Todd County. Contact the Environment & Land ResourceManagement Office to see what regulations apply and what permits may be required. Cost sharing for some feedlot improvementsmay be available from the Todd Co. Soil and Water Conservation District.Private Water Wells - MN Dept of Health New wells. Contractors who construct, repair, or permanently seal water wells must be licensed by the MN Dept. of Health. Yournew well must meet setbacks to sewer systems, buildings, and other features on your property and neighbor’s property. Checkwith the Environment & Land Resource Management Office for septic system setbacks and the MN Dept of Health at (320) 223-7300 for all other well regulations. Well water testing. If you would like to have your well water tested, contact the Todd County Public Health Department orcheck for private labs at the MN Dept of Health website at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/wells/index.html Well sealing. If you need to permanently close a water well, it must be done by a contractor licensed by the MN Dept of Health.Cost sharing to seal abandoned wells is available from the Todd Co. Soil and Water Conservation District.Electrical Inspections Electrical inspections in Todd County are provided by the State of Minnesota and are not included in your building permit. Twoinspections are required – once at “rough-in” (after installed but before covered) and again after all devices have been installed.All wiring must meet the current National Electrical Code Standards. Inspections can be scheduled with the Electrical Inspector at(320) 732-6385 between 7:00 and 8:30 am.Building Code The unincorporated areas of Todd Co. are not covered by the State Building Code (Todd Co. cities are covered by the StateBuilding Code – contact your city building inspector if you live in one of these cities). If you would like to make sure that yourconstructions meets state codes, contact the MN Department of Labor & Industry at (651) 284-5068 or on-line athttp://www.doli.state.mn.us/buildingcodes.html to see what these codes are.Burning Permits – Townships, MN Dept of Natural Resources Burning permits are required to burn brush, untreated lumber, old buildings, and other materials. Additional information andpermits can be obtained by contacting the DNR Forestry Office at (320) 616-2450 or your local Fire Warden.Solid Waste Management Disposal of solid waste, including burying of solid waste on private property, is regulated by the Todd County Solid WasteDepartment. They can be contacted with questions (320-594-2210) regarding what these regulations are.Other Services Todd County Highway maps can be obtained at the GIS Office. The cost is $3.00 per map.Todd County Soil Survey can be obtained from the Soil and Water Conservation District. There is no charge for the survey.Todd County Plat Books are available in two formats. A color format is available from the Soil & Water Conservation Districtand the Auditor’s Office for $25.00. A black and white format is available from the Todd County Extension Office and theAuditor’s Office for $20.00.Online Information is available at the Todd County Community Center (http://www.co.todd.mn.us/toddcounty/).Information available on this website includes local government contact information, history of Todd County, natural features,recreational opportunities, interactive mapping, plat maps, half-section property boundary maps, and much more.The Environment & Land Resource Management website has information available related to septic systems, zoning regulationsand other helpful information. The website is: http://www.co.todd.mn.us/PlanningZoning/planning.htm.April 24, 2008