Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Madison Township, Minnesota

Rules another office applies inside Madison Township

Madison Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the county A-1 agricultural district (Section 16) inside Madison township, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, if the land is mapped A-1 and the township has not adopted its own zoning

  • The A-1 district lot size applies only to land zoned A-1 on the official zoning map, which was not opened.
  • Urban expansion (UE) and commercial-industrial districts have different lot rules (Sections 17.05 and 18.04); they were not applied here.

  minimum lot size: >= 3 acres

  “lot area regulations minimum lot size: three (3) acres.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Residential structures on lots in the county A-1 agricultural district inside Madison township, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, for the feedlot setback only

  • Front, side and rear setbacks for A-1 were not captured and remain unverified.
  • The feedlot setback can be waived by a variance under the feedlot ordinance.

  residential setback from feedlots: >= 2000 feet (unless granted a variance under Section 23.06 of the feedlot ordinance)

  “residential setbacks from feedlots non-feedlot associated residential structures must be setback from feedlots by two thousand (2,000) feet unless granted a variance in the same manner as are permitted for feedlots pursuant to 23.06 of section 23 of the feedlot ordinance.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Lots in the county urban expansion (UE) district, which lies adjacent to municipalities, if mapped in Madison township; not the A-1 district

  • Applies only to land mapped UE on the official zoning map, which was not opened.
  • Height does not apply to barns, grain elevators, silos and other listed agricultural structures, windmills, towers, chimneys and church spires.

  maximum height of structures: <= 35 feet (barns, grain elevators, silos, customary agricultural structures, windmills, elevator legs, cooling towers, water towers, telecommunication towers, chimneys, smokestacks, church spires)

  “maximum height of structures: thirty-five (35) feet. this height limitation shall not apply to barns, grain elevators, silos, and other customary agricultural structures, windmills, elevator legs, cooling towers, water towers, telecommunication towers, chimneys, smokestacks, and church spires.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  A second dwelling on one lot inside Madison township, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, unless the township has adopted its own rule

  • Only one dwelling may be placed on a lot, except temporary dwellings or where a permit has been obtained for a multiple family dwelling.
  • Dwelling standards in Section 19.06(2)(b)-(d) (floor elevation, foundation) also apply and were not fully read.

  dwellings per lot: <= 1 dwelling (temporary dwellings; multiple family dwelling with permit)

  “no more than one (1) dwelling may be placed on any one lot except in the cases of temporary dwellings or where a permit has been obtained for a multiple family dwelling.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Individual sewage treatment systems (SSTS) on land inside Madison township, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, unless the township administers its own SSTS program by ordinance

  • The county SSTS jurisdiction excludes incorporated areas and townships that administer an SSTS program by ordinance at least as strict as the county ordinance.
  • Whether Madison township has adopted such an ordinance was not verified.

  “the jurisdiction of this ordinance shall include all lands of the county except for incorporated areas or townships that administer a subsurface sewage treatment system (ssts) program by ordinance within their jurisdiction, which is at least as strict as this ordinance.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installing, replacing, modifying or expanding an SSTS on land inside Madison township, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, unless the township administers its own SSTS program

  • Minor repairs or replacements that do not alter the original function, capacity, location or design do not require a permit (Section 20.05(1)(a)).
  • Permit applications are made on county forms and must include applicant, property and site evaluation/design report information (Section 20.05(1)(c)).
  • Issuing a permit does not absolve the applicant of other required permits.

  “a ssts permit shall be obtained by the property owner or an agent of the property owner from the county prior to the installation, construction, replacement, modification, alteration, or capacity expansion of a ssts.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Building, alteration or land-use change on land within the county flood plain districts (floodway, flood fringe, general flood plain) shown on the official zoning map, including inside Madison township

  • Applies only to land in the flood plain districts shown on the official zoning map (Section 21.02(1)).
  • The permit is issued by the zoning administrator in conformity with the ordinance.

  “a permit issued by the zoning administrator in conformity with the provisions of this ordinance shall be secured prior to the erection, addition, modification, rehabilitation (including normal maintenance and repair), or alteration of any building, structure, or portion thereof;”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Madison Township or Lac qui Parle County directly.

• Building permit — New residential construction inside Madison township, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Madison township, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Madison township, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
• Inspections — Construction inside Madison township, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new buildings inside Madison township, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Madison Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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