Blue Earth County, MN Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

The permit requirement sits in Blue Earth County Code Sec. 24-43, part of the county's zoning enforcement structure in chapter 24, article II. Before the zoning administrator can issue a construction permit, the applicant must first have an accepted land use development application, plus a scaled site plan showing lot dimensions and the size and location of the building and any accessory buildings. The zoning administrator issues the permit only after confirming the application is complete, the lot is buildable, and the plan complies with the chapter's use, setback, and dimensional standards for the applicable district, whether Agriculture, Conservation, Rural Residence, Rural Townsite, or one of the business and industry districts.

Once issued, a construction permit is only good for 12 months; if work has not begun by then, the property owner must reapply. Anyone who builds, alters, or moves a building without first securing the permit does not escape the requirement. Instead they owe an after-the-fact permit fee set by the county board's fee schedule, on top of still needing the permit. Demolition is handled separately under Sec. 24-43(b): no one may demolish a residential dwelling, or any other structure of 800 square feet or more, or clear a building site or farmstead, without first getting a demolition permit from the zoning administrator. The zoning administrator's office itself, created by Sec. 24-41, is also charged with keeping permit records and inspecting properties for compliance.