Carver County, MN Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Impervious surface cap
- 25% of lot area
- Applies in
- Shoreland Overlay District only
- Constructed facility documentation
- Required from qualified individual
- New outfall standard
- Minn. Rules Part 6115.0231
- Erosion control planning
- Required under § 152.131
Summary
In the Shoreland Overlay District, Carver County caps impervious surface at 25% of lot area under § 152.131.1(B)(1). Stormwater rules also require developments to prioritize natural drainage, infiltration, and vegetated surfaces before piped or engineered systems.
(B) Specific standards. (1) Impervious surfaces of lots must not exceed 25% of the lot area. (2) When constructed facilities are used for stormwater management, documentation must be provided by a qualified individual that they are designed and installed consistent with the field office technical guide of the local soil and water conservation district or the Minnesota Stormwater Manual, as applicable. (3) New constructed stormwater outfalls to public waters must be consistent with Minn. Rules Part 6115.0231.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-20: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 111-2025, passed 7-25-25).
Full Breakdown
1, STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, is the county's binding lot-coverage standard for shoreland parcels. The specific-standards subsection, (B)(1), sets the numeric limit: impervious surfaces of lots must not exceed 25% of the lot area. 111, which covers land within designated setback distances of the county's shoreland lakes, rivers, and streams; it does not apply countywide to every unincorporated parcel outside that overlay. 1(A) lays out general design standards that push developers toward using existing natural drainageways and vegetated soil surfaces to convey, store, filter, and retain stormwater runoff before it reaches public waters, and requires disturbed areas to be stabilized as soon as possible.
1(A)(3) allows constructed facilities such as settling basins, skimming devices, dikes, waterways, ponds, and infiltration systems, but preference must still go to surface drainage and infiltration over buried pipes and man-made materials. 1(B)(2) requires documentation from a qualified individual confirming the design and installation meet the local soil and water conservation district's field office technical guide or the Minnesota Stormwater Manual. New stormwater outfalls discharging to public waters must also comply with Minn. 1(B)(3). 131.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the 25% impervious cap or building stormwater facilities that skip the required documentation is enforced as a zoning code violation under § 152.999, a misdemeanor punishable as defined by law, with each day of continuing violation treated as a separate offense. The county may pursue corrective orders, after-the-fact permit denial, or court action through the County Attorney.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Carver County's maximum lot coverage in the Shoreland District?
Does the 25% impervious cap apply to every property in Carver County?
What happens if a stormwater facility is built without documentation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carver County
Compare Carver County to another location·View the Minnesota building setbacks & zoning overview
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