Stearns County, MN Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Max lot coverage (A-160)
- 25 percent
- Side/rear building setback
- 50 feet
- Max building height
- 35 feet (ag buildings exempt)
- Governing section
- Ordinance 439, Section 9.1.13
- Last amended
- January 1, 2025
Summary
In Stearns County's Agricultural District A-160, the county's baseline primary zoning district covering most unincorporated farmland, Ordinance 439 caps total lot coverage at 25 percent of the parcel. The limit applies to the principal dwelling, garages, barns and other structures combined.
9.1.13 Lot Coverage The maximum lot coverage shall be twenty-five (25) percent.
Full Breakdown
1, at twenty-five percent of the lot. 12 caps building height at 35 feet for anything other than agricultural buildings, which are exempt. Detached garages and accessory buildings get relief from the general setback, down to 10 feet from the side and rear lot lines. The lot coverage figure is a hard percentage, not a discretionary standard, so a landowner adding a shop or expanding a driveway and patio needs to total up existing building footprint before adding more. 13' or similar Lot Coverage subsection), so a parcel's actual district assignment on the county zoning map controls which percentage applies; the A-160 figure quoted here governs only land mapped into that district.
Stearns County Planning & Zoning administers these standards; the Environmental Services Department reviews building permits against them before issuance. This section was last amended January 1, 2025 per the ordinance's own section footer.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the mapped district's lot coverage percentage, or building without first confirming coverage against Section 9.1.13 (or the parallel section for a different district), is a zoning ordinance violation enforced through Stearns County's building permit and zoning compliance process. A property found over the cap can be denied a certificate of occupancy or ordered to remove or modify the excess coverage; variances from the standard setback, height or coverage requirements require an application to the Board of Adjustment showing a practical difficulty, not simple preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum lot coverage in Stearns County's A-160 district?
Does the 25 percent lot coverage cap apply everywhere in Stearns County?
Are agricultural buildings counted toward the lot coverage limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stearns County
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