Carver County, MN Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Carver County Code of Ordinances § 152.037 sets a flat 35-foot maximum height for all structures built in the unincorporated area, the territory the county's Zoning Code governs (incorporated cities inside the county, like Chaska or Waconia, set their own limits and are not covered by this section). The 35-foot cap applies unless a structure falls into the exception list written into subsection (B): belfries, church spires and steeples, cooling towers, flagpoles, smokestacks, water towers, farm accessory structures and similar structures may reach up to 100 feet.

Any structure using that exception must also be set back from every lot line by a distance equal to the structure's height plus 10 feet, so a 90-foot silo needs a 100-foot setback on all sides. Structures that need to exceed even the 100-foot exception require a conditional use permit (CUP) approved by the county, and towers of 200 feet or taller must also follow the state siting procedure in Minnesota Rules 8800.0100 through 8800.1200. Wireless communications facilities are carved out entirely and instead follow the separate height and siting rules in §§ 152.052 and 152.056, and energy production facilities (wind and solar) follow § 152.057.

The Planning and Zoning Department reviews building permit applications against § 152.037 before issuance, and a property owner who wants relief from the 35-foot cap outside the listed exceptions must apply for a variance through the Board of Adjustment rather than build first and ask later.