Scott County, MN Ordinances (2026)

Scott County has no coast. Development near the lakes and the Minnesota River follows MN DNR shoreland rules (MN Rules Ch. 6120), and draining or filling wetlands triggers the…

Minnesota bans private possession of "regulated animals", big cats, bears, and primates, statewide under Section 346.155, on top of local rules. Scott County cities also restrict…

Shakopee, Savage, Prior Lake, and Jordan each require dogs leashed or under control off the owner's property and run their own animal control. Rabies vaccination and city licensing are…

Minnesota bars cities and counties from regulating dangerous dogs by breed. Under Section 347.51, no breed-specific ordinance is valid, so Shakopee, Savage, Prior Lake, and Scott…

Shakopee, Savage, and Prior Lake require commercial door-to-door solicitors to obtain a city permit, with background checks and limited hours. Statewide, Minnesota gives buyers three…

Minnesota law strongly protects political signs. Under MN Stat. §211B.045, noncommercial signs of any size may be posted in any number from 46 days before the state primary until 10…

In Scott County's townships the county enforces nuisance rules, while cities like Shakopee, Prior Lake, and Savage set quiet hours, generally 10 PM to 7 AM. Statewide, MPCA rules (Ch…

Persistent barking is treated as a nuisance across Scott County. City code enforcement and the county sheriff handle complaints, backed by Minnesota's nuisance statute (MN Stat…

Amplified music must meet local noise ordinances and MPCA limits. Public events in Shakopee, Prior Lake, and Savage need permits with noise conditions, and private backyard music still…

Minnesota bans all aerial and explosive consumer fireworks. Only ground-based sparklers, cones, fountains, snakes, and smoke devices are legal in Scott County. Firecrackers, bottle…

Burning brush or yard waste in Scott County townships requires a Minnesota DNR open-burn permit. Cities restrict or ban open burning. Garbage, plastic, and treated wood may never be…

Minnesota Statutes 169.34 sets statewide parking limits. In Shakopee, Savage, and Prior Lake, winter rules ban street parking from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., November through March, and after…

Under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 168B, a vehicle left over 48 hours on public property, or an inoperable one stored in open view, can be tagged as abandoned and towed after notice.

In unincorporated Scott County, Zoning Ordinance No. 3 caps fences at six feet in Rural Residential, Residential Suburban, and Urban Reserve districts. Shakopee, Savage, and Prior Lake…

Minnesota's partition-fence law, Chapter 344, makes adjoining owners of livestock land share a division fence in equal shares, with township supervisors acting as fence viewers. It…

Scott County zones unincorporated townships under Zoning Ordinance No. 3. In the RR-2 Rural Residential district, principal buildings need a 150-foot front setback from a county/state…

Scott County's RR-2 Rural Residential district caps principal buildings at 35 feet under Zoning Ordinance No. 3. Detached accessory buildings scale with lot size, from 18 feet on…

Scott County caps impervious lot coverage at 30% in the RR-2 Rural Residential district under Zoning Ordinance No. 3. Shoreland lots near lakes follow the stricter state 25% impervious…

Scott County's agricultural inspector enforces the Minnesota Noxious Weed Law across the unincorporated townships. Owners must control state-designated weeds like Canada thistle and…

Homeowners may remove trees on their own land in unincorporated Scott County without a county permit. The real limits fall on shoreland lots near Prior and Spring Lakes, where DNR…

Home cannabis growing is legal in Scott County under Minnesota law. Adults 21 and older may grow up to eight plants per residence, with no more than four mature and flowering, in an…

Cannabis retailers are legal and licensed by Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management. Scott County and its cities may not ban dispensaries but may set reasonable zoning and limit…

Every residential pool needs a barrier at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates. Minnesota struck the pool section from its residential code, so the exact rule is…

A detached shed of 200 square feet or less needs no building permit anywhere in Minnesota, including Scott County. Zoning still controls where it sits, and larger or wired sheds…

Large items go through your hauler's bulk pickup or a drop-off site. Scott County runs a household hazardous-waste facility in Jordan for paint, chemicals, and batteries. State law…

Recycling is built into Minnesota's metro waste law. Scott County must ensure every resident has an opportunity to recycle, and any hauler collecting trash here must also offer…

Scott County's Juvenile Curfew Ordinance No. 15 sets countywide nighttime curfews by age: under-12 by 9 PM, ages 12–14 by 10 PM, and ages 15–17 by 11 PM on school nights, all running…

Scott County Zoning Ordinance No. 3, Section 4-5 limits outdoor lighting to cut glare and light pollution: commercial fixtures need a 90-degree cutoff, poles cap at 25 feet, and canopy…

Scott County caps light spilling onto neighbors at 0.4 foot-candle at the property line and 1.0 foot-candle at a road centerline under Zoning Ordinance No. 3, Section 4-5. Glare may…

Scott County and its cities require building and electrical permits for solar installations. Minnesota law protects solar access through zoning and recordable solar easements, and net…

Minnesota neither bans local rent control outright nor allows it freely. Under MN Stat. §471.9996 a city, county, or town may control rents only if voters approve the measure at a…

Minnesota has no statewide just-cause eviction law, and no Scott County city adds one. But Chapter 504B gives tenants real protection: written notice, a court eviction before removal…

Stays under 30 days owe Minnesota's 6.875% sales tax, and cities may add a local lodging tax of up to 3%. Airbnb and Vrbo collect the state sales tax automatically; local lodging tax…

Minnesota's Cottage Food Law lets you make and sell non-hazardous homemade food from a Scott County home after registering with the state Department of Agriculture. Gross sales are…