Eden Prairie, MN Environmental Rules: Boat Dock Permits (2026)

City Code § 9.60, adopted by Ordinance No. 12-2018 and amended by Ordinance No. 03-2026, regulates the use of Eden Prairie's lake waters. Subdivision 7.A requires that the placement, size and location of any structure in public waters, including dock structures, watercraft lifts, slip structures, platforms, marinas and temporary structures, comply with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' rules and general permit requirements, naming Minnesota Rules 6115.0210 and 6115.0211 and DNR General Permit 2008-0401 specifically. Subdivision 7.B bars any structure from obstructing a navigable channel or blocking reasonable access to another lawful structure, and Subdivision 7.C bans storage structures other than watercraft and anything built above the horizontal plane of a dock, aside from water-related storage containers no taller than three feet and no larger than sixty-five cubic feet, watercraft lifts and watercraft covers.

Subdivision 7.D then limits each abutting riparian lot, meaning land bordering the lake, to a single dock structure, though lots owned by the City or another public entity are exempt from that one-dock cap. Structures must also respect the lake-specific slow-no-wake zones set in Subdivision 8, such as the 150-foot buffer around Riley Lake Park. Violations of Section 9.60, including an unlawful dock structure, are misdemeanors under Subdivision 12, and enforcement is primarily the responsibility of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, with DNR conservation officers also authorized to act under Subdivision 11.