Minnetonka, MN Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Section 300.24, subdivision 8, of the Minnetonka City Code sets elevation rules that the Minnetonka City Council applies to land in the floodplain district and to neighboring lands. New principal structures, attached garages and additions must sit a minimum of 20 feet upland from the edge of the floodplain district and have a lowest floor elevation not less than two feet above the designated 100-year flood elevation. An addition above the first floor is exempt from the setback, and the section defines first floor as the portion of the principal structure above grade. The rule does not apply to structures or additions that need a conditional use permit.

Other elevation margins follow the same pattern. Attached decks, patios, outside stairways and similar features can extend up to 10 feet into the required setback but must be 1.5 feet above the 100-year flood elevation and built of flood resistant materials. Other accessory structures need a lowest floor at least 1.5 feet above that elevation, a 10 foot upland setback, no habitation and no sanitary facilities. Driveways accessory to a single family dwelling must be a minimum of one foot above the 100-year flood elevation, and areas within 15 feet of a principal structure must be at least a half foot above it unless an approved evacuation route reaches higher land.

Where the 100-year elevation is not readily available, the lowest floor of a new principal structure or addition must be at least three feet above the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources ordinary high water level or two feet above the highest known water level, whichever is more restrictive and acceptable to the city engineer. In land-locked basins with no outlet, the lowest floor must be two feet above the flood elevation of two back-to-back 100-year storm events calculated by a licensed professional engineer, or two feet above the natural overflow elevation of the basin. Before a certificate of occupancy issues, the applicant must submit as-built drawings and certification by a licensed engineer or registered land surveyor that the finished fill and lowest floor elevations comply.