Minnetonka, MN Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)
FEMA flood zone rules in Minnetonka, MN, also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules, determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Minnetonka City Code § 300.24, Floodplain District
- FEMA map date
- Flood insurance rate maps dated November 4, 2016
- Permitted-use fill cap
- 1,000 square feet or 20 cubic yards
- Large fill threshold
- 1,000 cubic yards per acre needs its own conditional use permit
- Alteration approval
- Planning Commission recommends, City Council approves
- Additional floodplain
- 931.5-foot elevation around Lake Minnetonka west of Gray's Bay dam
Summary
In the City of Minnetonka, Hennepin County, Minnesota, Section 300.24 of the City Code regulates development in flood hazard areas as an overlay on the base zoning district. Fill is capped at 1,000 square feet or 20 cubic yards for permitted uses, and anything larger needs a conditional use permit or an alteration permit.
a) Land may be used in the FEMA floodplain and Additional floodplain, only for one or more of the following uses, if it does not result in net fill of the floodplain, does not involve placement of a structure in the floodway, does not involve excavation or fill of an area greater than 1,000 square feet, does not involve a volume of excavation, fill or other obstruction greater than 20 cubic yards, and meets the requirements in subdivision 6 and subdivision 8: ... Land may be used within the FEMA and Additional floodplain, but outside of the Floodway, for the following by first obtaining a conditional use permit and conforming with the standards specified in subdivisions 6 and 8 of this section. If no delineated Floodway exists, refer to subdivision 7(h): ... d) The storage or processing of materials that are, in times of flooding, flammable, explosive, or potentially injurious to human, animal or plant life is prohibited;
Full Breakdown
Section 300.24 of the Minnetonka City Code, adopted by the Minnetonka City Council under Minn. Stat. chapters 103F and 462 and to keep the city in the national flood insurance program, treats the floodplain as an overlay zone. The underlying zoning district still applies, and the stricter rule wins. The FEMA portion of the district follows the flood insurance rate maps dated November 4, 2016, and divides into a floodway district, a flood fringe district and a general floodplain district. An additional floodplain covers areas inside the 100-year flood elevation in the city's water resources management plan, the 931.5-foot elevation around Lake Minnetonka westward from the Gray's Bay dam, and the flood profiles in the Riley Purgatory-Bluff Creek, Nine Mile Creek and Bassett Creek watershed plans.
A permitted use in the floodplain cannot result in net fill, cannot place a structure in the floodway, and cannot involve excavation or fill of an area greater than 1,000 square feet or a volume greater than 20 cubic yards. Outside the floodway the permitted list adds fences, retaining walls, detached decks and patios located 10 or more feet from the principal use, tennis and sport courts, and residential boat docks. Outdoor nurseries, commercial boat docks and marinas, golf courses, streets and bridges, and any permitted use that exceeds the 1,000 square foot or 20 cubic yard limit need a conditional use permit. Moving 1,000 cubic yards of material per acre or more requires its own conditional use permit.
Under subdivision 6, every erection, addition, repair of flood damage, fill or excavation needs permits first, and the city will not grant them until the applicant holds all state and federal permits. Altering the size, depth or contour of the floodplain needs a floodplain alteration permit, recommended by the Planning Commission and approved by the City Council. Only a grading permit is needed for a permitted use involving less than the printed 50 cubic yard threshold outside the floodway. Subdivision lots in the district must hold a building site outside the floodplain overlay or above the 100-year flood elevation.
Violations & Fines
Section 300.24 conditions every floodplain permit on the performance standards in subdivisions 6 and 8. Fill that causes a rise in the 100-year flood stage in the floodway, a loss of existing storage volume, or storage of flammable or explosive materials is prohibited outright. Starting work without the required permit, or without the state and federal permits the city requires first, violates the section. The section prints no penalty figure of its own, and it states that it creates no city liability for flood damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build a deck or fence in a Minnetonka floodplain?
Does Minnetonka require a permit to fill or grade in the floodplain?
Which maps decide whether my Minnetonka property is in the floodplain district?
Does the floodplain ordinance guarantee my property will not flood?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Minnetonka
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Flood Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Hennepin County handle flood zones.