Stearns County, MN Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Stearns County, MN, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Applies to
- A-160, A-80, A-40 ag districts, tracts over 10 acres
- Governing section
- Ordinance 439, Sec. 7.33.1(C)(3)
- Requirement
- Minimize tree removal within the building envelope
- Envelope size cap
- 2 acres for residential/non-ag use
- Review path
- CUP under Sec. 4.8 if LESA score is 65+
Summary
In Stearns County's A-160, A-80 and A-40 agricultural districts, any tree removal tied to a new residential building envelope on tracts over ten acres has to be minimized as part of the county's building-envelope siting standard. The rule sits inside the zoning ordinance's structure-placement chapter, not a stand-alone tree permit.
7.33 Zoning Standards for Placement of Structures ... These standards apply in the A-160, A-80 and A-40 primary zoning districts and in the Natural Resource Conservation Design Overlay but do not apply to tracts ten (10) acres or less in size. 7.33.1 ... (3) Tree removal, impact on wetlands, storm water drainage, erosion risk and impact on adjoining land uses shall be mitigated to have the least amount of impact on these resources. The building envelope shall not be larger than two (2) acres where the primary use is residential or other non-agricultural use. Where the primary use is agricultural, building envelopes can exceed two (2) acres.
Full Breakdown
33 of Land Use and Zoning Ordinance No. 439 sets standards for placing new structures on tillable farmland in the A-160, A-80 and A-40 primary agricultural districts, plus the Natural Resource Conservation Design Overlay, but the section exempts tracts of ten acres or less. 1(C) requires the owner to delineate a building envelope for every proposed residential dwelling unit and accessory structure, sited to avoid impacts on farm infrastructure, tillable farmland and productive soils. Subsection (C)(3) is where tree removal is addressed directly: it requires that tree removal, along with impacts on wetlands, stormwater drainage, erosion risk and adjoining land uses, be mitigated to the least amount of impact on those resources when the building envelope is drawn.
The same subsection caps the envelope itself at two acres where the primary use is residential or otherwise non-agricultural, though an agricultural building envelope can exceed two acres. 8, triggered when the LESA score is 65 or higher, or through direct Department sign-off when the score is lower. Removing trees or building outside a recorded envelope in a way inconsistent with the approved layout is treated as noncompliance with the underlying construction site permit.
Violations & Fines
Clearing trees in a way that departs from an approved building envelope, or beyond what the mitigation standard in Section 7.33.1(C)(3) allows, is enforced through the county's general compliance mechanism: the Director can issue an abatement order under Section 4.23 requiring restoration, and violations of Ordinance 439 are a misdemeanor under Section 12.8, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove trees on my Stearns County farmland?
Does this tree rule apply to a small residential lot?
How big can the building envelope be after accounting for tree removal?
Who reviews whether tree removal in a building envelope is acceptable?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stearns County
Compare Stearns County to another location·View the Minnesota landscaping rules overview
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