Stearns County, MN Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

B: off-street parking areas in any district may not be used 'for open storage of goods or for the storage of vehicles that are inoperable, for sale or for rent,' which keeps a loading dock or lot from turning into a used-car display or scrap yard. A requires those areas to have a 'durable and dustless surface' graded to handle stormwater under an approved management plan, though lots serving six or fewer vehicles are exempt from that surfacing rule. D, a commercial, recreational or industrial lot with more than four spaces must be screened if it sits within thirty feet of an existing residential use or zone, and any driveway serving more than six spaces triggers screening if it is within fifteen feet of a residential use or district. The ordinance does not set fixed loading-dock hours; the operative constraint is size, surfacing, storage use, and screening relative to nearby homes.