Dakota County has no countywide vacant-lot maintenance ordinance. Cities require owners to keep vacant lots free of tall grass, weeds, junk, and debris under their nuisance codes (Minn. Stat. Ch. 462). The county's Noxious Weed Law duty (Minn. Stat. 18.78) still applies to any land.
Because Dakota County is almost entirely incorporated, vacant-lot maintenance is enforced by each city, not the county. Cities adopt nuisance and weed ordinances under Minn. Stat. Ch. 462 requiring owners to mow, clear junk, and abate hazards on vacant parcels, and may cut overgrowth and assess the cost to the owner. Statewide, the Minnesota Noxious Weed Law (Minn. Stat. 18.78) obligates every landowner and occupant to control noxious weeds on their land as directed by the local weed inspector, and this applies to vacant lots too. The county's regulatory role over vacant land is limited to solid-waste dumping (Ordinance 110) and septic systems, not routine lot maintenance.
City nuisance codes typically allow the city to abate overgrowth and junk and specially assess the cost to the property; noxious-weed noncompliance is enforced by the local weed inspector under Minn. Stat. 18.78.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting is allowed and encouraged in Dakota County. State law bans putting yard waste in the trash, and the county runs free organics (food-scrap...
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Dakota County has no artificial-turf ordinance. Whether synthetic lawn is allowed, and any coverage or drainage limits, is decided by your city's zoning and ...
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Minnesota law requires every city to allow managed natural landscapes of native or nonnative grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs, even over eight inches tall. D...
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Rain barrels and rain gardens are legal in Dakota County and encouraged for stormwater and groundwater protection. There is no county permit for residential ...
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Dakota County does not set watering restrictions. Your city or water utility does, typically odd/even address-day sprinkling and no midday watering during su...
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Minnesota's Noxious Weed Law requires all landowners to control noxious weeds. The mayor of each city and town supervisors serve as local weed inspectors; Da...
See how Dakota County's vacant lot maintenance rules stack up against other locations.
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