Blaine, MN Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Blaine City Code Section 70-70 requires a right-of-way permit before anyone obstructs or excavates a public right-of-way. An excavation permit covers digging or placing facilities that hinder passage over the right-of-way; an obstruction permit covers placing equipment, facilities, vehicles, or other obstructions, though an obstruction of eight hours or less for repairing existing facilities does not need one. Before any permit application, Section 70-65 requires anyone who occupies or places equipment in the right-of-way, including private contractors doing sewer, water, or driveway work, to register with the city and pay a registration fee; certain minor activities are exempted, such as boulevard plantings, non-vegetative landscaping 12 inches or less in height, mailbox posts no larger than four inches by four inches, and private irrigation or pet containment systems, though a separate work-in-right-of-way permit under Section 70-1 can still apply to driveway or utility work.

Section 70-70(a)(4) additionally requires a special or conditional use permit to install a new wireless support structure in a right-of-way zoned single-family residential or within a historic district. Permits can be revoked under Section 70-84 for a substantial breach, such as violating a material permit condition or failing to complete work on time, and the city may impose a delay penalty under Section 70-70(c) for unreasonable delays in excavation, obstruction, patching, or restoration, following Minn. R. 7819.1000. Anyone who obstructs or excavates without first getting the required permit, outside an emergency, must still obtain one afterward and, as a penalty, pay double the normal permit fee and double all other required fees under Section 70-82(b).