Some areas of any given city in Minnesota may be designated as primarily residential, and thus are zoned for family homes, while others are primarily businesses and zoned for commercial use. Minneapolis and surrounding communities utilize different zoning plans and...
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Land Use & Zoning
What is agricultural zoning?
At one time, much of the United States' economy was supported by farming. At the local, state and national levels, agriculture provided not only the food that Americans needed to sustain themselves, but also a basis from which the economy could grow. Minnesota still...
What is aesthetic zoning?
Communities throughout Minnesota may impose a variety of zoning rules on the individuals who own property within their borders. As discussed in prior posts on this real estate and land use law blog, zoning can dictate what types of buildings may be built in which...
The differences between expressed and implied easements
An easement is a right to use another person's property for a specific use or purpose. Many times, easements are created to give individuals means of ingress and egress to their own properties; after all, in order to access their land, they may have to cross the...
Don’t let building permit issues derail your plans
When a new structure is built in Minneapolis or one of its surrounding communities, it is subject to various local and state regulations. Particularly, a new building generally must secure a building permit before its construction is undertaken. A building permit is...
What are zoning laws and why is my property use restricted?
As individuals travel through Hennepin County they may notice a pattern to how the area is laid out. Houses cluster together in residential housing developments and businesses flank each other in commercial districts. Like buildings seem to be close together and this...
What is a conditional use permit as it relates to zoning laws?
In Minneapolis, a conditional use permit is required when a land use application at first glance does not comply with all of the standards and conditions of the zoning ordinance. According to the Land Use and Zoning Overview for Minneapolis, a conditional use permit...
Minnesota Rental Caps Under Scrutiny in Winona Case
How far can local governments go in controlling the number of housing units that are devoted to rental housing? In the last five or six, years, the issue has kept coming up - and not only in college towns. The most recent instance was in not in a college town but in a...