Off-Grid Living in Sherburne County, Minnesota

If you're eyeing a piece of land in Sherburne County, Minnesota for an off-grid setup, here's what I found digging through the county's own pages and Minnesota statutes. This is research, not legal advice, so treat it as a starting map and confirm the fine points before you buy or build.

Zoning first. Sherburne County runs countywide zoning for its unincorporated townships through the Planning & Zoning Department, under a Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance authorized by state law (Minn. Stat. §§394.21-394.37). One important wrinkle: as of June 2022, the City of Baldwin handles its own zoning and building, so if your parcel is inside Baldwin, ignore this county-level info and call the city directly. Other cities in the county (Elk River, Big Lake, Zimmerman) may also run independent departments, so always check whether you're in a township or inside city limits.

Living on raw land. The county's ordinance doesn't spell out a right to just camp or live on unimproved land. Occupancy is tied to permitted structures, water supply, and sewage disposal, so "off-grid squatting" isn't really addressed as a legal category.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. The zoning code treats RVs and park trailers as temporary/recreational, not permanent housing, and lumps campground-style living into a separately regulated "Recreational Campground" use. Manufactured homes get very narrow allowances, only via an Interim Use Permit in limited cases (like disability accommodation), and that home can't be made permanent or get its own well. Whether a wheeled tiny home would count as a permanent dwelling isn't confirmed in what I read, so that's a direct question for Planning & Zoning.

Building permits are required countywide for most construction, additions, and structural work, per the county ordinance. A few small things are exempt (very small accessory structures, low retaining walls, small water tanks, short fences), but generally expect a permit process that also checks setbacks, water table depth, septic, well placement, wetlands, shoreland, and floodplain rules together.

Septic is permitted and administered locally by the county under state rules (Minnesota Rules Chapters 7080-7083). The county's own ordinance even recognizes privy vaults as an acceptable approach, echoing the state's allowance for composting or incinerating toilets. You'll need a state-licensed SSTS designer before an installer and county permit come into play. Building permits or property sales can also trigger septic compliance inspections.

Greywater and rainwater rules aren't separately spelled out at the county level, they'd likely fall under the same SSTS framework or state plumbing code (Minnesota DLI), so ask Planning & Zoning how they'd treat a standalone greywater system.

Wells are a state matter, permitted through the Minnesota Department of Health under Chapter 103I, with Sherburne County served by MDH's St. Cloud office. The county separately requires a Well Disclosure Certificate at property transfer.

Utility disconnection (living without grid power or municipal hookups) isn't explicitly addressed one way or the other in what I found, so occupancy approval likely just depends on having an approved well and septic system in place.