Minnesota Statutes 40A.05 – Elements of Plan and Official Controls
Subdivision 1.General.
The plans and official controls prepared under this chapter must be adopted in accordance with the provisions of chapter 394 or 462 that apply to comprehensive plans and official controls and must address the elements contained in this section.
Subd. 2.Plan.
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 40A.05
- Agricultural use: means the production of livestock, dairy animals, dairy products, poultry or poultry products, fur-bearing animals, horticultural or nursery stock, fruit, vegetables, forage, grains, timber, trees, or bees and apiary products. See Minnesota Statutes 40A.02
- controls: has the meaning given in section 394. See Minnesota Statutes 40A.02
- Crop equivalent rating: means a rating that reflects the net economic return per acre of soil when managed for cultivated crops, permanent pasture, or forest, whichever provides the highest net return. See Minnesota Statutes 40A.02
- Development: means the subdivision and partitioning of land or the construction of residences on land or the conversion to competing land uses. See Minnesota Statutes 40A.02
- Forest land: means land that is at least ten percent stocked by trees of any size and capable of producing timber, or of exerting an influence on the climate or on the water regime; land that the trees described above have been removed from to less than ten percent stocking and that has not been developed for other use; and afforested areas. See Minnesota Statutes 40A.02
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 40A.05
- Agricultural use: means the production of livestock, dairy animals, dairy products, poultry or poultry products, fur-bearing animals, horticultural or nursery stock, fruit, vegetables, forage, grains, timber, trees, or bees and apiary products. See Minnesota Statutes 40A.02
- controls: has the meaning given in section 394. See Minnesota Statutes 40A.02
- Crop equivalent rating: means a rating that reflects the net economic return per acre of soil when managed for cultivated crops, permanent pasture, or forest, whichever provides the highest net return. See Minnesota Statutes 40A.02
- Development: means the subdivision and partitioning of land or the construction of residences on land or the conversion to competing land uses. See Minnesota Statutes 40A.02
- Forest land: means land that is at least ten percent stocked by trees of any size and capable of producing timber, or of exerting an influence on the climate or on the water regime; land that the trees described above have been removed from to less than ten percent stocking and that has not been developed for other use; and afforested areas. See Minnesota Statutes 40A.02
A plan must address at least the following elements:
(1) integration with comprehensive county and municipal plans;
(2) relationship with shoreland, surface water, and other land use management plans;
(3) identification of land currently in agricultural use, including the type of agricultural use, the relative productive value of the land based on the crop equivalent rating, and the existing level of investment in buildings and equipment;
(4) identification of forest land;
(5) identification of areas in which development is occurring or is likely to occur during the next 20 years;
(6) identification of existing and proposed public sanitary sewer and water systems;
(7) classification of land suitable for long-term agricultural use and its current and future development;
(8) determination of present and future housing needs representing a variety of price and rental levels and an identification of areas adequate to meet the demonstrated or projected needs; and
(9) a general statement of policy as to how the county will achieve the goals of this chapter.
Subd. 3.Official controls.
Official controls implementing a plan must be consistent with the plan and must address at least the following elements:
(1) designation of land suitable for long-term agricultural use and the creation of exclusive agricultural use zones, allowing for conditional, compatible uses that do not conflict with long-term agricultural use;
(2) designation of urban expansion zones where limited growth and development may be allowed;
(3) residential density requirements and minimum lot sizes in exclusive agricultural use zones and urban expansion zones; and
(4) standards and procedures for county decisions on rezoning, subdivision, and parcel divisions.