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Dakota County

Dakota County Environmental Resources Department

In short

Dakota County Environmental Resources Department issues 4 permits we publish for Dakota County, last verified 2026-10-13. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Shoreland / Floodplain Permit (Ordinance 50, townships)only if it applies to youDakota County Environmental Resources DepartmentThe current shoreland/floodplain permit fee is not published on the county's building and zoning permits page; contact Environmental Resources (952-891-7557, environ@co.dakota.mn.us) for the current amount.per project; obtained before the work starts2026-10-13
Business Recycling and Organics Requirements (Ordinance 110)Dakota County Environmental Resources DepartmentOrdinance 110 §16 sets duties for commercial generators, not a license fee: there is no fee to the county for complying. The cost to a business is its hauling or food-recovery service.ongoing; annual report on the county's form due by Jan. 31 each year2026-10-13
Subsurface Sewage Treatment System (SSTS) Construction Permitonly if it applies to youDakota County Environmental Resources DepartmentSSTS construction permit fees, as published on the county's septic construction page (last updated 09/21/2026): Type I System $461; Type II System $232; Type III System $461; Type IV System $533; Repair System $232; Second Soil Verification $308. Large Septic System (more than 2,500 gallons per day capacity): Construction Permit $1,071; Annual Operating Permit $167; Septic System Variance $1,198.permits are valid for up to one year from their date of issue2026-10-13
Hazardous Waste Generator Licenseonly if it applies to youDakota County Environmental Resources DepartmentAs the county's hazardous waste license page puts it: "All generators pay a base fee plus each generator pays a gallonage fee, which is calculated on each incremental gallon." The dollar rates are not published on that page or on the license application form; the county invoices the license after the annual report is filed. Contact Environmental Resources, 952-891-7557, for the current amounts.annual; full generators renew each year by filing the annual hazardous waste report by Jan. 31, then paying the invoice; minimal generators file a one-time registration2026-10-13

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Shoreland / Floodplain Permit (Ordinance 50, townships)

The county's building and zoning permits page states: "All cities and townships in Dakota County have land use and zoning authority. Building permits are issued by the city or township. Additional county permits are required in townships within designated shoreland and floodplain." For property in a township, it directs the owner to call the township and also the county at 952-891-7000 to determine whether the property is within the jurisdiction of the County Shoreland Zoning and Floodplain Management Ordinance. Ordinance 50 applies to shoreland and floodplain areas in the county's unincorporated townships, and §6.01 requires a shoreland permit from the zoning administrator before, among other things, constructing or demolishing structures or building additions regardless of cost and size (including fences over five feet, ground-mounted solar panels, decks, stairs and signs), installing or altering a septic system, and grading and filling not exempted by the ordinance. A business building or expanding on township land near a lake, river or floodplain, and the contractor doing the work, should expect this county permit in addition to the township building permit.

Business Recycling and Organics Requirements (Ordinance 110)

Ordinance 110 imposes these duties directly on commercial generator owners and managers (§2.22: any entity that is not a residential source generator), and the county's recycling pages name property owners and managers of commercial buildings as responsible. Under §16.02 a business must deliver collected recyclables to a recycling facility and collected organics for food recovery, composting or anaerobic digestion, keep collection capacity sufficient to prevent overflowing containers, comply with §16.05, and submit an annual report on the county's form by Jan. 31. Section 16.05 requires the designated list of recyclables to be collected, every trash container to be within 10 feet of a recycling container with equal access, all containers labelled, and abatement messaging given to employees and tenants at least annually and within 30 days of a new hire, new tenant or program change; §16.06 sets the label colours (blue for recycling, green for organics, gray or black for trash). Organics: under §16.04 a large commercial organics generator must separate back-of-house organics and file its own annual report by Jan. 31. Section 2.59 defines that as listed classifications — including restaurants, grocery stores, caterers, hotels, shopping centres and office buildings with dining services — "that generate one ton or more of municipal solid waste per week or contract for eight cubic yards or more per week per location, and generates organics back-of-house"; grocery stores were phased in Jan. 1, 2022 and restaurants, caterers, hotels and shopping centres Jan. 1, 2024. Section 16.01(B) separately requires cities over 10,000 people to adopt ordinances covering multi-unit residential buildings (§16.03) and large event venues (§16.05); the commercial-generator duties above come from the county ordinance itself.

Subsurface Sewage Treatment System (SSTS) Construction Permit

Applies to a business property served by a septic system in the county's septic jurisdiction. The county's construction page states: "For properties located within Dakota County's jurisdiction (shoreland areas, cities of Randolph, New Trier and Hastings and townships of Randolph and Waterford) permits can be obtained through Dakota County after a design is completed." The county's septic page sends compliance inspection reports for other properties to the local municipality with septic system jurisdiction. A state-licensed designer designs the system; the applicant submits the SSTS permit application, the design with two separate soils verifications, a detailed site plan and the permit fee to the Environmental Resources Department, which may schedule a pre-inspection. A licensed installer installs the system after the permit is issued, a final inspection is required before the system is covered, and the county must receive the installer-signed as-built record before issuing a certificate of compliance. The fees are as published under "Permit fees" on that page (last updated 09/21/2026) and are listed with their labels in the fee field. The county published a recommended 2027 fee schedule (public notice dated Sept. 3, 2026; County Board public hearing Oct. 6, 2026; proposed to take effect Jan. 1, 2027); the figure here is the one the county's own page shows for the current period.

Hazardous Waste Generator License

The county's license page states: "By state law, hazardous waste generators in Dakota County must be licensed." It sets two levels. A minimal generator — a business producing 10 gallons or less of hazardous waste a year and/or only exempt waste — files a one-time Minimal Quantity Generator Registration Form. A full generator producing more than 10 gallons a year submits an online notification through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's portal, files the Dakota County license application, and renews every year: the county emails a secure link at the start of the year, the annual hazardous waste report is due by Jan. 31, and an invoice for the license follows. A new waste stream must be reported to the county within 75 days of first producing it. The page lists batteries, electronics, fluorescent bulbs and waste aerosols/compressed gas cylinders as exempt wastes, saying "If your business only generates the following waste, no license is needed", provided those wastes are recycled or sent to a licensed or permitted company. Typical generators among the tracked industries are auto repair shops (solvents, used fluids, paint), contractors, salons, veterinary clinics and some retail stores. The fee is a base fee plus a per-gallon fee as the county's page describes; the dollar rates are not published on the county's page or application form.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Dakota County
Phone
952-891-7557

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. Building and Zoning Permits (last updated 05/29/2026)Dakota County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  2. Business Hazardous Waste Licenses (last updated 08/21/2026)Dakota County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  3. Business Licenses and Permits (index of county-issued business licenses and permits)Dakota County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  4. Business organics (food scraps) requirementsDakota County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  5. Business recycling requirementsDakota County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  6. Hazardous Waste Generator License Application (PDF)Dakota County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  7. Minn. Stat. §473.811 — metropolitan county solid and hazardous waste powers (subd. 5b: county permits or licenses for hazardous waste generation)Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  8. Ordinance 110 — Solid Waste Management (§§2.22, 2.59, 16.01–16.06)Dakota County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  9. Ordinance 50 — Shoreland and Floodplain Management (§1.00 applicability; §6.01 permits required)Dakota County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  10. Public notice: 2027 Fee Schedule (recommended schedules; hearing Oct. 6, 2026; proposed effective Jan. 1, 2027)Dakota County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  11. Septic System Construction or Replacement (last updated 09/21/2026) — SSTS permit feesDakota County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  12. Septic SystemsDakota County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13

Other offices serving Dakota County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

Minnesota jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.