7 published records
Business licenses and permits in St. Louis County, Minnesota
St. Louis County, Minnesota, seat Duluth; population 200,794 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The County Auditor licenses liquor sales in organized and unorganized townships under Ordinance 28, and issues tobacco licenses under Ordinance 51, transient merchant licenses under Minn. Stat. §329.11 and precious metal dealer licenses under Minn. Stat. §325F.733. The Planning & Zoning Department's Land Use Division issues land use, home business and conditional use permits under Zoning Ordinance 62, which by its §1.3 covers the part of the county outside the incorporated limits of municipalities and by its §11.6 A does not apply in towns that have filed their own consistent zoning ordinance; the Onsite Wastewater Division issues septic (SSTS) permits under Ordinance 61. Public Health & Human Services licenses family child care homes. County fees come from the 2026 Fee Schedule (Resolution No. 25-527 as amended after the January 27, 2026 public hearing). Duluth and the county's other cities are separate governments: the Auditor's page directs liquor applicants inside a city to the city clerk, and each city's own license, zoning and building rules stack on the state records for businesses within it.
What are you opening in St. Louis County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in St. Louis County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSTS (Septic) Permit to Construct and Operating Permitonly if it applies to you | St. Louis County Planning & Zoning — Onsite Wastewater Division | Permit to construct, commercial or multiple dwellings under 2,500 gallons per day, by system type: Type I non-shoreland $340, shoreland $595; Type II holding tank $285, privy $115, floodplain $345; Type III $385; Type IV $440; Type V $550; component addition or replacement $225. Commercial or multiple dwellings over 2,500 gallons per day $840. Operating permit renewal (Types II to V) $70. Late fee two times the regular fee. | permit to construct per project; operating permit renewed on the county's renewal cycle | 2026-10-13 |
| Land Use Permit, Home Business (Performance Standard) Permit and Conditional Use Permitonly if it applies to you | St. Louis County Planning & Zoning — Land Use Division | 2026 Fee Schedule: new building of 1 to 1,200 square feet (including a commercial structure) $185; new building of 1,201 square feet or larger $360; change in use, sign, addition or structural alteration $95; performance standard permit, including home business, $430; conditional use (public hearing) $720; variance $720. Planning Department fees are subject to an after-the-fact fee of two times the regular fee. | per permit, for the approved project or use | 2026-10-13 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in St. Louis County?
SSTS (Septic) Permit to Construct and Operating Permit
A business whose premises are served by a subsurface sewage treatment system (septic system) rather than a public sewer needs a permit to construct before a new or replacement system is installed, and some system types carry an operating permit that is renewed with Form 3040 and a $70 fee; a business on a public sewer has no septic permit. The county's Onsite Wastewater Division page states that the division "is responsible for the administration and coordination of onsite wastewater treatment systems throughout St. Louis County" and regulates Ordinance 61. Minn. R. 7082.0040 subp. 2 states that county SSTS ordinances "must apply to all land area within the county, except in towns and cities that have adopted ordinances that are in conformance with the county ordinance and this chapter," so a site in a town or city with its own conforming SSTS ordinance applies there instead. Commercial applications use Form 3001 (Rev. 12-30-2025), which prints the same type-by-type fees and states "Please make checks payable to: St. Louis County Auditor." The figure is from the St. Louis County 2026 Fee Schedule (amended by the County Board after the public hearing on January 27, 2026; originally adopted November 4, 2025 by Resolution No. 25-527), which is in effect through December 31, 2026.
Land Use Permit, Home Business (Performance Standard) Permit and Conditional Use Permit
Zoning Ordinance 62 §2.4 D provides that no structure may be erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved or structurally altered, "and no land shall change in use until the Director has approved and issued a land use permit." By §1.3 the ordinance regulates "that portion of St. Louis County, Minnesota, outside the incorporated limits of municipalities", and §11.6 A states it "shall not apply to towns that have adopted and filed with the county recorder a zoning ordinance consistent with and as restrictive as this ordinance"; the Land Use Division describes its area as "county-administered areas." A home business — a commercial use on the owner's home property that "may employ no more than five persons who are not residents of the owner's home" — needs a performance standard permit in the districts listed in §6.20, and uses listed as conditional need a conditional use permit after a public hearing. The county's Apply for a Land Use Permit page states: "St. Louis County does not administer the Minnesota State Building Code, but does require land use permits for a wide range of activities." The $185, $360 and $95 figures also appear in the county's 2026 Permit Fees sheet. The figure is from the St. Louis County 2026 Fee Schedule (amended by the County Board after the public hearing on January 27, 2026; originally adopted November 4, 2025 by Resolution No. 25-527), which is in effect through December 31, 2026. Contact the St. Louis County Planning & Zoning Land Use Division.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- 2026 Fee Schedule — Amended by the St. Louis County Board after the Public Hearing on January 27, 2026 (Originally Adopted November 4, 2025 – Resolution No. 25-527)St. Louis County, Minnesota · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Form 3001, Commercial Construction Application, Subsurface Sewage Treatment System (Rev. 12-30-2025)St. Louis County Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Form 3040, SSTS Operating Permit Renewal Application (Rev. 12-30-2025)St. Louis County Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Onsite Wastewater DivisionSt. Louis County Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Apply for a Septic PermitSt. Louis County Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Ordinance 61 & Technical StandardsSt. Louis County Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Minn. R. 7082.0040, SSTS ordinances and programsMinnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Zoning Ordinance of St. Louis County, Minnesota (Ordinance 62), amended May 5, 2026St. Louis County Board of Commissioners · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Apply for a Land Use PermitSt. Louis County Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Land Use DivisionSt. Louis County Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- 2026 Permit Fees (Land Use)St. Louis County Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
Who issues business permits in St. Louis County?
Permitting in St. Louis County is split across 4 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
St. Louis County issuing agencies
- St. Louis County Auditor — LicensingOn-sale, off-sale and related liquor licenses and permits for establishments in organized and unorganized townships (Ordinance 28); the County Board authorizes issuance · Tobacco products licenses (Ordinance 51; Minn. Stat. §461.12 subd. 1) · Transient merchant licenses (Minn. Stat. §329.11) · Precious metal dealer licenses (Minn. Stat. §325F.733)4 permits
- St. Louis County Planning & Zoning — Land Use DivisionLand use permits, performance standard (including home business) permits, conditional use permits and variances under Zoning Ordinance 62 for county-administered areas1 permit
- St. Louis County Planning & Zoning — Onsite Wastewater DivisionSubsurface sewage treatment system (SSTS) permits to construct and operating permits under Ordinance 611 permit
- St. Louis County Public Health & Human Services — Child Care LicensingFamily and group family child care home licensing: orientations, background studies, home interviews, safety checks and licensing recommendations to the state1 permit
Other Minnesota jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.