Permits

WHEN IS A PERMIT REQUIRED?

A permit is required from the District when one or more of the following conditions are met:

Rule D: Stormwater Management and Rule E: Erosion & Sediment Control

Any land disturbing activity greater than one acre
-or-
Any land disturbing activity greater than 0.23 acre (10,000 square feet) within a shoreland protection zone (i.e. within 1,000 feet of a lake or DNR-protected wetland, or within 300 feet of the Prior Lake Outlet Channel).

Rule F: Floodplain Alteration

Any activity that alters or fills land below the 100-year critical flood elevation of any public waters, public waters wetland or other wetland.

Rule G: Wetland Alteration

Any activity that will drain, fill, excavate or otherwise alter a wetland.  

Rule H: Bridge and Culvert Crossings

Any activity that constructs, improves, repairs or alters a driveway, road or utility across the Prior Lake outlet channel or a watercourse with a tributary area in excess of 100 acres.

Rule I: Drainage Alterations

Any activity that artificially drains surface water, or obstructs or redirects the natural flow of runoff, so as to affect a drainage system established under Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 103E, or the public health and general welfare of the District. 

Rule J: Buffer Strips

Any parcel created or redeveloped after the effective date of this Rule J, a buffer strip shall be maintained around the perimeter of all watercourses or wetlands.

All land disturbing activities, whether or not they require a permit from the District, must be completed in compliance with the standards and criteria of the District’s Rules and in conformance with best management practices. The District’s Rules are included in the Permit Handbook.

WETLAND BUFFER EASEMENT REQUIREMENT ONLY: 

Projects in the City of Savage, City of Prior Lake, Sand Creek Township or Spring Lake Township

The Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District has a Memorandum of Agreement with the City of Savage and the City of Prior Lake where the Cities assume permitting responsibility within its areas of jurisdiction that are subject to the PLSLWD Rules. PLSLWD also has a Memorandum of Agreement with Scott County which covers projects which occur in Sand Creek and Spring Lake Townships. These Cities and the County have adopted stormwater requirements that are equivalent to PLSLWD Rules. If a project falls within the Watershed District in these cities or townships, only a City permit or County permit will be required.  However, the project will still need to meet PLSLWD Rule J: Buffers if there is a wetland on the property and enter into a Development Agreement with the Watershed District.

WETLAND BUFFER REQUIREMENTS:

The PLSLWD’s Rule J Buffer Strips gets triggered when a property subdivides.  This Rule requires that a permanent conservation easement get established around any wetlands on the property.  Note that this easement is separate than the drainage and utility easements acquired by the City or the County.  The conservation easement is required to be an average width of 30 feet wide surrounding the wetland with a minimum width of 20 feet.  More information on Rule J requirements can be found in the PLSLWD Permit Handbook.

Typical process & timeline for completing conservation easements with PLSLWD:

1. Prior to preliminary plat approval:
   1. Wetlands are delineated on the property
   2. Development Agreement is signed between the Developer and PLSLWD 
   3. Escrow amount is provided to PLSLWD to ensure required establishment of the easements (amount varies by project)
2. Prior to final plat approval:
   1. Developer works with PLSLWD and a surveyor to create a legal description and map of the easement areas
   2. Title work is ordered and any existing encumbrances are addressed
3. After final plat:
   1. Final Conservation Easement documents are signed and recorded in Scott County (required within 30 days after final plat approval)
   2. Install buffer signs on 4×4 posts on easement boundary corners
   3. Easement areas are restored with a native seed mix (unless in existing native plant cover)

PERMIT APPLICATION REQUIRED: 

Private projects in the City of Shakopee & all public agency projects

The District’s Rules require that any person or political subdivision undertaking an activity for which a permit is required must submit a permit application to the District for review.

The permit application package must be filed with the District at least 14 calendar days prior to the scheduled meeting date of the Board of Managers to be considered for inclusion on that meeting agenda. Late or incomplete submittals will be scheduled to a subsequent meeting date. Note that applications for subdivision projects should be submitted to the District prior to preliminary plat approval, preferably at the same time that the preliminary plat application is submitted to the local municipality.

The Board of Managers holds its regular monthly meeting on the second Tuesday of each month, at 6:00 p.m., to discuss and act on the business of the District, including permit applications. The meetings are usually held at the Prior Lake City Hall, 4646 Dakota Street SE, Prior Lake, MN. However, the meeting date, time or location may occasionally change due to meeting room conflicts or holidays; therefore, it is important to verify with District staff the date, time and location of a specific meeting.

A permit application will not be processed for consideration by the Board of Managers until the information required in the Rules has been provided and the application has been determined by District staff to be complete. To allow time to resolve questions and making any necessary revisions, the District recommends that applications be submitted 1-3 months prior to the meeting, depending on the complexity of the project.

See the Permit Handbook below for more detailed information and application materials.

Permit Handbook:

Permit Handbook – October 2015 edition

Click on the above link to download the Permit Handbook for permit information, application information and materials as well as District Rules.

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REPORTING A PROBLEM:

ILLICIT DISCHARGE
If you see anyone dumping any substance other than stormwater in roadside ditches and storm drains, please report it to the District by calling (952) 447-4166. For potentially hazardous materials and petroleum spills, call 9-1-1 first when there is an immediate threat to life or property.

Read our Illicit Discharge Fact Sheet to learn more about identifying illicit discharges.

CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
If you observe an existing or potential water resource hazard on a construction site (e.g. dirty water running into a lake or wetland,  open container hazardous materials in close proximity to a lakeshore, etc.), please call us as soon as possible at (952) 447-4166.