Barndominium Builders in Scott County, Minnesota
Among the south-metro counties, Scott is where barndominium builders near Scott County find the simplest permit path on rural land: in the ten townships the county itself does both the zoning and the building inspection. Shakopee, Prior Lake and Savage along the Minnesota River are suburban and handle their own permits, but south and west of them the townships around Jordan, Belle Plaine and New Prague are farm country. A buyer there deals with one county office for zoning review and one for the building permit, and for some projects also collects a township sign-off. The catch is density. The county's A-1 Agricultural Preservation district allows one home per 40 acres, so a new house on farmland depends on the parcel having a building eligibility, and that is worth confirming before you pay farmland prices for a building site. We sell barndominium kits, draw custom plans and build turnkey pole barn and steel homes, and we can review a Scott County parcel's zoning district, eligibility and septic site with you first.
Scott County at a glance
- County
- Scott County
- Building permit
- County building program
- Land use
- County zoning
- Wastewater
- Septic (SSTS) via the county
- Frost depth / snow load (state rule)
- 3-1/2 feet / 50 psf
Barndominium Kits & Floor Plans for Scott County
The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so each option is priced against your land rather than a rate card.
Barndominium Kits
Barndominium kits and shell kits for Minnesota land, sized to your county's state-set snow load and frost depth, with the drawings your permit needs.
Custom Plans
Custom barndominium plans drawn for Minnesota: your layout and shop, your county's snow load and frost depth, and a set ready for plan review.
Barndominium Floor Plans
Stock plans by size and layout, each a starting point adjusted to your parcel.
Pole Barn Homes near Scott County
A pole barn home sets its frame on posts and trusses (the engineering term is post-frame), which often suits a simple, wide layout with a shop bay under the same roof. Whether it fits your parcel comes down to the zoning and the site, set out below.
Permits, Zoning & Septic in Scott County
Who issues the permit, who zones the land and who handles septic can change at a city limit or a county line. Here is who decides each part in Scott County, taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so check them again against your parcel before anything is drawn.
Scott County Building Inspections
Scott County Building Inspections manages the Minnesota State Building Code within the townships, and every permit is applied for through the county's ePermit portal. A new one- or two-family dwelling permit is all-inclusive, bundling plumbing, mechanical and sewer or septic permits; electrical permits come from the Department of Labor and Industry. The eight cities permit separately inside their limits.
Source: Building Inspections, Scott County (scottcountymn.gov)
Scott County Planning & Zoning
The county's Planning Department is legally responsible for planning and zoning in all ten townships, working with township officials, and it reviews township building permits for zoning compliance; each of the county's eight cities does its own planning and zoning. Rural districts include A-1 Agricultural Preservation, and shoreland and floodplain setbacks apply on top of the district rules.
Source: Planning & Zoning, Scott County (scottcountymn.gov)
Scott County (septic permits through the Building Inspections ePermit portal)
Scott County's SSTS program runs under County Ordinance No. 4, effective countywide, with enforcement and permitting coordinated in the larger cities. Septic permits are applied for through the county's ePermit portal with a design, site map and soil observation logs.
Source: Septic Systems, Scott County (scottcountymn.gov)
In Scott County, 18 of the 18 cities and townships in DLI's State Building Code Jurisdiction Directory have adopted the State Building Code, including Belle Plaine, Credit River, Elko New Market, Jordan, New Prague, Prior Lake; elsewhere the county's zoning, shoreland and septic rules still apply.
Source: State Building Code Jurisdiction Directory (Local Code Lookup), Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (secure.doli.state.mn.us), read 27 September 2026. Check it again for your parcel, then call that office.
- Frost footing depth
- 3-1/2 feet (frost Zone II), unless an engineer competent in soil mechanics determines otherwise.
- Ground snow load
- 50 pounds per square foot of ground snow load, the starting point for the structure's snow design.
Source: Minn. R. 1303.1600, Footing Depth for Frost Protection (revisor.mn.gov)
Source: Minn. R. 1303.1700, Ground Snow Load (revisor.mn.gov)
- A-1 Agricultural Preservation density
- The county's A-1 district handout sets a density of 1 dwelling unit per 40 acres or quarter-quarter section, a 40-acre lot area, 600 feet of lot width and a 35-foot principal building height; older lots of record created by the dates it lists can remain buildable (Scott County Zoning Administration, read 27 Sep 2026).
- When the county wants a septic check
- Beyond state triggers, Scott County's ordinance requires a septic compliance inspection when an accessory structure such as a garage or pole building is added and adequate records of the soils or installation are not available, when use changes from seasonal to year-round, and when new lots are created around an existing system (read 27 Sep 2026).
Source: A-1 Agricultural Preservation Zoning District, Scott County Zoning Administration (scottcountymn.gov)
Source: Septic Systems, Scott County (scottcountymn.gov)
Turnkey Builds
Turnkey barndominium builds in Minnesota: land check, plans, permits, foundation, frame and finish under one agreement, from raw land to move-in.
Site Preparation
Barndominium site preparation in Minnesota: shoreland and septic checks first, then clearing, grading, the driveway and a pad for frost-depth footings.
Permits & Approvals
Barndominium permits in Minnesota: who enforces the building code on your parcel, and the zoning, septic and well approvals that apply everywhere.
Metal Building Homes & Shouses near Scott County
A steel frame instead of posts, or a home and a workshop under one roof: the same parcel questions apply, so start from the rules above.
Metal Building Homes
Metal building homes in Minnesota, insulated and air-sealed for a long winter, with condensation and radon handled before the walls close in.
Shouses
Shouses in Minnesota: a heated shop and a home under one roof, laid out for big doors, winter work and the separation a house needs from its shop.
Steel & Metal Building Construction
Red-iron steel frames for Minnesota barndominiums and shops: wide clear spans, roofs sized to your county's snow load, columns on frost-depth footings.
Building on land near Scott County
Farmland in the Scott County townships is mostly in agricultural districts where the one-home-per-40-acres rule applies, so the right question about a parcel is whether it carries an unused building eligibility, not just whether it is large. Lakes and the Minnesota River bottoms bring shoreland and floodplain limits, and the A-1 rules keep structures out of wetlands, shoreland setbacks and the 100-year floodplain. Plan the site around a septic drainfield and a well. For the neighbouring county-zoned townships west, see the Carver County page; for a suburban lot with city services, compare the Lakeville page.
Other places in this part of Minnesota
Minneapolis–St. Paul & the Twin Cities Metro
Have land in or near Scott County? Tell us about the parcel and what you want on it, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.
Building in Scott County: questions
Start the surveyHow much does it cost to build a barndominium near Scott County?
Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Scott County?
How many acres do I need for a pole barn home in rural Scott County?
Will adding a shop trigger a septic inspection in Scott County?
Keep reading
What usually comes next once you know what Scott County allows.
Barndominium Cost Guide
Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.
Read itIs a Barndominium Legal in Minnesota?
Zoning, permits, septic and who inspects, before you buy the land.
Read itHow Long Does It Take?
From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.
Read itSources for this page
The published pages behind the Scott County facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.
- Building Inspections, Scott CountyBuilding permit authorityscottcountymn.gov
- Planning & Zoning, Scott CountyLand use and zoningscottcountymn.gov
- Septic Systems, Scott CountySewer or septic (SSTS); When the county wants a septic checkscottcountymn.gov
- A-1 Agricultural Preservation Zoning District, Scott County Zoning AdministrationA-1 Agricultural Preservation densityscottcountymn.gov
- State Building Code Jurisdiction Directory (Local Code Lookup), Minnesota Department of Labor and IndustryState Building Code adoptionsecure.doli.state.mn.us
- Minn. R. 1303.1600, Footing Depth for Frost ProtectionFrost footing depth by countyrevisor.mn.gov
- Minn. R. 1303.1700, Ground Snow LoadGround snow load by countyrevisor.mn.gov
Other places near Scott County
Nearby places with their own pages. Across a city limit or a county line the permit office, the zoning and the septic rules can change, so each is covered separately.
Building in Scott County?
Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which offices decide it, what the zoning allows, and a plan to fit.