Rolling farmland at the edge of the Twin Cities metro, with corn and hay fields, oak and maple woodlots and a small cattail-ringed lake.
Washington County, Minnesota Minneapolis–St. Paul & the Twin Cities Metro

Barndominium Builders in Woodbury, Minnesota

Talk to barndominium builders near Woodbury, Minnesota and the first question is usually about the lot, because Woodbury is a dense suburb where almost every neighbourhood is a platted subdivision on city water and sewer. Its zoning is written for that: one garage per lot, a size cap on attached garages, and a ban on corrugated exterior materials in platted residential areas, which rules out the classic ribbed-steel look on most streets. A barndominium in Woodbury therefore means either a design that reads as a conventional house, with the shop built in, or one of the city's remaining rural lots, which sit outside the sewer system and need a septic permit application to Washington County alongside the building permit. Beyond the city, the townships and small cities of Washington County offer real acreage, with the St. Croix bluffs and the river corridor to the east. We sell barndominium kits, draw plans and build turnkey homes, and we will check any parcel you are considering against the city or township rules before design work starts.

Woodbury at a glance

Principal county
Washington County
Building permit
City building official
Land use
City zoning
Wastewater
Public sewer
Frost depth / snow load (state rule)
3-1/2 feet / 50 psf

Pole Barn Homes near Woodbury

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 Woodbury

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 Woodbury, taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so check them again against your parcel before anything is drawn.

Who issues the building permit City building official

Building Inspections Division, City of Woodbury

Woodbury issues combination permits: the contractor running the job, or a homeowner doing their own work, receives one permit covering building, plumbing, HVAC and electrical fees for a new home. Applications go through the city's online permitting portal with complete construction plans, a signed certificate of survey and an energy code compliance certificate, and rural lots add a copy of the submitted Washington County septic permit application.

Source: Building Permits & Inspections, City of Woodbury (woodburymn.gov)

Who decides the land use City zoning

Planning Division, City of Woodbury

Woodbury's Zoning Ordinance regulates the uses allowed in each zoning district and the height, size and use of buildings and the lot sizes, with district boundaries shown on the city's zoning map (updated January 2026). Changes to zoning go to the Planning Commission and are decided by the City Council after a public hearing.

Source: Zoning Ordinance, City of Woodbury (woodburymn.gov)

Sewer or septic Public sewer

Utility Division, City of Woodbury

The city's Utility Division provides water and sanitary sewer to most Woodbury residents, discharging to the Metropolitan Council's regional treatment system. Properties not on sewer lines use private septic systems, and installing one needs a separate permit to state and city codes. Confirm which your lot has.

Source: Sewer, City of Woodbury (woodburymn.gov)

Is the State Building Code enforced here?

DLI's State Building Code Jurisdiction Directory lists Woodbury as having adopted the State Building Code, so a building permit and inspections apply to a new home here.

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.

Design figures the state sets for Washington County
Frost footing depth
3-1/2 feet (frost Zone II), unless an engineer competent in soil mechanics determines otherwise.

Source: Minn. R. 1303.1600, Footing Depth for Frost Protection (revisor.mn.gov)

Ground snow load
50 pounds per square foot of ground snow load, the starting point for the structure's snow design.

Source: Minn. R. 1303.1700, Ground Snow Load (revisor.mn.gov)

Garage and exterior rules
Woodbury allows each lot one garage, attached or detached; an attached garage may not exceed 1,000 square feet or 30% of the main floor area, whichever is greater. Accessory building walls may not exceed 12 feet, and corrugated materials are prohibited from exterior use in platted residential areas (city permits page, read 27 Sep 2026).

Source: Building Permits & Inspections, City of Woodbury (woodburymn.gov)

County septic permits
Washington County Public Health and Environment requires a permit to install a new septic tank or soil treatment area, to repair or replace a system, or to change, expand or modify a building a system serves; installation inspections are booked 24 hours ahead (county SSTS page, read 27 Sep 2026).

Source: Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems (SSTS), Washington County (washingtoncountymn.gov)

Building on land near Woodbury

Inside Woodbury a buildable lot is usually a platted parcel with city sewer, where the garage cap and the corrugated-siding ban shape the design. A rural lot on septic gives more room but brings a county septic permit and soil testing into the schedule. Check the zoning map and any wetland or pond easements on the survey before you buy. For true acreage, the Washington County page covers the townships and the St. Croix corridor, and the Dakota County page covers the farm townships across the Mississippi to the southwest.

Have land in or near Woodbury? 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 Woodbury: questions

Start the survey
How much does it cost to build a barndominium near Woodbury?
It turns on the lot and on what the city will let the exterior look like. A platted Woodbury lot usually means a house-style exterior rather than ribbed steel, while a rural lot adds a septic system and site work. Floor area and finishes do the rest. The barndominium cost guide lays out sourced ranges, and our survey starts a quote for your own parcel.
Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Woodbury?
Yes. Woodbury issues a single combination permit for a new home, covering building, plumbing, HVAC and electrical fees, applied for online with construction plans, a certificate of survey and an energy code certificate. On a rural lot you also submit a copy of your Washington County septic permit application. We prepare that package as part of our permitting service.
Can I build a metal barndominium on a Woodbury lot?
A steel frame, yes; the classic ribbed-metal exterior, usually not. Woodbury prohibits corrugated materials on exteriors in platted residential areas, allows one garage per lot, and caps an attached garage at 1,000 square feet or 30% of the main floor, whichever is greater. A barndominium with lap siding or stone and a built-in shop can meet those rules. Our metal homes page covers the exterior options.
Where is acreage for a pole barn home near Woodbury?
Mostly outside the city, in the townships and small cities of Washington County, where zoning comes from the township or the county and building permits from the city or township. Near the St. Croix, county bluffland and shoreland rules add their own lot and setback standards. Read the Washington County page, and see pole barn homes for the building system.

Other places near Woodbury

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 Woodbury?

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.