Administrative overview · FIPS 27037
Dakota County permit authority
The first compliance decision is jurisdictional: identify the office with statutory authority over your parcel, then use its filing and inspection sequence to keep the project moving.
Jurisdictional status
Municipal Fallback
This profile identifies a handoff outside the county’s ordinary structural permitting lane.
Required jurisdiction check
Confirm the controlling local or state authority before filing.
The record is marked Municipal Fallback. That means the county profile should be treated as a routing brief: incorporated municipalities, a state building department, or a state fire marshal may control plan review, permits, and inspections. Contact the named agency below and verify the parcel’s jurisdiction before paying a fee or scheduling field work.
Responsible agency
Dakota County Environmental Resources / Water Resources
For a project in or near Dakota County, this office is the identified point of contact for permit intake, statutory code enforcement, plan review coordination, and inspection release conditions. Confirm the parcel’s boundary and project type before relying on the county lane.
Direct contact
952-891-7000; Environmental Resources: 952-891-7557
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Dakota County Environmental Resources, 14955 Galaxie Avenue, Apple Valley, MN 55124
Operating hours
Operating hours not verified
Review expectation
For an incomplete or nonconforming county permit application, the zoning administrator must provide written reasons for non-acceptance within 15 business days; no final issuance timeline is published.
Compliance workbench
Choose the next project decision.
Apply online
Open the verified digital gateway, application form, and review timeline.
Open guide →Fees & penalties
Understand fee schedules, enforcement exposure, and stop-work liabilities.
Open guide →Codes & exemptions
Read the code framework, minor-work exemptions, and inspection lane.
Open guide →Agency website
Visit the primary public source for current notices and contact changes.
Open guide →Source trail
Official sources for this profile
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Frequently asked questions for Dakota County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
This record is marked Municipal Fallback. Confirm whether a city, state agency, or other local authority controls the parcel before filing.
How should I begin an application?
No verified online portal was located in the reviewed public materials. Contact 952-891-7000; Environmental Resources: 952-891-7557 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
For an incomplete or nonconforming county permit application, the zoning administrator must provide written reasons for non-acceptance within 15 business days; no final issuance timeline is published.
How are inspections scheduled?
County permit applications require 24-hour notice for inspections. The new-construction application includes septic design review and all inspections; Dakota County must receive an as-built septic inspection record before issuing a certificate of compliance. Building construction is inspected by the township building official. Call 952-891-7000 for county inspection coordination.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Building permits are issued by the applicable city or township. For county-regulated work, Minnesota State Building Code requirements apply, together with Dakota County Ordinance 50 (Shoreland and Floodplain Management), Ordinance 113 for subsurface sewage treatment systems, and applicable Minnesota Rules Chapters 7080-7083. The county does not issue ordinary building permits; cities and townships control general land use and zoning. In county shoreland/floodplain jurisdiction, permits are required for construction or demolition of structures and additions regardless of cost or size, septic-system installation or alteration, specified grading/filling, and regulated vegetation removal. The county materials do not publish a broad cosmetic exemption list.