The Wetland Conservation Act outruns Section 404
Federal jurisdiction under Clean Water Act section 404 has narrowed. Minnesota's own program did not. The Wetland Conservation Act, Minn. Stat. § 103G.222 and following, requires that wetlands drained or filled be replaced, and Minn. R. 8420.0520 makes an applicant work through sequencing first: avoid the impact, minimize it, rectify it, reduce it over time, and only then replace what is left. A local government unit — commonly the county, a soil and water conservation district or a watershed district — approves or denies the replacement plan, and may not approve one until the applicant has documented feasible alternatives. Replacement runs two acres for one on nonagricultural land and one for one in the areas the statute calls greater-than-80-percent.
Green Acres and Rural Preserve claw back
Two deferment programs cut the tax bill on rural land, and both send an invoice when the deferment ends. Green Acres, Minn. Stat. § 273.111, values qualifying agricultural land of at least ten acres on its agricultural use rather than on what a developer would pay. Rural Preserve, Minn. Stat. § 273.114, does something similar for class 2b rural vacant land tied to an enrolled Green Acres parcel. When property stops qualifying, the county levies the deferred difference — under § 273.111 the last three years, and under § 273.114 the current year plus two prior years. Enrollment and payback are county assessor matters, so ask the assessor rather than assume a number.
Shoreland rules turn on the lake's classification
Shoreland in Minnesota means land within 1,000 feet of the ordinary high water level of a lake, pond or flowage, and within 300 feet of a river or stream or the landward edge of the ordinance floodplain, whichever is greater — the definition in Minn. R. 6120.2500. What applies inside that band depends on how the DNR classified the water. Minn. R. 6120.3000 sorts basins into natural environment, recreational development and general development classes, with separate watercourse classes for rivers, and the lot size, width and setback standards tighten as you move toward natural environment. Counties and cities adopt the ordinances, so the county version is what a buyer's surveyor reads.
Disclosure is narrow; the well certificate is not
Minnesota's seller disclosure duty is written for houses. Minn. Stat. § 513.55 requires written disclosure of material facts that could adversely and significantly affect the buyer's use and enjoyment, but § 513.53 applies sections 513.52 to 513.60 to transfers of residential real estate, which § 513.52 defines as property occupied as or intended to be occupied as a single-family residence. A bare parcel with no residential intent generally falls outside it. The well disclosure under Minn. Stat. § 103I.235 is different: it reaches sales of real property generally, so a seller must tell the buyer in writing whether wells exist and provide a well disclosure certificate at closing.