Shoreland Management
Lakes and rivers cannot adjust infinitely to changes resulting from housing development, recreation, and other human activities which impact them.
At some point, the natural resource will begin to decline, as will user satisfaction with the resource.
Our job is to monitor shoreland quality and, when necessary, to take steps to protect the shoreland within Stearns County.
Stearns County administers Minnesota's Shoreland Management Program. This program from the Department of Natural Resources provides for the orderly development and protection of Minnesota's shorelands, both rivers and lakes.
The Shoreland Management Program sets state-wide standards, and local governmental units must adopt these standards into their own land use controls.
As a part of adhering to the standards of the Shoreland Management Program, we require permits for all structural, use, shoreland alteration and vegetation removal activities.