WALKER - Following a recent Cass County-Crow Wing County joint board meeting, Cass officials began researching state laws to learn what the state requires of counties once they adopt the state building code.
Twenty of the state's 87 counties have adopted the state code countywide. All of those come from the Twin Cities core metro area.
It appears likely that most of the 67 counties involved in just zoning and not dealing with the state building code are violating state law.
One state statue section requires that, "A political subdivision that issues zoning or land use permits in lieu of a building permit shall not issue those permits to an unlicensed person who is required to be licensed under (other statute) sections (that refer to licensing building contractors)."
Cass Environmental Services Director John Sumption said Tuesday that the county has never required that contractors doing the work have a state contractor license regarding verification for land use permits.
At a recent Association of Minnesota Counties conference, the commissioners said they found commissioners from other counties also never required contractor license verification to issue a land use permit.
If all 67 counties believed to be out of compliance were suddenly to begin complying by asking the state to verify licensure, Sumption said it would cause a major bottleneck in state government. Only one person at the state oversees contractor licensing, he said.
A county might require contractors to provide a copy of their current year license to be submitted with a land use permit, Sumption said. However, nothing in Cass County's current ordinance requires this, nor does the county have a list of state-licensed building contractors operating in the area - as it does for sewer installers and designers.
The board Tuesday approved giving $15,000 of the $20,000 set aside this year for individual sewer compliance checks to Leech Lake, Shingobee and Turtle Lake townships that plan a joint project to check every system on lakeshore lots in those townships this year for proper operation.
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