Crow Wing County reports large increase in land use permits

Land use permits grew by 25% last year compared to the year before, according to Crow Wing County officials.

The county issued more than 1,100 permits in 2020, according to a year-end report compiled by the Land Services Department, with 890 permits issued in 2019, versus 843 in 2018.

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“The largest increase was seen in 2019. A 54% increase in applications, going from 61 applications in 2018 to 94 in 2019,” Environmental Services Supervisor Jacob Frie said in a news release.

The county has a policy of acting on all land use permits within 10 business days, which includes a site visit to the property to review the permit application with property owners.

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“The amount of building activity going on throughout the county is tremendous. Applications to the Planning Commission/Board of Adjustment remain very busy as well with an increase of 11% in 2020, with 104 applications compared to 94 in 2019,” Frie stated.

According to the Land Services Department, 53% of the permits in 2020 were processed within two days, and 86% were issued within seven days.

“We received a 98% positive rating out of 156 surveys received for permitting staff. That speaks volumes about the quality staff and their commitment to providing excellent customer service,” Land Services Director Gary Griffin stated in the news release.

The county has an online permitting system that allows applicants to apply, pay and print out permits online. The website address is https://enviropermits.crowwing.us/ .

Users are required to create an account in order to access the site. Once a username and password are created, applicants can login at any time to view the status of their permit or see old permits. Applicants are then notified via email during each step of the application process.