Knowledge Base

Property lines are determined by a survey. Do not assume that a fence is a reliable marker for the location of a side or rear property line. You may be able to determine the approximate location of your property lines by looking up the Subdivision Plat or Interactive Zoning Map. If you are unable to find the survey markers in the ground at your property, you can hire a licensed land surveyor to mark your property lines.

Olmsted County has a list of surveyors: https://www.olmstedcounty.gov/business/surveying#private-residentialsurveying1 

A building setback is the distance the building is setback from a street, alley, property line or road.  Building setbacks are set up by land developers and local Planning and Zoning Offices and are different for every subdivision.  If you take notice of a typical neighborhood, all the houses line up (for the most part) in the front.  This is because of the building setback line.  Building setback lines exist for many reasons.  They prevent building structures from being built too close to one another, prevent fire from spreading to buildings or homes that are too close together, and serve as utility easements for local power or water companies to gain access to properties where they have their meters.  Older neighborhoods typically have shorter building setbacks because walking was the primary means of getting from place to place and as result, local governments wanted to keeps distances shorter. 

To determine the building setbacks for your property, please contact Community Development via email or phone at 507-328-2600.