Septic system requirements in Minnesota
What landplan.io applies when it designs a septic system in Minnesota: the system types allowed, tank sizes, setbacks and soil loading rates, with what septic products cost there.
Updated
Design a septic system for an address in Minnesota
Reviewed landplan.io designs by Minnesota's own rules, which our staff reviewed against the state's regulations. Last published 5 October 2026.
Septic systems allowed in Minnesota
The system types landplan.io permits in Minnesota:
- Mound system
- Drip-Line Dispersal
- Pressure dosed Trenches
- At-grade system
- Trench system
- Seepage bed system
Septic tank size in Minnesota
The daily design flow of a home: 150 gal/day per bedroom, at least 300 gal/day. The septic tank is sized from that flow:
| Daily design flow | Minimum tank |
|---|---|
| up to 240 gal/day | 1,000 gallons |
| 240 to 360 gal/day | 1,500 gallons |
| 360 to 600 gal/day | 2,000 gallons |
| 600 to 720 gal/day | 2,500 gallons |
| 720 to 840 gal/day | 2,750 gallons |
| 840 to 920 gal/day | 3,000 gallons |
| 920 to 1,040 gal/day | 3,250 gallons |
| Bedrooms | Daily design flow |
|---|---|
| 1 | 150 gal/day |
| 2 | 300 gal/day |
| 3 | 450 gal/day |
| 4 | 600 gal/day |
| 5 | 750 gal/day |
| 6 | 900 gal/day |
| 7 | 1,050 gal/day |
| 8 | 1,200 gal/day |
Septic setbacks in Minnesota
| From | To | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polygon | Existing Septic Component to be Abandoned | 5 ft |
These are the values the landplan.io design engine applies in Minnesota. Confirm a design with the Minnesota health department or your county's before you build.
Parcel data in Minnesota
landplan.io has parcel boundaries for 84 of Minnesota's 87 counties, and part of 1 more: the counties where 99.5% of the state's people live. Type an address there and the design starts from the parcel.
Septic companies, designers and jobs in Minnesota
- Septic companies and distributors in Minnesota (54)
- Septic designers in Minnesota
- Septic design jobs in Minnesota
Where the rules come from
The regulations and documents landplan.io's Minnesota rules are read from:
- Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems (SSTS) Rules, Minnesota Rules Chapters 7080-7083 (Minn. R. chs. 7080, 7081, 7082, 7083)
- 2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code (Minn. R. ch. 4714, 2018 UPC as amended) - UPC 609.2 water pipe and building sewer trenches, 720.1 sewer and water pipes, Table 721.1 building sewer distances (excerpt) (Minn. R. 4714.0050 (incorporating 2018 UPC chs. 2-11, 16, 17); UPC 609.1, 609.2, 609.6.1, 718.1, 718.3, 719.1, 720.1,...)
- Minn. R. 6105.0120 - Sanitary standards for wild, scenic and recreational river land use districts (septic tank and soil absorption setbacks)
- Minn. R. 4714.0609 - Minnesota Plumbing Code amendments to UPC 609 (609.6.1, water supply near sources of contamination) (Minn. R. 4714.0609, subp. 2 (UPC 609.6.1))
- Minn. R. 4725.4450 - Water-supply well distance requirements (isolation distances)
- Minn. R. 6120.3400 - Shoreland sanitary provisions (sewage treatment system setbacks from the ordinary high water level)
Septic rules by county in Minnesota
- Aitkin County
- Anoka County
- Becker County
- Beltrami County
- Benton County
- Big stone County
- Blue earth County
- Brown County
- Carlton County
- Carver County
- Cass County
- Chippewa County
- Chisago County
- Clay County
- Clearwater County
- Cook County
- Cottonwood County
- Crow wing County
- Dakota County
- Dodge County
- Douglas County
- Faribault County
- Fillmore County
- Freeborn County
- Goodhue County
- Grant County
- Hennepin County
- Houston County
- Hubbard County
- Isanti County
- Itasca County
- Jackson County
- Kanabec County
- Kandiyohi County
- Kittson County
- Koochiching County
- Lac qui parle County
- Lake County
- Lake of the woods County
- Le sueur County
- Lincoln County
- Lyon County
- Mahnomen County
- Marshall County
- Martin County
- Mcleod County
- Meeker County
- Mille lacs County
- Morrison County
- Mower County
- Murray County
- Nicollet County
- Nobles County
- Norman County
- Olmsted County
- Otter tail County
- Pennington County
- Pine County
- Pipestone County
- Polk County
- Pope County
- Ramsey County
- Red lake County
- Redwood County
- Renville County
- Rice County
- Rock County
- Roseau County
- Saint Louis County
- Scott County
- Sherburne County
- Sibley County
- Stearns County
- Steele County
- Stevens County
- Swift County
- Todd County
- Traverse County
- Wabasha County
- Wadena County
- Waseca County
- Washington County
- Watonwan County
- Wilkin County
- Winona County
- Wright County
- Yellow medicine County
Questions
What septic systems are allowed in Minnesota?
landplan.io permits these system types in Minnesota: Mound system, Drip-Line Dispersal, Pressure dosed Trenches, At-grade system, Trench system and Seepage bed system.
What size septic tank do I need in Minnesota?
landplan.io sizes the septic tank in Minnesota from the daily design flow: up to 240 gal/day: 1,000 gallons; 240 to 360 gal/day: 1,500 gallons; 360 to 600 gal/day: 2,000 gallons; larger flows need larger tanks. A home's design flow is 150 gal/day per bedroom, at least 300 gal/day.
Does landplan.io have parcel data in Minnesota?
Yes, for 84 of Minnesota's 87 counties, and part of 1 more.