Rochester building department

Building Safety, part of Rochester’s Community Development Department, reviews plans, issues building and trade permits, and inspects construction inside Rochester city limits. Its front desk is in the Development Services & Infrastructure Center on West River Parkway NW, not at City Hall downtown. Property in the surrounding Olmsted County townships is outside the city’s permit authority.

Applying through Accela Citizen Access

Rochester takes building, trade and most related applications through Accela Citizen Access, which is available around the clock for applying, uploading plans, paying fees, looking up records and scheduling inspections. Demolition has its own application form on the building-permits page. A building permit does not cover trade work: electrical, mechanical (HVAC) and plumbing each need a separate permit.

A permit stays valid while work progresses, but it expires after 180 days with no inspection or contact with the department. Reviving an expired permit means a renewal and the fees that go with it.

Re-roofing, re-siding and window replacement

Since May 1, 2025, Rochester requires a building permit and inspections for residential re-roofing, re-siding and window replacement, covering single-family homes, two-family homes and townhouses (commercial and multifamily buildings already needed them).

Project	Plans required	Inspections	2026 permit fee
Re-roofing	Simplified roof plan	Sheathing, underlayment, final	$100 (no plan review fee)
Re-siding	None	Wall sheathing, weather barrier, final	$100
Window/door replacement	Simplified floor plan	Framing, weather barrier, final	$130 (1–3 units), $175 (4–10), $220 (11+)

Homeowners may do this work themselves without a state license. Contractors need the right Minnesota credential, which the city checks at submittal: a state roofing contractor license for roofs, and a Residential Building Contractor license for anyone doing both siding and windows, because the state treats those as two separate specialty skills.

2026 fee highlights

Fees come from the city’s 2026 Master Fee Schedule (adopted December 1, 2025, amended August 3, 2026). Building permit fees are based on the total valuation of the work:

Valuation	Building permit fee
$1–$500	$25
$501–$2,000	$25 for the first $500, plus $2 per additional $100
$2,001–$25,000	$55 for the first $2,000, plus $9 per additional $1,000
$25,001–$50,000	$262 for the first $25,000, plus $6.50 per additional $1,000
$50,001–$100,000	$424.50 for the first $50,000, plus $4.50 per additional $1,000
$100,001–$500,000	$649.50 for the first $100,000, plus $3.50 per additional $1,000

Other building-division charges in the same schedule:

• Plan review: 65% of the building permit fee, or 25% for similar plans based on an approved master plan.
• Trade permits: $25 application fee plus $10 per $1,000 of valuation above $500. Flat appliance permits include a furnace ($77.50), an air conditioner ($56.25), both together ($98.50) and water heaters ($45.60–$45.80).
• Hourly items: re-inspections, additional plan review and inspections not otherwise listed are $75 per hour, with a one-hour minimum. Inspections after hours are $75 per hour, with a two-hour minimum.
• Work without a permit: $100 the first time, $150 the second and $200 the third.
• Residential footing/foundation permit: $100.

The city also licenses some trades locally. Heating contractors pay $125, and sewer-and-drain and cement or asphalt sidewalk contractors pay $90 each.

Codes in force

The city’s building-code page lists the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code and the 2020 Minnesota Conservation Code for Existing Buildings (effective March 31, 2020), the 2020 Minnesota Mechanical and Fuel Gas Code, and the Minnesota Plumbing Code. Projects permitted before March 31, 2020 stay under the 2015 Minnesota Residential Code. Statewide, DLI lists the 2024 Minnesota Commercial Energy Code (effective January 5, 2024). Electrical permits filed on or after August 17, 2026 must meet the 2026 National Electrical Code. Rochester’s own building, electrical, HVAC, plumbing and heritage preservation rules are in Title 4 of the city code. Chapter 4-1 requires residential building contractors to hold a state license. Landlords may do carpentry on their own rental properties, but trade work there must be done by professional contractors.

Inspections

Building Safety schedules inspections only after the permit is approved, paid and issued. You can book through Accela Citizen Access, by phone at 507-328-2600 during office hours, by email at [email protected], or in person at the 4001 West River Parkway front desk.

Zoning, ADUs and right-of-way work

Planning and Zoning applies the Unified Development Code. Most new development needs a zoning certificate, which requires a site plan. The 2026 schedule charges $35 for a staff-authorized certificate, and the fee doubles if construction starts before the certificate is issued. A zoning compliance letter ($140 for a single-family property, $210 for other properties) states a property’s zoning, whether its use is permitted, and any open violations. Rezonings, subdivisions, conditional use permits and site development plans go through the online Land Development Application.

Rochester allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot, up to 1,000 square feet. A detached ADU must be in the side or rear yard and match the style of the main house. The city suggests a pre-development meeting with staff, held on Thursdays at 1 p.m., before construction documents are drawn up. Each ADU ends with a certificate of occupancy.

Work in the public right-of-way is handled separately by Public Works. This includes sewer and water services from the main to the building, driveway aprons, sidewalks and street obstructions. Permits are requested at [email protected] or 507-328-2406. Utility and concrete inspections are booked through the Public Works desk at 507-328-2400, from 8:00 a.m. to the last slot at 3:00 p.m. Commercial and multifamily sites need electronic plan submittal. Community Development will not approve a certificate of occupancy until any required tracer-wire box on a poly water service is installed and inspected.