Le Sueur County Buffer Enforcement Ordinance

During the 2015 special legislative session, Governor Dayton signed into law a new Buffer Initiative. The new law establishes vegetative buffers on public waters/streams and along county ditches. The law can be found in 103F.48 MN Statutes. The Law establishes buffers for Public Waters need to be in place on or before November 1, 2017, and buffers for County Drainage Systems need to be in place on or before November 1, 2018. The law requires DNR Public Waters to have a 50’ average width (30’ minimum width) continuous buffer and Drainage Systems to have a minimum 16.5’ width continuous buffer. 

 In 2017, Le Sueur County accepted local authority of the buffer law by establishing the Le Sueur County Buffer Enforcement Ordinance Pursuant to Statutes Section 103F.48.

To view the most current MN Statues related to 103E Drainage Systems, please visit the following website: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/103E.

To learn more about how Le Sueur County and SWCD have implemented and enforced the Buffer Law, please visit the following SWCD webpage: https://www.lesueurswcd.gov/buffers.

The Le Sueur County SWCD is delegated as the Ditch Inspector for the Le Sueur County.  Their primary role is to assist with the following:

• Ditch inspections
• Ditch cleaning and maintenance
• Beaver dam removal and other issues
• Culvert repair and removal
• Erosion and sloughing

To learn more about the ditch inspection program please visit the following Le Sueur County SWCD webpage: https://www.lesueurswcd.gov/county-ditch-inspector.

Le Sueur County is considered the ditch authority for 103E Public Water Systems.  To view any drainage manuals, news, meetings, updates on ditch projects, please visit the County's Drainage Webpage.

Additional Resources

MN DNR Buffer Map

Ditch Cross Section and Buffer Diagram