St. Louis County OneGov

County Highway - A county-state-aid-highway (CSAH), county road (CR) or unorganized township road (UT).

Permittee - The party which was issued the approved permit.

Right-of-Way - The area designated for use by the county highway. Right-of-way may be prescriptive easement, recorded easement or fee-owned.

Utility - All privately, publicly, or cooperatively owned facilities that provide communications, or collection or distribution of electrical energy, or distribution of oil, gas, water, sewer, steam, or other structures which under the laws of this state or the ordinance of any village or city may be constructed, placed or maintained across, along or on county highway right-of-way.

Work shall not begin until the permit is approved. All approved work shall conform to the most current edition of the Minnesota Department of Transportation Standard Construction Specifications. All work shall comply with the traffic control requirements in the most current edition of the Minnesota Temporary Traffic Control Field Manual. The Permittee shall obtain the licenses and permits required by State and Federal laws and regulations. Securing of such permits shall be the responsibility of the Permittee and shall be made available upon request by St. Louis County. The Permittee shall observe and comply with all applicable State and Federal laws and regulations, orders and decrees of bodies and tribunals with lawful jurisdiction over the work site, and applicable local ordinances. A hard copy or electronic version displayed on a mobile device of the approved permit must be on the work site during active construction operations. Absence of the permit on the work site may result in the construction activity being shut down. Traffic is to be maintained at all times unless specified in the permit or approved by St. Louis County. Location of subsurface utilities must be located before excavating by contacting Gopher State One Call at 1-800-252-1166. The permit does not imply an easement or approval of access onto private property. Any incursions or damage on private property shall be the sole responsibility of the Permittee. If additional work is required outside of the right-of-way, an agreement with the private landowner must be in place prior to completing that work. A certified check or bond may be required to ensure proper restoration of the work site. The request for inspection must be submitted online to schedule final inspection and approval of completed work. Failure to request inspection or properly restore the work site may result in the suspension of future permits. If the Permittee is found to be non-compliant with any of the terms specified herein, or with the permit special provisions, or with any additional directives by the St. Louis County Highway Engineer, St. Louis County reserves the right to revoke the permit. The permit will expire at one year from the date of approval if no work has occurred. The permit fee will not be refunded for expired permits. The Permittee shall assume all liability for, and save St. Louis County, its agents and employees harmless from any and all claims for damages, actions or causes of actions arising out of its work. Any and all claims that may or might arise under the Workers Compensation Act of the State of Minnesota on behalf of the employees or agents of the Permittee, and any claims made by any third parties as a consequence of any act of said employees or agents, shall be the sole responsibility of the Permittee. St. Louis County is not responsible for any costs associated with approved or unapproved work associated with this permit. At any time in the future, St. Louis County may complete roadway improvements that necessitate the relocation of utilities approved by this permit. The utility owner shall be responsible for any future utility relocation as a result of a St. Louis County roadway project.

Unless approved or specified otherwise by the permit, (1) all utilities shall be installed in the outer five feet (5') of the right-of-way, (2) guy wires, stays or anchors shall be installed in the outer ten feet (10') of the right-of-way, (3) the pavement surface shall not be disturbed, (4) installation of utilities under the roadway shall be completed by directional boring at a minimum depth of 36 inches, (5) trees greater than six (6) inches in diameter at breast height shall not be removed or damaged, (6) stumps remaining from the removal of trees shall be removed, (7) the minimum clearance of aerial utilities over a county highway shall be 22 feet, and (8) privately owned items shall not be removed, relocated or damaged.

Installation of new utilities shall not conflict with existing utilities or roadway functions. Burning, disking operations and/or the use of chemicals to control or kill trees and other vegetation is prohibited unless specified in the permit or approved by St. Louis County. Restoration of pavement shall extend to the nearest longitudinal joint. Any pavement or soil stabilization failures (such as sinkholes, depressions or cracking) shall be restored to the original condition. Upon completion of all work, all impacted areas must be returned to original condition.

The Permittee shall ensure adequate Erosion Sediment Control (ESC) Best Management Practices (BMPs) are utilized for the permitted scope of the work. St. Louis County reserves the right to require corrective action related to ESC. If the Permittee fails to undertake corrective action within 24 hours of verbal notification, St. Louis County will report any deficiencies to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in accordance with Minnesota Rules 7053.0205 Subp. 2. Any release of material that may cause pollution, may be environmentally damaging, may be hazardous, is petroleum based, or in the event of a pipeline break, must be reported to the State Duty Officer in accordance with Minnesota Statute 115.061. In the event the State Duty Officer is notified, the Permittee shall also notify St. Louis County within 24 hours of occurrence of the discharge.