Shoreland regulation changes

A bill that lawmakers hope will give some comfort to property owners who have spent years battling the Department of Natural Resources and local governments on the issue of shoreland regulations was passed by the House 130-0 on May 5.

Sponsored by Rep. Michael Nelson (DFL-Brooklyn Park), HF519 seeks to address the longstanding problem of DNR shoreland rules preventing property owners of legal nonconforming lots from selling or otherwise using their land as they see fit.

Nelson explained the problem by giving the example of a property owner on a lake who purchases a cabin on the lot next to him. DNR rules currently prohibit that property owner from selling the property he acquired, Nelson said.

“There’s people out there who inadvertently bought the lot next to them on the lakeshore, and found out now that they can’t sell it. Or, they bought it for investment purposes, and now they can’t sell it,” he said, explaining that the bill would remedy the situation.

The bill’s language is based on a compromise reached last year by a working group comprised of DNR officials, realtors, builders and local governments.

Rep. Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake), who has sponsored similar bills in the past, said he was “glad to see some progress” on the issue.

“I think there are scenarios we’re still going to find this doesn’t cover, but it’s a very good step forward,” Westrom said.

Rep. David Dill (DFL-Crane Lake) successfully amended the bill to include protections for landowners in cases where their properties are destroyed and DNR rules prevent them from rebuilding in their current locations.

The bill now goes to the Senate, where Sen. Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope) is the sponsor.