Beginning with 2025 property taxes payable, property owners within areas 24.1 and 24.2 will see line #7 (City or Town) on their tax statement change from Town of Spring Lake to City of Prior Lake. Scott County and School District property taxes will not change due to annexation.

Below is a table showing the anticipated change in total property tax payment for a $500,000, $1,000,000, and $1,500,000 property based on the 2023 estimated market value. There are two columns shown below that reflect the two different school districts that cover areas 24.1 and 24.2.

The official date of annexation is not known, but annexation is anticipated to occur in the spring of 2024. Per the terms of the 2003 Orderly Annexation Agreement between Spring Lake Township and the City of Prior Lake, the Prior Lake City Council will approve the annexation by resolution. The resolution is then sent to the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings for review. An order approving the annexation is anticipated within 30 days of City Council action.

Individual reassessments will not occur due to annexation.  That said, there are certain mass appraisal techniques that could potentially impact future assessments. Neighborhood sale studies inform Scott County on how they may need to increase/decrease values in more precise areas within a city or township.  Currently, properties on Spring Lake are all part of the same neighborhood factor, regardless of whether they are in the city or township, so there are no assessment changes anticipated with those parcels due to annexation.  The off-lake properties will be entered into their own new Prior Lake neighborhood or added to an adjacent existing neighborhood. This could have minor impacts which will not be known until after the next upcoming sales study; future values will be adjusted based on the sales within these neighborhoods. Property valuation is an open process, notice is provided to residents and you have the option to appeal that valuation.

Prior Lake will provide police service instead of, but with assistance as needed, from the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. Fire and emergency medical services will not change.

Your voting precinct will change. Your March voting precinct will stay in Spring Lake Township; however, elections for the rest of 2024 (August primary and November presidential general) will be at Prior Lake Precinct 2 (Friendship Church, 17741 Fairlawn Avenue, Prior Lake, MN 55372). Notices will be sent to you via U.S. mail when this change goes into effect. As a resident of Prior Lake, you will also be eligible to run for City office and serve on various City boards, commissions, and committees. 

No. Your address will not change.

No. School district boundaries are independent of City boundaries. A portion of this annexation area is currently served by Prior Lake – Savage Area Schools (District 719) and a portion is served by Jordan Public Schools (District 717). There will be no changes to your school because of annexation.

The maximum amount of permitted impervious surface coverage per lot in a shoreland district (within 1,000 feet of the ordinary high-water level) will increase following annexation. Scott County allows for a maximum impervious surface coverage of 25% per lot in Agricultural, Rural Residential, Residential Suburban, and Urban Reserve Shoreland Districts. Prior Lake allows for a maximum impervious surface coverage of 30% per residential lot in the Shoreland District.

As part of the 2003 Orderly Annexation Agreement, the City of Prior Lake agreed to develop and maintain the parks located on Raymond Avenue and South Shore Drive at the City’s cost. The City has maintained these parks since they were developed and will continue to do so.

Street maintenance will be managed by the City of Prior Lake Public Works Department. This includes snow plowing, repairs/maintenance, and eventually replacement. The City has a Pavement Management Plan that provides the basis for street maintenance. Annual inspections are used to rate the physical condition of the street sections. Based on the information gathered, each section is assigned an Overall Condition Index (OCI) from 1 to 100. The City annually reviews the OCIs to identify and prioritize upcoming improvement projects. The streets within 24.1 and 24.2 will be added to this process upon annexation in 2024.

Funding for street maintenance projects comes from a variety of sources. This includes franchise fees that are collected as part of your monthly natural gas and electric utility bills, general tax levy, and assessments. 

Any detached accessory structures existing on the property at the time of annexation are allowed to remain and be maintained. Any future detached accessory structures would need to comply with The City of Prior Lake zoning regulations. The City of Prior Lake does not permit pole buildings in residential areas and allows for a maximum detached accessory building of 1,000 square feet.

The City understands there are several larger acreage parcels within areas 24.1 and 24.2 and the City will be evaluating its ordinance related to detached accessory structure size limitations. A possible outcome may be a change to allow a detached accessory structure to occupy a certain percentage of a lot area or modify the City zoning ordinance to be more in line with Scott County standards for accessory building size based on lot area instead of establishing a maximum square footage for all lots within all residential districts.

Zoning regulates how land may be used and provides for planned development. Zoning separates incompatible uses, preserves neighborhood character, determines density, intensity of use, height, lot coverage, landscaping, and parking for a particular use.

Parcels within annexation areas 24.1 and 24.2 currently have a mix of Scott County zoning designations, including; RR-3, Residential Suburban Single Family; UER, Urban Expansion Reserve; and UER-C, Urban Expansion Reserve Cluster.

The City of Prior Lake Land Use Plan has this area guided for Urban Low Density Residential. Upon annexation into the City of Prior Lake, all properties in this area will be zoned R-1, Low Density Residential.

At the time of annexation, any legally existing use or structure on a property would be allowed to continue and be maintained as a legally non-conforming use or structure regardless of potential conflicts with Prior Lake City Code. Future changes to the property or use would be subject to the City’s zoning requirements.

Burn permits are not required for recreational fires that are 3 ft. x 3 ft. or less in diameter. The only materials permitted in a recreational fire are wood from trees, small branches, or charcoal. Yard waste such as leaves and grass cannot be burned in recreational fires.

Recreational fires must be at least 25 feet away from structures or other combustible material and should be in an approved fire ring or outdoor fireplace. An approved fire extinguisher or garden hose must always be available, and fires are required to be fully extinguished when not attended. Recreational fires during windy or dry conditions or during state mandated burning bans are not permitted.

Burn permits are required for any open burning larger than 3 ft. x 3 ft. in diameter.

After annexation, building permits will be obtained from the City of Prior Lake. You can apply for building permits on the City website at  https://www.priorlakemn.gov/services/building-inspections.

Once annexed, the City will provide municipal services such as police, building inspection, maintenance of public roads and infrastructure, public works, parks and recreation, etc. Other services, such gas, electricity, cable, internet, trash/recycling, etc. will continue to be provided by your current service providers.

The City of Prior Lake cannot provide an accurate estimate of cost without conducting a feasibility study, as this largely depends on the number of lots being served by the utility extension and distance from the public right of way to the home being served.

The City of Prior Lake’s assessment process is subject to change; however, the city currently assesses properties on a unit basis, as opposed to an acreage or front footage assessment. This means that currently each parcel would be evaluated to determine how many parcels may be created if subdivided in conformance with city lot standards. For example, a three-acre parcel with 260 feet of street frontage may be determined to be equivalent to three individual lots, so the parcel may be assessed for three units.

A home-based business would be subject to the City’s zoning requirements for a Home Occupation. If the home-based business is legal and permitted under County codes but not legal under the City codes, it would become a legal non-conforming use, subject to the City’s non-conforming use regulations. If the home-based business is illegal (does not have county approval or does not comply with county requirements) it may also be illegal under the City’s regulations. You can view the City’s Home Occupation conditions HERE.

The City of Prior Lake has no plans to require an immediate connection to City sewer and water. The city anticipates at some point in the future it may become necessary to extend sewer and water service to properties that do not currently have access to public utilities to address environmental concerns due to failing septic systems.

Over 80% of the parcels within annexation areas 24.1 and 24.2 are already connected to city sewer and water; several parcels within area 24.1 that are not currently connected have sewer and water utility stubs available to their property. For the remaining parcels not connected to city utilities, the city does not have any immediate plans for the extension of sewer and water within this area. It is anticipated that any future city consideration for extending sewer and water will be based on either 1) property owner need, request, and petition; or 2) the need to address public health, safety, and welfare concerns.

If a property has an existing septic system, they will be allowed to continue utilizing that system as long as it remains compliant. Once Scott County has determined the septic system is out of compliance, a property owner will be required to connect to city sewer and water utilities if they are available within 150 feet of the property. If utilities are not available within 150 feet, the property owner will be permitted to work with Scott County Environmental Services to construct a new septic system, provided a viable secondary location exists on their property.

The City of Prior Lake cannot provide an accurate estimate of cost without conducting a feasibility study, as this largely depends on the number of lots being served by the utility extension and distance from the public right of way to the home being served.

The City of Prior Lake’s assessment process is subject to change; however, the city currently assesses properties on a unit basis, as opposed to an acreage or front footage assessment. This means that currently each parcel would be evaluated to determine how many parcels may be created if subdivided in conformance with city lot standards. For example, a three-acre parcel with 260 feet of street frontage may be determined to be equivalent to three individual lots, so the parcel may be assessed for three units.