Scott County is moving to be one of the first in Minnesota to establish specific rules for the use of farms or barns for weddings and other recreation.
Wedding barns and farm wineries and vineyards have become more popular in recent years, so the county wants to add rules for those land uses to the books. At a public hearing Monday, the Planning Commission recommended changes to rules for winery and vineyard operations. As for wedding barns, a new zoning category, the commission delayed action on the proposed standards until June pending further research.
"They were both uses that had been proposed, and we didn't have anything in our zoning codes," said Planning Manager Brad Davis. "That's why it was time to update."
The proposed ordinances mainly regulate noise, frequency of events and traffic. For wineries and vineyards, the rules actually would become more lenient — including an increase in the allowable number of special events per year.
For wedding barns, two weddings would be allowed per week, and the owner or operator must also live on the property; the Planning Commission asked staff to revisit items on minimum lot size, required setbacks, decibel noise and liquor sales. Another proposed item requires that trained security, such as a sheriff's deputy or private hire, work on-site after 7 p.m.
After the Planning Commission, the new rules require approval by the County Board.
Wedding barns have been regulated under broader rules for home-based businesses, but Davis said they're "such a unique use. … It really attracts a lot of people onto the property, primarily on the weekends, so we wanted to make sure we had standards."
These rustic venues are more numerous in other metro counties, including Washington and Ramsey, where they've drawn complaints from neighbors who had chosen rural homes to escape noisy activity.
