No Mow grass is a great alternative to the standard Kentucky Bluegrass you find on most lawns. No Mow grass is easy to install and grows to a limited height (approximately 8-10 inches), so you will never need to mow it, saving fossil fuels, water and fertilizer. For more information, read the No Mow Grass Fact Sheet or visit the Prairie Nursery's No Mow Lawn Seed Mix website. 

St. Louis Park property owners who wish to install a No Mow landscape on their property need to complete and submit a Native Landscape Permit (so we know your landscape is special and not in violation of our weed ordinance). For more information, read the city's Weed Ordinance and Alternative Vegetation Ordinance. For more alternatives to standard lawns and landscapes, check out this Washington Post article.

Hennepin County offers technical assistance and grants of up to $50,000 to businesses that need help setting up or improving their recycling programs. Grants can be used for the purchase of containers, equipment purchase and installation, hauling service charges and minor improvements to loading docks and waste enclosures. Strong recycling programs conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, can help a business’s bottom line and demonstrate to customers a commitment to sustainability. Visit hennepin.us/businessrecycling for more information.

Buckthorn is an invasive plant found in many areas of St. Louis Park, the metro area and Minnesota. Although it’s not required, removal of buckthorn from private property is strongly encouraged. The city loans out weed wrenches for a two-week period to any resident, to facilitate the pulling and removal of buckthorn up to one inch in diameter. To reserve a wrench, please contact Jean Zimmerman at 952.924.2562 or jzimmerman@stlouispark.org.

Once you remove buckthorn from your property, bundle it for your weekly yard waste pickup, bring it to the residential brush drop-off site located at 2501 Edgewood Ave. S. (open April – October), or hire a tree contractor to remove it.

Permits are required for:

• All new construction
• Any building additions or alterations, including opening up walls that expose existing or new framing and/or insulation
• All roofing and siding
• Drain tile systems
• Any remodeling that changes a building's plumbing, mechanical or electrical system
• Any window, exterior door, or garage door replacement
• Any project that requires a property line or zoning review
• Adding insulation to your attic or walls
• Driveway and parking lots, new or replacement of

The emerald ash borer (EAB) has officially arrived in Minnesota. To help slow the spread of EAB, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has placed a quarantine on disposal of ash tree debris outside of Hennepin and at least 13 other Minnesota counties. This includes ash logs and lumber, ash tree waste, ash chips and mulch and ALL hardwood firewood. 

Advanced Disposal, your residential yard waste hauler, will collect ash tree debris and will compost it in compliance with the quarantine. Your yard waste will continue to be collected on your scheduled collection day.

For more information about the quarantine, visit the MDA website, or call the state’s Arrest the Pest hotline at 888.545.6684 (voicemail) or email arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us.

A new disease called bur oak blight (BOB) has been identified in the Twin Cities area and is affecting bur oak trees in St. Louis Park. BOB mimics the symptoms of oak wilt disease, with lots of brown leaves appearing in a tree’s crown and falling off during the latter half of the growing season, typically late to mid-July. BOB tends to be most prevalent during growing seasons that start out cool and wet. Successive years of BOB on your tree can kill your tree. The best treatment for BOB is a fungicide treatment administered by a St. Louis Park-licensed tree service in the early spring. Check your bur oak trees now to see if they are displaying and/or losing brown leaves and plan with your licensed tree service for treatment early next spring. Follow the link for a list of licensed tree services in St. Louis Park.

More Information
Bur Oak Blight News Brief
University of Minnesota website dedicated to BOB

If you have a healthy elm tree or an infected oak tree, you may wish to have your tree injected with a fungicide that prevents Dutch elm disease or halts oak wilt disease. The City of St. Louis Park will reimburse you for 15 percent of the cost of a three-year warranty injection. Download the Request for Reimbursement Form. For questions or concerns about tree injections, please contact Jim Vaughan at 952.924.2699 or jvaughan@stlouispark.org.

Dutch elm disease. Symptoms include wilting of one or more of the upper branches (leaves on these branches turn brown, wilt and eventually fall off) and brown staining of the wood immediately under the bark (in healthy trees, the sapwood is milky white). For more information, visit University of Minnesota Extension. 

Oak wilt disease. A tree infected with oak wilt will have leaf discoloration, which begins at the outer edge of the leaf and progresses inward. Leaves turn a dull green, bronze or tan and finally turn brown and shrivel. Oak wilt may be transmitted from tree to tree through root grafts (root transmission), so two or more oaks growing closely together may infect each other. For more information, visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive insect that could potentially kill all ash trees (except mountain ash) in Minnesota. It has not yet been found in St. Louis Park, but it has been found in several areas of the Twin Cities, most recently in Plymouth and Richfield. To help us slow down this insect, DO NOT remove any ash trees or ash wood from your property without first contacting the city’s Forestry Division at 952.924.2699 or jvaughan@stlouispark.org.

There’s a lot you can do to protect your trees from EAB, including pruning, chemical injections and having your trees inspected annually. St. Louis Park has teamed up with Rainbow Treecare to offer discounted preventative EAB injections for ash trees on private property. To schedule a visit or to get an estimate, contact Rainbow Treecare at 952.767.6920 or info@rainbowtreecare.com, or visit rainbowtreecare.com/stlouispark. To schedule an appointment to have your trees inspected by the city, email jzimmerman@stlouispark.org or call 952.924.2562. Tree inspections are provided by the city at no cost to residents. 

For more information about the emerald ash borer, visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

The St. Louis Park Police Department is recruiting interested citizens to become Block Captains. For more information and to see if you block is organized, visit the Crime Prevention page and contact Community Outreach Officer Erin Nordrum at 952.924.2661 or enordrum@stlouispark.org.

Click on Certificate of Occupancy and Land Use Registration. 

Click the following links for more information:
Erosion Control Permits
Public Right-of-Way Permits

Potholes on City Streets - St. Louis Park
Call St. Louis Park Public Works at 952.924.2562. 

Potholes on County Roads - Hennepin County
Excelsior Boulevard (CR 3) and Minnetonka Boulevard (CR 5)
Call 612.596.0300 or submit online.  

Potholes on State Highways - MnDOT
Interstate 394, State Highways 7, 100 and 169
Call 651.366.5165 or submit online.

Whether reporting by phone or online, please be ready to list the street and closest intersection where the pothole exists, and a house number or some way of identifying the location. If you are unsure of which office to call, contact St. Louis Park Public Works at 952.924.2562.

Visit invoicecloud.com/stlouisparkmn to set up automatic or scheduled recurring payments. Your account number is an 18-digit number, which is a combination of your customer and account number separated by a dash. Include leading zeros and no spaces. Example:

• Customer Number: 00012345
• Account Number: 0012345678
• Enter your account number as: 00012345-0012345678

1. Is your project new commercial construction, a commercial addition, commercial alteration or new residential construction? If yes, continue with step 2. If no, you cannot submit building plans online; they must be submitted in paper format. 
2. Apply for your permit and pay the permit fee online using ePermits.
3. For permits that require plan review, you'll receive an emailed receipt for your permit fee payment. 
4. ProjectDox will send you an invitation to create your account. This includes a temporary password for first-time users. Use this information to log into your ProjectDox account.
5. Now compile sheet files according to City of St. Louis Park submittal guidelines.
6. Complete the Applicant Upload task.
7. Plans will be sent to a city permit technician who will pre-screen the submitted drawings and documents. You'll be contacted if corrections are needed.
8. The project then moves on to department review. At this step you'll also be notified if corrections are needed.
9. If you are asked to make corrections, you can upload revised plans using the same name as the original file. This will create a "Version 2" of the plan. Subsequent revisions will be numbered accordingly.
10. Once all relevant city departments have finished review, it will be determined if project valuations are accurate. You will be contacted about any changes to valuations.
11. When the permit is approved, you'll be notified of approval and that final fees are due.
12. Pay final fees online with ePermits or in person at the Inspections counter at City Hall, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park. The Pay Final Fees task is complete once you choose "pay online" or "pay in person."
13. Once final fees have been paid, you will be notified that you can download your approved plans from the Approval folder in ProjectDox.

Homeowners are responsible for all water use, even if it results from a leak, so it’s important to find out what causing the continuous flow. First, check your water meter to confirm the continuous flow. Your water meter is inside your home and has two indicators showing water use. Follow the steps below or watch the video to see how to check it:

1. Open the black cap on top of the meter.
2. Shine a flashlight on the solar panel. (It’s important to use a flashlight, not a smartphone – the smartphone light isn’t strong enough to activate the panel.) 
3. The screen below the solar panel will then display the current water meter reading in gallons. 
4. It will also flash other indicators such as “Leak” or “Rate of Flow.” If you see a light in the shape of a faucet, this indicates an intermittent flow (flashing faucet) or continuous flow (faucet light stays on). The rate of flow should be 0.00 if there is no water flowing through the meter.

Once you’ve determined you have a leak, check common leak sources like toilets, water softener malfunctions, indoor and outdoor faucets, humidifiers attached to furnaces and irrigation systems. You may be able to hear a leak before you see it, so listen carefully for water flow or leaks. If you can’t find anything, you may want to hire a plumber to investigate.

No. Pushing snow from private property onto a public street actually violates state statute and city ordinance.

St. Louis Park purchased kitchen pails to help encourage new participants to join the program in 2017. While supplies last, pails are available to new and existing organics program participants at the same locations where compostable bags may be picked up.

You may also use any small bucket, ice cream pail, or crock for collecting organic material. Some residents use larger under-the-counter bins or stand-alone cans in their kitchens. Look online or check with your favorite local store if you wish to purchase your own indoor collection bin.

The city has a Council-adopted Snow Removal/Ice Control Policy which provides for snow removal activities and establishes priorities for how this is accomplished. The Council has not established a “bare pavement” or ice free (safety) requirement. Use of chemical and/or sand applications have been reduced due to environmental and budgetary implications – especially on streets where traffic volumes and speeds are low. Thus, treatment of slippery areas with chemicals/sand is essentially limited to high traffic thoroughfares, select hills and curves, and known hazardous intersections.

The city requires Waste Management to leave educational tags on recycling carts for improperly prepared recycling.

Improperly prepared recycling includes:

• Extra recyclables not set out in the cart, a paper bag, box, or separate reusable container.
• Cardboard boxes that are too large (must be flattened and no larger than 3 foot by 3 foot pieces) or placed loose next to cart (extra cardboard that cannot fit into your recycling cart must by bundled with tape or twine.
• Scrap metal inside the cart (this must be placed in a separate container next to the cart and be less than 2 foot by 2 foot).
• Unacceptable items like garbage, foam packaging, and plastic bags/film which must go into your garbage cart.
• Unacceptable items like yard waste which must be separated for yard waste collection.
• Unacceptable items like food scraps which must be separated for organics recycling (if your household participates) or garbage.
• Unacceptable items like electronics and household hazardous waste which must be separated and delivered to special collection facilities or events.
• Improper cart placement in the street, on the sidewalk, on a snowbank, or in the alleyway.

Contact Waste Management at 763.783.5423 or stlouispark@wm.com if you receive a tag and have questions. 

• 90-gallon cart - 46" tall x 28.5" wide x 34" deep
• 60-gallon cart - 41" tall x 27" wide x 28" deep
• 30-gallon cart - 39" tall x 20" wide x 23" deep

In St. Louis Park, there are special road restrictions in late winter and early spring. The city follows the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) schedule for imposing and removing spring road weight limit restrictions. In a typical year, spring road restrictions go into effect in March and end about eight weeks later, depending on weather conditions.

St. Louis Park's road weight limits are six tons (12,000 lbs.) per axle on residential streets and 9 tons (18,000 lbs.) on MSA routes, unless otherwise posted. There are limited instances such as moving trucks or emergency issues when a weight waiver will be given. All other requests will be examined for options other than issuing a permit such as to divide the load in two or bring less amounts in on each trip. The city does not issue permits for any type of demolition or construction project for the duration of the restrictions. If a permit is issued, there is a $50 fee and the permit is good for one trip only. No open-ended permits will be issued.

For more information:

• Call the MnDOT Road Restriction Hotline at 651.366.5400.
• Visit the MnDOT Seasonal Load Limits webpage.
• View the city’s Seasonal Load Limits Map.
• Contact Jeff Stevens, Public Works Operations Manager, at 952.928.2853 or jstevens@stlouispark.org.

Branches, brush or logs greater than four feet in length or four inches in diameter are too big for residential curbside collection. Bring them to the city’s brush drop-off site, located at 2501 Edgewood Ave. S., at the intersection of Cedar Lake Road and Colorado Ave. S. 

The drop-off site is open April 15 – October 29, 2017. Hours are Saturday 7 a.m. – 3 p.m., Sunday Noon – 4 p.m. and Tuesday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. There is no charge for St. Louis Park residents. A Minnesota ID or driver’s license is required as proof of residency.

Yard waste such as grass clippings, leaves, and small branches are not accepted at the site and should be set out for curbside collection. For additional yard waste drop-off sites, visit Hennepin County.  

Construction-related permits generally require the items listed below; however, requirements may vary. If you are unsure what to bring, call 952.924.2588.

• Project plans or blueprints
• Site plan (if you're adding to the overall footprint of your property, installing a fence or building a deck or addition)
• Method of payment (cash, credit card or checks accepted)
• Contractors need to bring their Minnesota state license EPA Lead Safe Certificate

When you sign up, your household will receive the following:

• A brown-lidded cart for organics and yard waste (30-, 60-, or 90-gallon sizes are available)
• A supply of BPI certified compostable bags at no additional cost
• An informational packet, expert advice and assistance

If you have questions, please contact Public Works at 952.924.2562. 

On June 16, 2017, Standard & Poor's (S&P) affirmed their highest rating "AAA" for the city, making st. Louis Park one of 21cities in Minnesota with this rating from S&P. 

The University of Minnesota Extension Service provides access to master gardeners who can answer questions about gardening, yard care, soil testing, composting, insects and animal predation. There is no charge for this service. Visit extension.umn.edu or call 612.596.2110 for more information. 

In addition, watch the Spring Landscape Workshop for more lawn and garden tips. The presentation is given by St. Louis Park Environmental Coordinator Jim Vaughan, and it’s also available as a PDF.

Property taxes are due in May and October of each year. Payments or questions should be directed to Hennepin County Property Taxation.

A Property Information Search is available for more information regarding taxes on a specific property.

The City of St. Louis Park does not prune around power lines; this is the responsibility of Xcel Energy. In 2017, Xcel Energy will contract line clearance (tree pruning from pole to pole) in parts of St. Louis Park to Asplundh Tree Expert Company. Xcel Energy will notify impacted property owners. If you have questions, call Excel Energy at 1.800.895.4999. Follow the link to see the 2017 St. Louis Park Pruning Map for Xcel Energy.        

If your service line (the power line running from an Xcel power pole to your home) is being obstructed by tree branches, you need to have it cleared by a responsible tree service. Never prune around power lines yourself; leave it to a professional!Follow the link for a list of licensed tree services in St. Louis Park. 

Routine pruning of public property trees is handled by city contractors and is typically done during the dormant months of November – March. Boulevard trees are pruned once every nine years. The city uses a rotational schedule to prune a portion of the city’s boulevard trees each year.

The tree service, S & S Tree and Horticulture, was hired by the city for pruning work in 2017–2019. Boulevard tree pruning is done for the 2017 season. They will start pruning work in the Birchwood Neighborhood next January 2018 and continue through to the Bronx Neighborhood, expecting to complete the 2018 pruning cycle by March 31.

Boulevard tree pruning is done at no cost to the adjacent property owner. The owner may opt to pay for additional pruning, as long as they use a tree service licensed by the City of St. Louis Park. 

Pruning trees on private property is the responsibility of individual property owners. Property owners may only use tree services licensed by the City of St. Louis Park. The city licenses tree contractors to ensure they have adequate insurance and qualifications to perform safe and professional tree work. Pruning of trees is strongly recommended during tree dormancy (November – March). Follow the link for a list of licensed tree services.

Spring Sweep (March/April – May). Sweeping commences as soon as the snow/ice allows the sweepers to get into the curb lines. The focus is to remove any organic material or sand applied for snow and ice control. If time allows for a second sweep prior to summer sweep kickoff, the city will sweep a second time.

Summer Sweep (June – July). The goal is to remove any organic material that has migrated to the street/curb lines.

Fall Sweep (Early October – Snow Season). Due to the volume of leaves in the street, sweepers are ineffective so the city uses equipment to push leaves into a pile and haul away. The goal is to remove as many of the leaves as possible prior to snow season to prevent plugged catch basins. Once the majority of the leaves are removed, the sweepers will resume sweeping to do a final clean up.

Additional compostable bags are available at City Hall, 1st Floor, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd. and the Municipal Service Center, 7305 Oxford St. at discounted prices in both 13 and 3 gallon sizes.

In addition, compostable bags may also be purchased at retail locations such as Ace Hardware, Lunds & Byerlys, Target and Whole Foods. Remember, only bags labeled BPI Certified Compostable that meet ASTM D6400 standards may be used.

Once you sign up, pick up your supply of compostable bags at one of the following locations: 

• City Hall, 1st Floor, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd. from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Municipal Service Center, 7305 Oxford St. from 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Visit the following links:

• Erosion Control Permits
• Public Right-of-Way Permits
• Certificate of Occupancy and Land Use Registration — to change the use of commercial or industrial property
• Selling a home, condo, townhouse or duplex
• Selling a commercial building
• On-street parking during the winter
• High School Area Parking Permit
• Medical Needs Permit
• Installing a sprinkler system, fire alarm system or fuel storage tank
• Having a recreational fire or camp fire in your yard
• Putting up a tent or canopy for a special event
• Using the off-leash dog park
• Purchasing a gun
• Peddler or Solicitor License

A watershed is an area of land in which all of the water that drains from it goes into the same place. This place could be a wetland, pond, lake or creek located outside your back door. St. Louis Park residents live in one of two watersheds. View the Watershed District Map to find out which watershed you live in.

• Minnehaha Creek Watershed Map
• Bassett Creek Watershed Map

Damage deposits are now required with erosion and sediment control permit applications. The amount required is $3,000 per acre, with a minimum of $1,500 for smaller projects. This is not meant to be a barrier to construction or an added permit expense. If permit requirements are met throughout the construction process, the entire deposit will be returned once the project is complete. Stormwater runoff from construction projects can have a serious effect on the environment and nearby water resources, including Minnehaha Creek, Bass Lake and Lake Calhoun. Because of this, St. Louis Park takes compliance with erosion and sediment control permits very seriously. Damage deposits are intended to reduce noncompliance issues and to ensure that outstanding non-compliance issues are corrected quickly.

The city occasionally hears reports of residents being asked to provide water samples. A small bottle is left at a resident's home with a form asking for personal information. The city believes these requests are coming from third-party companies selling water products, such as softeners. When the city conducts occasional water testing, residents are notified well in advance with a letter on official city letterhead. Please don't give out personal information if you're unsure who's asking for it. Also, some third-party sources have used local water safety statistics out of context in an effort to sell products. If you have questions about local water quality, please review the city's annual Drinking Water Reports or visit the Minnesota Department of Health.

Organics won't smell any more than your regular garbage smells. Remember that with organics recycling, you're simply moving the organic materials from your garbage cart into your organics cart.

Help prevent odors by using a collection container that has a vented lid. Food waste starts to decompose and creates odors more quickly when access to oxygen is cut off. You can purchase a pre-made kitchen pail with a vended lid (with or without a carbon filter), or you can make one using an ice cream pail or other container.

Consider collecting your "wet" organics (food scraps, meat trimmings, etc.) in a large yogurt or cottage cheese container or ice cream pail, and keep that container in your refrigerator or freezer. Dump the wet organics into a compostable bag and place the bag in your organics cart the night before your collection day.