Planning & Zoning

Planning & Zoning

The City of Willmar Zoning Ordinance regulates land use within the city limits. It stipulates permitted uses, building setbacks, parking regulations, sign codes, exterior storage, and accessory structures for each parcel within the City Limits based on which zoning district the parcel is designated. Other Ordinances codified with the Zoning Ordinance are the Shoreland Ordinance and Wireless Communication Towers and Antenna's Ordinance.

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City Planner
Chris Frank

City of Willmar

333 6th Street SW
PO Box 755
Willmar, MN 56201
T: 320-214-5195
F: 320-235-4917
Email: Chris Frank


Land Use Applications

Land Use Application Forms
Land Use Applications include those applications where the applicant is seeking Variance, Conditional Use, Subdivision, Site Plan, Interim Use, Vacation, or Regulatory Amendment approval.  Most Land Use Applications require City Council approval. All Land Use Applications start with a pre-application meeting with a Planner, and most require a public hearing.  Please call 320-235-4917 for more information.

Zoning Verification Application

Zoning Verification Applications can be issued for a fee of $50 to any applicant who wants an official letter from the city that verifies zoning and land use information on a specified parcel of land in the city.
Download the Application 

current projects

2040 Comprehensive Plan
The City of Willmar is in the process of updating its current comprehensive plan. The plan is the city’s long-range vision for guiding growth, development, and change over a determinable period. Approximately every ten years, many local government units, including cities, counties, and townships, undertake a future planning process that forecasts the community's future land use and growth patterns.

View the Current Comprehensive Plan

Proposed City of Willmar Renaissance Zone Incentive Package
To entice more development for commercial and housing in the downtown area, the Willmar Planning and Development Department has drafted a proposal for a Renaissance Zone. The proposal would overlay the current Opportunity Zone, which provides tax breaks for those who invest in projects in the designated area. With ample opportunity for growth and development in the downtown area, the Renaissance Zone Incentive Package would offer a variety of incentives, such as tax abatements, free building permits, discounted city-owned land, a loan program, and more open zoning in the designated Renaissance Zone.

View the Proposed Renaissance Zone Incentive Package