Northland Sotheby's International Realty
If you are under contract on a Gull Lake lot in East Gull Lake this fall, with plans to open the view, regrade the slope or set new rock along the shore, which rulebook will those plans face? Right now the answer is a draft. The city's Planning Commission is in work sessions on its Shoreland Overlay District. Under the current schedule, the City Council would take up an amendment in February 2027, a few months before most new owners would call a landscaper.
In an October 15, 2026 staff report to the Planning Commission, Planning and Zoning Administrator Garth Askegaard listed five priorities:
The report gives the reason the work is happening now. The city has to get preliminary DNR approval for changes to its shoreland section, and the DNR "recently updated the Shoreland Model Ordinance with higher standards." That state update is where the shoreline focus comes from.
At a September 16, 2026 forum for local governments, the Minnesota DNR described its Shoreland Model Ordinance update as the first since 2022 and the most significant since 2016. It is focused on shoreline alterations "to address continuing loss of natural shorelines." The items line up closely with the projects a new lakeshore owner tends to plan for a first summer.
| What an owner might plan | What the DNR's updated model addresses |
|---|---|
| Clearing brush or trees near the water | Permits for most vegetation removal and land alteration, covering all disturbance in shore and bluff impact zones and not just projects over 10 cubic yards |
| Opening a view or a path to the dock | Quantified standards for structure screening, view corridors, recreational use areas and access corridors |
| Any permitted alteration or clearing | A 10-foot riparian buffer restoration as a condition, plus restoration plan requirements |
| New rock along the shore | An assessment to find the best stabilization method; riprap not on wetlands or for landscaping, compliant with Minn. R. 6115.0215, and rock between 6 and 30 inches |
Several of these provisions are voluntary. The DNR marks them as optional "higher standards" and also tells local governments to use implementation flexibility "as needed, to negotiate adoption." According to the DNR's model ordinance page, the model is the yardstick for judging local amendments for rule compliance. Which optional standards East Gull Lake adopts is the open question of the winter. Whatever it decides will shape the waterfront plans of anyone who closes on a lot this season.
On one water body the draft goes the other way. East Gull Lake's lake table lists an unnamed water, DNR ID 11-786 and locally called Green Hill Bay, as a Natural Environment lake. Gull Lake, DNR ID 11-305, is General Development. The draft text in the October packet reads:
"Properties with frontage on Green Hill Bay (UNNAMED – DNR ID# 11-786) shall be subject to the City's applicable General Development lake classification standards for land use, zoning, and subdivision requirements."
That one sentence carries a lot of weight. The DNR's classification page explains that classification controls minimum lot area and width, structure and septic setbacks, and the size of the shore impact zone. Natural Environment lakes are generally the more sensitive ones. The gap between the two classes is large:
| Standard | Natural Environment | General Development |
|---|---|---|
| East Gull Lake structure setback | 150 feet | 50 feet |
| State minimum, single riparian lot, no sewer | 80,000 sq ft, 200 ft wide | 20,000 sq ft, 100 ft wide |
| State minimum, single riparian lot, sewered | 40,000 sq ft, 125 ft wide | 15,000 sq ft, 75 ft wide |
The city's own figures come from its 2026 zoning summary for residents. The state minimums come from Minnesota Rules 6120.3300, which also requires lot width to be met both at the ordinary high water level and at the building line. At its September 29 meeting, the Planning Commission heard staff describe the Green Hill Bay change as "implementation flexibility" to allow General Development land use decisions there. A formal reclassification is a separate process, and the DNR says it requires a local government request and DNR approval.
The same draft also writes local names into the table for waters that had none, including Lake Irma and several unnamed lakes off Bass Lake Road, Gull Point Road and Beaver Pond Drive. All of them stay Natural Environment. Streams and rivers, the Gull River among them, are classed as tributaries. Under the state table, tributary structure setbacks are 100 feet without sewer and 50 feet with it. Gull River dimensions and setbacks are one of the five priorities, so those numbers may also be reconsidered.
These are the planned steps in the October 15 staff report, and none of them is adopted law yet:
Changes to the shoreland section may also carry over into the ordinance's definitions, general provisions, and residential and commercial sections. The city's planning and code page warns that the online code is a convenience copy, not the legal edition, and may not reflect recent amendments. If you are reading the code in the middle of a transaction, that matters.
The rewrite adds to rules that already limit how much a lot can hold. Several of them came up before the Planning Commission this fall.
Hard surfaces. The DNR caps impervious coverage at 25% of lot area statewide. East Gull Lake's resident summary says the allowed percentage depends on the zoning district and that stormwater plans must retain a one-inch rain event. At the September 29 meeting, the commission heard an update on Cragun's Resort projects, including plans to reduce impervious surface coverage and move parking away from the lake.
Guest quarters. A guest-quarters lot on a General Development lake needs at least 40,000 square feet and 180 feet of width. In September Planning Commission minutes, staff gave 700 square feet as the maximum coverage for guest quarters, and a commissioner noted that guest quarters are not to be rented.
Solar. The current ordinance does not define standards well for anything except roof-mounted systems. On September 29, the commission voted to recommend a moratorium on canopy, carport and ground-mounted solar systems to the City Council. Under the draft interim ordinance, the moratorium would last 12 months from adoption unless repealed or replaced sooner. A public hearing on it was on the October 27 agenda.
Each of these limits how much of a lot can be built on and how it can be used. The shoreland rewrite governs the strip of land between the house and the water.
When a buyer prices a Gull Lake lot in East Gull Lake this winter, part of what they are paying for is the house that stands there now. The other part is the use they plan to make of the shoreline. The house is governed by rules that are settled. The shoreline plans are governed by rules the city is drafting now. Before closing, these are good questions to take to the city's planning office:
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm how any ordinance applies to a specific parcel with the City of East Gull Lake and your own attorney or other qualified professional.
Has East Gull Lake adopted the new DNR standards? No adoption had happened as of the October 27 packet. On the staff schedule, a public hearing comes in January 2027 and City Council consideration in February 2027.
Does the Green Hill Bay change reclassify the water? The draft applies General Development standards to properties fronting Green Hill Bay. According to the DNR, a formal reclassification is a separate step that requires a local request and DNR approval.
Is riprap still allowed under the DNR model? Yes, with conditions: an assessment first, no riprap on wetlands or for landscaping, and rock between 6 and 30 inches. Whether East Gull Lake adopts those specifics is part of the current draft work.
Northland Sotheby's International Realty follows the Planning Commission calendar alongside our listings, so buyers and sellers on Gull Lake know where the shoreland rules stand at each step of a sale. If you're weighing a Gull Lake purchase or sale, we'd be glad to help you start your lake home search.
We are passionate about living and finding your unique dream home. Contact us for more details.
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