Board permits outdoor cannabis microbusiness; rejects county-level 8-foot fence requirement in favor of state standard

Houston County commissioners approved an interim use permit Sept. 16 allowing Chase Johnson to operate an outdoor cannabis microbusiness on property in Sheldon Township, concluding a multi-week review by the planning commission and staff.

The county planning commission had recommended the permit with three conditions, adding an 8-foot perimeter fence (without barbed wire) around the grow area to match a previous permit for a highway-facing site. At the county board meeting, Johnson and planning staff told commissioners the proposed cultivation would be outdoor and not visible from the public right-of-way; Johnson said his operation has run as a licensed hemp grow for seven years and that the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management requires a 6-foot fence.

Johnson told the board an 8-foot chain-link fence would raise installation costs by tens of thousands of dollars for the roughly 1,500 to 2,000 lineal feet of fencing he expects to need; he estimated a 6-foot fence at roughly $50,000$60,000 and an 8-foot installation closer to $80,000. Johnson and several board members also argued a taller fence would be more visible from a distance and therefore counterproductive to the stated security aim on this site.

Several planning-commission members said they asked for an 8-foot fence in order to be consistent with the previous decision on a highway-front greenhouse site (that permit included barbed wire above 8 feet). At the planning commission the vote to recommend the 8-foot condition split 32. At the county board, after discussion the commissioners replaced the specific 8-foot requirement with the language: "Perimeter fence around the grow area shall meet state requirements." The motion, as restated to require compliance with state fencing rules, passed by voice vote.

The board recorded no detailed roll-call tallies in the public meeting transcript. Minutes show the permit includes standard county conditions plus the revised fence condition; staff and the applicant agreed the board's wording allows the county to require site-specific adjustments if state requirements change or the local facts warrant additional security on a future application.

Why it matters

The decision shows the board's willingness to treat cannabis permits on a case-by-case basis rather than impose a uniform, higher county standard. Applicants with operations remote from public roads argued they face higher installation costs and that excessive fencing can increase visual prominence of a site.

What the county said

Planner Amelia told the board the planning commission supported the permit but had added the perimeter-fence height to maintain consistency with a prior highway-front application. Planning staff confirmed the state minimum is 6 feet but noted planning-commission members favored an upper threshold in the earlier case because of the parcel's proximity to a major highway.

What the applicant said

Chase Johnson, the applicant, said he has run a state-licensed hemp operation for seven years, that neighbors support the proposed site and that the location is three quarters of a mile off the highway with no public view from the road; he asked the board to allow the state-required 6-foot fence rather than an 8-foot county condition.

Next steps

The permit was approved with the revised fencing condition. County staff said they will file the interim use permit with the updated condition and monitor the site for compliance with the permit conditions and state rules.