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St. Cloud magistrate gives owners until Jan. 19, 2026 to secure permits, or daily fines begin
Summary
The St. Cloud special magistrate on Nov. 14 ordered multiple property owners with unpermitted work to obtain permits by Jan. 19, 2026, or face fines (typically $250 per day) and payment of administrative costs. One owner’s accessory unit was found to have been occupied in the past but was not in use at the hearing.
The City of St. Cloud special magistrate on Nov. 14 found several property owners in violation for performing work without required permits and ordered permits in hand by Jan. 19, 2026, or the imposition of daily fines.
Hearing officer Drew Smith said the compliance date must mean permits have been issued and paid for, and he extended the city’s requested 12/12/2025 deadlines to Jan. 19, 2026 to allow owners and contractors time to complete reviews and inspections. "If not brought into compliance by that date, a fine of $250 a day will run from that point forward," Smith said in each case.
In case 2025-130 (JRFM Enterprise LLC, 1508 Illinois Ave.), code enforcement officer Alex Miller presented photographs and a timeline showing new windows and doors, a removed garage door and interior work performed without permits. The city requested permits by Dec. 12 and administrative costs totaling $438.79; the magistrate ordered the violation cured by Jan. 19, 2026, and tied the administrative-costs deadline to the same date.
In case 2025-272 (AMSAE Properties, 606 Pennsylvania Ave.), Miller said online rental listings and on-site inspections showed a detached garage converted into living space and other unpermitted work; the city recommended permits or removal by Dec. 12 and administrative costs of $390.89. Smith found a violation and ordered compliance and payment of costs by Jan. 19, 2026, with the same $250-per-day fine if compliance is not achieved.
Case 2025-769 (501 Kentucky Ave.) involved multiple issues: overgrown vegetation, an unpermitted deck and an accessory structure the city said had been used as living quarters. Planning staff pulled the abandoned 2024 permit application and noted review comments and required impact fees. Zoning manager Tisha Manning said the 2024 application showed disapprovals and listed potential impact fees of $55,560.70.
Owner Rachel Ruffing testified the backyard unit had a refrigerator, sink and a bathroom but no range or cooking appliances and said she had earlier abandoned the ADU application when told of high impact fees. The magistrate accepted testimony that the unit was not occupied at the hearing but found prior unpermitted occupancy. Smith ordered the unpermitted deck be brought into compliance by Jan. 19, 2026; administrative costs of $342.48 are due the same day. He warned that repeat violations could lead to steeper penalties — noting a repeat finding could allow fines of up to $500 per day retroactive to the first observed day of noncompliance.
Smith also reminded property owners that written orders will be mailed and urged respondents to keep code enforcement informed of progress. "Make sure the company you’re working with understands they need to be making sure that the window and door permits are active," he told one respondent.
The magistrate’s rulings were procedural orders of the tribunal; they set compliance deadlines, specified the monetary amounts for administrative costs and made clear the consequences (daily fines) if owners fail to obtain permits by the deadline.
