Services, Policies & Permits

Services, Policies & Permits

Services Provided

• • The Township provides basic services such as police and fire protection, public roadway and bridge maintenance, snow removal on public roadways and permitting. Police protection for Township residents is primarily handled by the Wabasha County Sheriff's Department.  Fire Protection is contracted through both the City of Elgin and the City of Plainview.  Snow plowing, road grading and other maintenance is performed through local contractors that handle road maintenance.  From time to time, the township may contract with other service providers for activities such as tree and brush removal, noxious weed termination, sign maintenance, and the like.  When residents respect public roadways and right-of-ways, it helps townships maintain a lower operating levy, which means lower taxes.

  • Winter Road Services:  Elgin Township provides snow plowing and various means of anti-icing measures, typically sand, salt or gravel, or a combination thereof.  As a reminder, the bulk of township roads are gravel roads and classified as secondary roads, and as such, snow removal is performed following a snow event, but not usually during.  Please be aware that not every snowfall is a plowable event, meaning that, depending on the amount of snow and expected weather conditions following, roads may be left to clear on their own.  We ask that township residents be patient and avoid risky and unnecessary travel prior to the roads being cleared of snow, or treated for slippery conditions.  If snow removal contractors are hindered by vehicles that are stuck, it causes delays for everyone else.

Roads & Road Authority 

• The Elgin township board of supervisors is the road authority for the township.   Any action which would disturb, disrupt, degrade, or otherwise affect a township road and its right-of-way must be permitted and/or approved by the township board.

• The public road right-of-ways within the township typically extend 33 feet from the center of the road on both sides, for a total road & right-of-way width of 66 feet.  While it is not uncommon for road right-of-ways to be on privately owned land, the road authority has the right access and perform maintenance on the road and within the road right-of-ways for the purposes of maintaining safe traveling conditions without the landowner's permission.

• Any safety concerns relating to the township roadways, such as a fallen tree blocking the road, a washout from a heavy rain event, etc., should be reported to a supervisor as soon as possible. 

• Elgin Township is not responsible for privately applied dust control on the public roadways.  However, residents are permitted, at their own risk and expense, to apply, or have applied, approved dust control products on public roadways.  

• Prior to applying an approved dust control product on a section of public roadway, it is recommended to check with the township board of supervisors to see whether that section of public roadway is scheduled for additional aggregate application or other maintenance, as these actions may diminish or negate the effectiveness of dust control.

• It is recommended that the roads are allowed to be graded at least once before dust control is applied.  Also note that, as necessary, areas with applied dust control will be graded as needed to maintain the condition of the road.

We remind residents that is unlawful to:

• • Push snow from private drives or property onto public roadways or right-of-ways

  • Remove aggregate from public roadways for personal use

  • Occupy, use, farm, or otherwise encroach on public road right-of-ways

Policies

• • The official publication for notices regarding notices, project bid or quote requests, election results, and etc. is the Plainview News.  The official posting location for Elgin Township is the bulletin board located inside the entrance of the Elgin Fire Hall.

Zoning and Other Land Use Permits

• • Except when relating to township roads, building and other general permitting within Elgin Township is handled by the Wabasha County Zoning Administrator.  

Wabasha County Zoning Department

625 Jefferson Ave

Wabasha MN 55981

Phone: (651)-565-3062

      Fax: (651)-565-3159

Please note that Wabasha County will notify the township regarding any permitting requests and will require applicant(s) to have a township

supervisor (see our Contact page) sign the notification.