*Updates to petition requirements*
A legislative update to petition requirements was signed in to law and will go in to effect on July 1, 2025. This update will now require that a petition must be accompanied by “not less than 100 individuals who reside or own property in a Minnesota county where the proposed action will be undertaken or in one or more adjoining counties”. Starting July 1, all signatures for a petition must be from the same county or an adjoining county as the proposed project location. To be considered an adjoining county, the counties must be considered as connecting or sharing a border.
The citizen petition process is designed to provide a standard mechanism by which citizens can alert government entities of projects that may have the potential for significant environmental effects. Some projects that do not fall into the mandatory environmental review categories outlined in Minnesota Rules 4410.4300 or 4410.4400 may still need to go through environmental review if the evidence presented by the petitioners demonstrates that, because the nature or location of the proposed project, the project may have the potential for significant environmental effects. In order for a citizen petition to be deemed complete by the Environmental Quality Board (EQB), the petition must meet the requirements outlined in Minnesota Rules 4410.1100. It is important to note that the purpose of environmental review is not to stop projects, but to collect information on the potential environmental effects of the project and how that can be avoided or mitigated. Additionally, the petition process does not create an additional source of approval for projects. The EQB is not empowered to supersede or overrule local government or state agency decisions.
Please note that the guidance documents provided on this page are not intended to substitute for Minnesota Rules 4410. They are designed to assist in the implementation of the environmental review process. The guidance documents do not alter the rules or change their meaning; if any inconsistencies arise between these documents and the rules, the rules take precedent. Please contact EQB Staff with any questions at Env.Review@state.mn.us or 651-757-2873.
For additional information:
Quick Reference: Citizen Petition: Provides a brief overview of the citizen petition process
Guide to the Petition Process: Outlines the process for preparing and filing a citizen petition
Signature Document Template: Template to be used for collecting signatures for a citizen petition
Reviewing Petitions: A Procedural Guide for Local RGUs: Suggested procedures and tips for responding to a Citizen Petition and determining if an EAW should be ordered