Minnesota Container Questions

Delivery requires the following straight, unobstructed space:

• 20ft container: 110 feet of straight clearance from the drop point
• 40ft container: 130 feet of straight clearance from the drop point

The truck needs at least 15 ft of height to drive, at least 22 ft of height along the entire unloading path, and at least 10 ft of width. Low utility lines, tree limbs and roof overhangs can stop a delivery. If you are unsure, describe the approach when you ask for a quote.

Watch a delivery: container delivery video.

Warranty runs by grade: one-trip units carry a 10 year structural and 10 year no-leak warranty, cargo worthy and wind and water tight units carry a 5 year structural and 5 year no-leak warranty, and economy units carry a 1 year roof leak warranty. The warranty travels with the grade you buy, so if warranty length matters to you it is worth comparing grades before you compare prices.

It depends on where the container will sit. The State Building Code applies statewide, and Minnesota Rules 1300.0120 exempts one-story storage sheds of 200 square feet or less from a building permit, but zoning is set by the city, or by the county or township outside city limits. Ask the office that governs your address before you order.

As of October 14, 2026, yes: each standard size and grade was priced the same delivered to all three cities, from Container One's Minneapolis depot. Other addresses are quoted one at a time, and the written quote shows the delivered price for yours.

Yes. Container One says frozen ground is suitable for delivery if it provides enough traction. Clear snow from the full 10-foot width the truck needs and from the spot where the container will sit.

Plan to set it on your own property. Minneapolis requires an obstruction permit to block any part of a street, lane or sidewalk, St. Paul requires a Public Works permit for a container in the right-of-way, and Rochester requires an obstruction permit for anything placed in a street, sidewalk or alley.

Yes, where the truck has the access it needs.

They can. MnDOT sets spring load restrictions on state highways, with start and end dates for each part of the state announced at least three days ahead, and counties post their own limits. If the route to your site has posted weight limits, mention it in your quote request.

Minnesota Statutes, section 326B.121, subdivision 1(c), generally exempts agricultural buildings from the State Building Code. Minnesota Statutes, section 326B.103, subdivision 3, defines an agricultural building as a structure on land classified as agricultural by the municipal or county assessor. It must be designed, constructed and used to house farm implements, livestock or agricultural products. It must be used by the building's owner, tenant or subtenant, their immediate families, their employees, or people picking up or delivering agricultural products. Ask your local building official whether your container qualifies as an agricultural building under that definition. Before ordering, ask your local planning office whether the proposed placement is allowed.

A container home is held to the Minnesota Residential Code like any house, including a 7-foot minimum ceiling height, an emergency escape opening in every bedroom and footings at the frost depth for your county. Some cities add their own limits: Rochester's code says no storage container may be used for human occupancy.

Condensation forms when warm, moist air meets cold steel. Vents placed high and low let moist air out, a dry floor keeps ground moisture from rising, and insulation on the ceiling reduces the dripping in an unheated container.

In St. Paul, any detached accessory structure in a Heritage Preservation District or Site needs approval from the Heritage Preservation Commission. Ask the planning office whether your address is in a historic district before you order.

• One-trip: made one loaded ocean crossing. Clean floors, intact paint, close to new.
• Cargo worthy: can pass a marine survey to be re-certified for shipping. Structurally sound, cosmetically used.
• Wind and water tight (WWT): inspected to confirm the doors seal, there are no holes, and the interior stays dry. Surface rust, paint wear and minor dents are normal.
• Economy: the lowest grade we sell. Weathered, and priced accordingly.

For a grade-by-grade walkthrough, see the container condition guide.

It depends on what the container is for. If it is going to be seen, lived in, or converted, the clean interior and intact paint save real work later and the 10 year structural and 10 year no-leak warranty is the longest available. If it is going behind a shed to hold equipment, a wind and water tight unit does the same job for less.

We offer 20ft standard, 40ft standard and 40ft high cube containers, plus modified containers and refrigerated units in 20ft and 40ft.

Personnel doors, roll-up doors, windows, vents, partition walls, electrical packages with outlets and a service panel, LED lighting, insulation, spray foam, A/C units with heat, shelving, interior wall panels and vinyl flooring. Insulation and HVAC choices depend on the climate the box will sit in: Minnesota is a heating climate in climate zones 6 and 7, and the state's residential energy code calls for R-49 in the ceiling of a home in both zones. A heated container needs insulation and an air seal with no gaps, because warm indoor air that reaches cold steel condenses on it, and an unheated one needs vents and ceiling insulation to limit dripping.

A reefer has a refrigeration unit built into one end. It runs on a 480V 3-phase supply, or a compatible generator where 3-phase power is not available. The walls are insulated as part of the original build.

Minnesota ground freezes in winter and softens as it thaws in spring, and frost can heave a container that sits on uneven blocking. A yard that is firm in winter can be too soft for a loaded truck during the thaw.

For temporary placement: Set the container on firm, level support under each corner casting, such as compacted gravel, concrete pads or solid timbers, with the ground sloped so water drains away. Check that it still sits level after the spring thaw, because a level container keeps its doors opening and closing freely.

For permanent placement or a conversion: When a container becomes part of a building, the building official and an engineer settle the foundation design, and the footings follow Minnesota's frost depth rule. Plan the anchoring, the drainage and any openings cut into the steel at the same time, since openings change how the container carries its load.

Frost depth: Minnesota Rules 1303.1600 sets the minimum footing depth for frost protection at five feet in 34 northern counties, including St. Louis, Beltrami, Clay and Otter Tail, and three and a half feet in the rest of the state, including Hennepin, Ramsey and Olmsted. An engineer competent in soil mechanics can determine a different depth for a specific site.

In the Twin Cities, a paved driveway or a compacted gravel pad gives a storage container firm support. In the Red River Valley and other poorly drained lake plains, build the pad up so water drains away from the corners. In the southeast bluff country, choose a level spot back from steep slopes.

Place the container on flat, level ground. Clear debris, rocks and brush from the placement area, confirm the straight space the delivery truck needs, and check for overhead lines and limbs. If the delivery truck gets stuck, you are responsible for getting it out or having it towed. Container One does not move the container once it is placed.

The box itself is corrugated Corten steel. The lock is the weak point, so use a hidden shackle lock, sometimes called a puck lock, inside a lockbox welded over the handle. Container One sells a lock box that covers the padlock as a separate accessory.

The recurring signs are a price far under the market, payment demanded by wire transfer or crypto, no verifiable business identity or contact route, and pressure to decide today. A real dealer will give you a phone number, answer questions before payment, and put the quote in writing.