AARoads:United States/Minnesota/County shield usage

Blue pentagonal shield

White square shield

The following is a guide to usage of county road shields in Minnesota counties. There is no hard-and-fast rule, although many rural counties use the white square exclusively, while some metro counties use only the blue pentagon. Some use the pentagon for county state-aid highways and the square for others, some reserve the pentagon for a select few CSAHs.

In some cases, the blue pentagonal shield will be officially in use for some or all county roads, yet the square markers will remain in place in some spots, usually guide signs on intersecting roads. (Example: For Grant CSAH 4 in Elbow Lake, the guide sign on MN-59 is square, but the route marker on CSAH 4 is a pentagon.)

Where possible, the map or county document is cited. Much of the rest came from personal observation or checking the route makers on Google Maps' street view.

Aitkin

All county roads use the square shield.

Anoka

All county roads use the pentagonal shield.

Becker

All county roads use the square shield.

Beltrami

All county roads use the square shield.

Benton

All county roads use the square shield.

Big Stone

All county roads use the square shield.

Blue Earth

All county roads use the pentagonal shield.

Brown

County state-aid highways (1- and 2-digit) use the pentagonal shield, others (3-digit) use the square. [1]

Carlton

All county roads use the square shield.

Carver

All county roads use the square shield.

Cass

All county roads use the square shield.

Chippewa

All county roads use the square shield.

Chisago

County state-aid highway used the pentagonal shield

County roads use the square shield [2]

Clay

All county roads use the square shield.

Clearwater

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others unknown.

Cook

All county roads use the square shield.

Cottonwood

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others use the square.

Crow Wing

County map indicates CSAHs use the pentagonal shield; however, Google Maps street view indicates all county roads use the square shield.

Dakota

"Major highways that serve the highest level need" use the pentagonal shield, others use the square one. [3]

Dodge

All county roads use the square shield.

Douglas

All county roads use the square shield.

Faribault

Fillmore

County map shows pentagonal shields for all roads; Google Maps shows the pentagon used on some CSAHs and not others, no non-CSAH shields seen.

Freeborn

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others use the square one. [4]

Goodhue

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others use the square one. [5]

Grant

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others unknown.

Hennepin

All county roads use the pentagonal shield.

Houston

All county roads use the square shield.

Hubbard

All county roads use the square shield.

Isanti

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others use the square.

Itasca

Jackson

Kanabec

All county roads use the square shield.

Kandiyohi

Kittson

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others probably use the square.

Koochiching

Lac qui Parle

All county roads use the square shield.

Lake

All county roads use the square shield. [6]

Lake of the Woods

Le Sueur

All county roads use the square shield.

Lincoln

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield. Others probably use the square but not sure.

Lyon

Mahnomen

Marshall

All county roads use the square shield.

Martin

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others use the square according to [7], all use the square according to Google Maps street view.

McLeod

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others use the square shield.

Meeker

Mille Lacs

All county roads use the square shield.

Morrison

All county roads use the square shield.

Mower

All county roads use the pentagonal shield.

Murray

All county roads use the pentagonal shield.

Nicollet

All county roads use the square shield.

Nobles

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others unknown.

Norman

Olmsted

All county roads use the square shield.

Otter Tail

All county roads use the square shield.

Pennington

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others use the square.

Pine

All county roads use the square shield.

Pipestone

All county roads use the square shield.

Polk

All county roads use the square shield.

Pope

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others unknown.

Ramsey

All county roads use the pentagonal shield.

Red Lake

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others unknown.

Redwood

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others unknown.

Renville

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others use the square shield.

Rice

All county roads use the square shield except CSAH 33.

Rock

All county roads use the square shield.

Roseau

St. Louis

County state-aid highways "of special significance" use the blue shield, others use the square one. The road restriction maps denote which roads are such.

Scott

All county roads use the pentagonal shield.

Sherburne

All county roads use the square shield.

Stearns

County state-aid highways use the blue pentagonal shield, others use the square one. **Not verified**

Steele

All county roads use the square shield except where CSAH 12, 22, and 23 meet at the Medford interchange on Interstate 35.

Stevens

Swift

Todd

All county roads use the square shield.

Traverse

Wabasha

Wadena

Waseca

All county roads use the square shield.

Washington

County state-aid highways (1-38 and 59 except "A" suffix, "B" suffix, 27, and 28) use the pentagonal shield, others (39 and higher (except 59), "A" suffix, "B" suffix, 27 and 28) use the square one. 83 used pentagonal shields and square shields interchangeably when it existed. [8]

Watonwan

All county roads use the square shield.

Wilkin

Winona

All county roads use the square shield

Wright

County state-aid highways (1- and 2-digit) use the pentagonal shield, others (3-digit) use the square one. [9]

Yellow Medicine

County state-aid highways use the pentagonal shield, others unknown.