Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. Roads/Minnesota/County shield usage

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.


 * 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


 * 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.


 * 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.


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


 * 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.


 * 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, 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.


 * 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.


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