You can use the mode "variable" to set minor modes as well as major modes; in fact, you can use it more than once, first to set the major mode and then to set minor modes which are specific to particular buffers. But most minor modes should not be specified in the file in any fashion, because they represent user preferences.
For example, you may be tempted to try to turn on Auto Fill mode with a local variable list. That is a mistake. The choice of Auto Fill mode or not is a matter of individual taste, not a matter of the contents of particular files. If you want to use Auto Fill, set up major mode hooks with your .emacs file to turn it on (when appropriate) for you alone (see Init File). Don't use a local variable list to impose your taste on everyone.
The start of the local variables list must be no more than 3000 characters from the end of the file, and must be in the last page if the file is divided into pages. Otherwise, Emacs will not notice it is there. The purpose of this rule is so that a stray Local Variables: not in the last page does not confuse Emacs, and so that visiting a long file that is all one page and has no local variables list need not take the time to search the whole file.
Use the command normal-mode to reset the local variables and major mode of a buffer according to the file name and contents, including the local variables list if any. See Choosing Modes.
The variable enable-local-variables controls whether to process local variables in files, and thus gives you a chance to override them. Its default value is t, which means do process local variables in files. If you set the value to nil, Emacs simply ignores local variables in files. Any other value says to query you about each file that has local variables, showing you the local variable specifications so you can judge.
The eval "variable," and certain actual variables, create a special risk; when you visit someone else's file, local variable specifications for these could affect your Emacs in arbitrary ways. Therefore, the option enable-local-eval controls whether Emacs processes eval variables, as well variables with names that end in -hook, -hooks, -function or -functions, and certain other variables. The three possibilities for the option's value are t, nil, and anything else, just as for enable-local-variables. The default is maybe, which is neither t nor nil, so normally Emacs does ask for confirmation about file settings for these variables.
