Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK Ordinances (2026)

Snow storage, soil, debris or any other obstruction in a Matanuska-Susitna borough right-of-way that blocks traffic or drainage counts as an unauthorized encroachment under MSB §…

Anyone who wants to build a driveway, culvert, well, structure or other encroachment within the borough's public right-of-way, easement, or borough-owned land must first get an…

Marijuana retail facilities in the borough's zoning jurisdiction are conditional uses that the planning commission approves only on a parcel it finds appropriate for commercial use…

In the borough outside Wasilla, Palmer and Houston, a marijuana related conditional use cannot be sited within 1,000 feet of school grounds. Matanuska-Susitna Borough Code §…

Every driveway in a Matanuska-Susitna borough right-of-way, new, modified, or already existing without a permit, needs a driveway permit under MSB § 11.12.030, and § 11.12.050 sets…

Leaving a vehicle in a public right-of-way or on borough-controlled land is unlawful under MSB § 10.12.010. A vehicle left unattended over 72 hours on a right-of-way or borough land is…

Inside the borough's designated Single-Family Residential (SFR) Land Use Districts, including Canoe Lake Subdivision, Chugach View Estates and Wilderness East Subdivision, homeowners…

Matanuska-Susitna Borough runs no curbside recycling program. Under MSB § 8.05.060, the borough designates special waste areas at its solid waste transfer sites and disposal facility…

Hauling trash to a borough transfer site or the landfill yourself? MSB § 8.05.070 bars operating or driving any vehicle carrying refuse capable of blowing out, falling, spilling, or…

Throwing trash on the road or on borough land is banned outright. MSB § 8.05.080 prohibits disposing of solid waste or litter on public rights-of-way or borough lands unless it goes…

Selling or using fireworks anywhere in the borough outside Wasilla, Palmer, and Houston is banned year-round under MSB §§ 8.35.030 and 8.35.040, with one narrow exception: a…

Open burning is allowed in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, but materials that give off black smoke or odors, such as plastic, asphalt, rubber, and oil waste, cannot be burned except…

The borough does not write its own building code; MSB § 8.45.010 adopts the International Building Code, International Mechanical Code, Uniform Plumbing Code, International Fire Code…

Electrical work in the borough is governed by the National Electrical Code, adopted by reference under MSB § 8.45.010(A)(4) via 8 AAC 70.025. MSB § 8.45.020 further requires that…

Matanuska-Susitna Borough requires hard-wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in every multifamily dwelling built under the borough's multifamily development design standards…

Any plumbing installed, altered or replaced in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough must follow the Uniform Plumbing Code, adopted by reference in Matanuska-Susitna Borough Code §…

Plumbing and electrical inspectors working for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough must meet whatever qualifications state law sets for that work, under Matanuska-Susitna Borough Code §…

In areas the assembly has designated a Residential Land Use District under MSB Chapter 17.52, a home occupation is a permitted secondary use, no separate zoning permit needed, but it…

Inside a designated Residential Land Use District, a home occupation may display exactly one sign, capped at two square feet, non-illuminated, mounted flat against the wall of the…

Inside a designated Residential Land Use District, MSB § 17.52.190(5)(d) bars a home occupation from generating traffic 'in greater volumes than would normally be expected in a…

In the borough outside Wasilla, Palmer and Houston, within the Denali State Park Special Land Use District, MSB § 17.17.090 caps building height at 35 feet above finished grade. The…

Outside Palmer and Wasilla, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough's Chapter 17.55 sets minimum setbacks: 25 feet from any public right-of-way (10 feet on small pre-existing lots or older…

Multifamily developments in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, outside Wasilla, Palmer and Houston, cannot cover more than 60 percent of the lot with impervious surface. The limit sits…

Any construction, fill, or development within a mapped special flood hazard area of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough requires a development permit under MSB § 17.29.100 before work…

Where base flood elevation data exists, MSB § 17.29.170(A)(1)(a) requires new and substantially improved residential structures in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough's special flood hazard…

Residential Planned Unit Developments in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, outside the cities of Palmer and Wasilla, can add up to 30 percent more dwelling units per acre than the base…

Within the Main Street Talkeetna (MST) District, the historic commercial core of the Talkeetna Special Land Use District, MSB § 17.25.050 locks in compact, small-building development…

The borough's zoning setback chapter does not treat a fence as a 'structure.' MSB § 17.55.004 defines 'structure' to exclude fences from minimum-setback and building-separation…

A perimeter fence or wall around a Matanuska-Susitna Borough multifamily development, outside Wasilla, Palmer and Houston, is optional, but if a developer installs one it must be built…

Multifamily developers building in the borough outside Wasilla, Palmer and Houston must either retain at least 10 percent of a lot's existing native ground cover, plant species and…

Backyard chickens, gardens and other animal husbandry are a permitted accessory use inside the borough's designated Single-Family Residential Land Use Districts, Canoe Lake…

Matanuska-Susitna Borough doesn't mandate spay or neuter for every pet, but every dog or cat adopted from the animal care and regulation shelter must be sterilized within 30 days under…

Cat licensing is optional under Matanuska-Susitna Borough Code § 24.10.010(A), but rabies vaccination is not: every cat over six months must carry a current rabies vaccination, and…

Matanuska-Susitna Borough doesn't restrict any dog breed by name. Instead, § 24.26.010(A) classifies an animal as dangerous on a five-level scale based purely on what it actually does…

Matanuska-Susitna Borough Code § 24.05.070(A) requires every animal, not just dogs, to be under continuous restraint: a leash, harness, chain, tether, fence, building, or competent…

Microchipping is voluntary for owned dogs and cats under Matanuska-Susitna Borough Code § 24.10.050(C), and a borough-inserted microchip earns the animal lifetime licensing with no…

A shed, detached garage, barn or other storage building in the borough's Single-Family Residential Land Use Districts, Canoe Lake Subdivision, Chugach View Estates and Wilderness East…

Homeowners in the borough's Single-Family Residential Land Use Districts, Canoe Lake Subdivision, Chugach View Estates and Wilderness East Subdivision, may add up to two accessory…

Anyone who wants to hold an outdoor event drawing more than 500 people in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough outside Wasilla, Palmer and Houston needs a special events permit from the…

Anyone planning an outdoor event of more than 500 people in the unincorporated Matanuska-Susitna Borough needs a mass outdoor gathering permit before the event happens, under…

Anyone who manufactures, distributes, or sells cigarettes or other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping devices, as a direct-buying retailer, vending operator or buyer…

Outside Wasilla, Palmer and Houston, no adult business open to patrons may operate in Matanuska-Susitna Borough without a conditional use permit, and it cannot sit within one mile of…

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough charges a 5 percent tax on rent for hotel and motel rooms and other overnight lodging rented for stays under 60 consecutive days. Operators collect the…

Short-term rentals in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, including wall tents, bed and breakfasts and vacation properties rented for stays under 60 consecutive days, owe the same 5 percent…

Before renting out a short-term accommodation in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, an operator must obtain a certificate of registration from the finance director and post it at the…

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough's historical preservation commission identifies and recommends protection for cultural resources such as historic buildings, archaeological sites…

A building in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough that is a fire or health hazard, or a public nuisance, can be condemned and ordered demolished by the borough assembly under…

Vacant or abandoned buildings, and junk or trash left in plain view from a public road, are declared a public nuisance in the unincorporated Matanuska-Susitna Borough under…

Amplified sound in the unincorporated Matanuska-Susitna Borough cannot push total A-weighted sound levels above 50 dB(A) between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weeknights, or 60 dB(A) at any…

Permitted mass outdoor gatherings in the unincorporated Matanuska-Susitna Borough must go quiet for neighbors between midnight and 8 a.m.: Matanuska-Susitna Borough Code § 8.55.040(K)…

Matanuska-Susitna Borough Code § 24.05.030(A) makes it unlawful for an owner to let an animal, including a barking dog, annoy any person, and a first violation draws a $75 fine that…

In the Main Street Talkeetna (MST) District, MSB § 17.25.050(F)(6)(c) bans flashing exterior lights outright but carves out one exception: seasonal holiday lights are allowed, so long…

In the Knik Sled Dog and Recreation Special Land Use District, the section of the borough outside Wasilla, Palmer and Houston northwest of Wasilla, exterior lighting must be located…

In the Knik Sled Dog and Recreation Special Land Use District northwest of Wasilla, part of the borough outside Wasilla, Palmer and Houston, glare and illumination from exterior…