Apple Valley, MN Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Section 155.351(F) of the Apple Valley Code of Ordinances draws the material lines. Barbed wire fences shall not be permitted in any district except agricultural, unless specifically permitted under conditions set forth by the City Council. A homeowner in a residential district therefore has no right to barbed wire and can only ask the City Council for a conditional permission.

Electric fences are narrower still. They are not permitted in any district except agricultural, and only when related to farming, or in other districts in which a farm is located, again only when related to farming and not used as a boundary fence. An electric fence can never serve as a boundary fence under that language. The code carves out one item: an underground electronic or electric boundary marker system used for containment of domestic animals, such as an "invisible fence," does not constitute an electric fence for purposes of the paragraph, so a buried pet-containment line does not need the farm exception.

Two neighboring rules in § 155.351(C) shape material choices as well. Under subsection (C)(5), any link fence, where permitted, must be built and maintained so that no barbed ends are located at the top of the fence, which removes the sharp-wire finish some chain link fences carry. Under subsection (C)(6), fencing intended as temporary, such as snow fencing or erosion control or sedimentation fencing, is not permitted on any property for more than 30 days within any twelve-month period, except with a development, construction or land-disturbing project needing it or as the city approves for good cause. Exterior wood surfaces other than decay resistant woods must carry paint or another protective coating under (C)(3). A fence that misses these requirements is declared a public nuisance.