Lakeville, MN Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

City Code § 11-21-5(C), the construction and maintenance subsection of Lakeville's fence ordinance, sets material restrictions that apply regardless of the fence's height or location standards found elsewhere in the section. Subsection C2 requires that any security fence, wherever the zoning code otherwise allows one, be built so that no barbed ends sit at the top, a general prohibition that reaches decorative or security-style fencing in residential and commercial districts alike. Subsections C3 and C4 then single out two specific materials for agricultural-only use. Electric fences are permitted only in the A-P (agricultural preserve) and RA (rural residential/agricultural) zoning districts when related to agriculture, and on farms located in other districts when related to agricultural purposes, but the code expressly states an electric fence may never serve as a boundary fence regardless of district.

Barbed wire fences carry the same farm-only limitation and may only be used on farms related to agriculture, except where subsection H3 of the same section allows an exception for certain uses. Subsection C also requires every fence to be of substantial construction using materials reasonably suited to its purpose, to be kept in reasonable repair, and prohibits mesh HDPE plastic fencing or chicken wire except on a temporary basis at active construction sites or special events for crowd or parking control. The Planning and Community Development Department enforces these material standards together with the height and setback rules found in the same section.