Apple Valley, MN Fence Regulations: Neighbor Fence Rules (2026)

Section 155.351(B) of the Apple Valley Code of Ordinances puts the burden of location on the builder. All boundary fences must be located entirely upon the private property of the person, firm or corporation constructing or causing the construction of the fence. The one way to build on the division line is a written agreement: the owner of the adjoining property must agree, in writing, that the fence may be erected on the division line of the respective properties. An oral understanding with a neighbor does not meet that text. Where a permit is required, the building inspector can also require the owner to establish the boundary lines by a survey made by any registered land surveyor, which puts the cost of proving the line on the owner who wants the fence.

Maintenance is governed by § 155.351(C), which declares a fence a public nuisance and prohibited if it fails the listed requirements. The fence must be firmly fastened and anchored so that it is not leaning or in the stage of collapse. It must be kept in sound and good repair, free from loose or rotting pieces and from holes, breaks or gaps not intended in the original design, and free from any hazardous defect. Exterior wood other than decay resistant woods must be protected by paint or another protective coating kept in good repair. No fence section can have peeling, cracked, chipped or deteriorated finish on more than 20% of any one linear ten-foot section. Temporary fencing such as snow fencing or erosion control or sedimentation fencing cannot stay on any property longer than 30 days within any twelve-month period, unless it serves a development, construction or land-disturbing project or the city approves it for good cause.

These subsections govern the fence owner's duty to the city. Section 155.351 sets no formula for splitting the cost of a boundary fence between neighbors, so that question falls outside the ordinance text.