Blaine, MN Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Blaine's fence ordinance ties every new or altered fence to a permit issued by the building official under Sec. 129-8(c); the application has to spell out the type of fence, the construction material, its height, and where exactly it will sit, and each application carries a fee. The permit is how the city checks compliance with the rest of Sec. 129-8: front-yard fences in single- and two-family districts are capped at four feet, side and rear yards at six feet (with a one-foot setback trade-off for corner and rear yards fronting a right-of-way), and any fence higher than six feet up to ten feet in a residential district needs a conditional use permit from the city council after a planning commission recommendation, granted only for screening near county, state or federal roadways or to offset unusual topography.

Special-purpose fences in multifamily, commercial or industrial districts likewise need a CUP under Sec. 129-8(h). Posts and structural framework must sit inside the owner's property line, with the finished side facing outward under Sec. 129-8(d)(1), and no fence may go up in a public street right-of-way. Fences existing before this section's adoption that don't violate its terms may stay as nonconforming under Sec. 129-8(i), but can't be rebuilt if the nonconformity would continue.