Eagan, MN Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

Unlike California or other high-wildfire-risk jurisdictions, the City of Eagan has no published ordinance requiring homeowners to clear a defined defensible-space zone of brush around their dwellings for wildfire protection. Eagan sits in Dakota County in the Twin Cities metro and is not designated a high-hazard wildland-urban interface community by the Minnesota DNR. The practical clearance requirements that apply are tied to fire activity: under the recreational fire rules, a fire pit must be at least 25 feet from homes and flammable structures (decks, fences, sheds) and at least 10 feet from property lines, and the surrounding area should be free of combustible vegetation so a fire cannot spread. Minnesota's Firewise program and the DNR encourage, but do not mandate for a suburb like Eagan, that residents keep vegetation, dead grass, and woody debris cleared near homes. General overgrowth, tall grass, and weeds are addressed by the City's nuisance and property maintenance provisions rather than by a wildfire brush-clearance ordinance. Residents with vegetation-management questions should contact the Eagan Fire Marshal at 651-675-5905.