Fence Regulations in Minnesota (2026)
35 rules on the books across Minnesota, 13 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Height Limits
Maximum fence heights for front, side, and back yards, including privacy fences, corner-lot visibility rules, and how height is measured on slopes and retaining walls.
Anoka County
Some RestrictionsAnoka County itself does not set residential fence heights inside its cities; each city zones its own under Minn. Stat…
Read full rule →Carver County
Some RestrictionsBoundary line fences on unincorporated Carver County land cap at seven feet under Code § 152.029. Height is measured…
Read full rule →Dakota County
Some RestrictionsDakota County MN has no countywide fence-height ordinance. Each city sets its own limits under Minn. Stat. 462.357…
Read full rule →Maple Grove
Some RestrictionsMaple Grove caps residential yard fences at six feet and bars them from crossing the front yard setback line, though…
Read full rule →Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis limits fences to four feet in front and corner side yards, six feet along rear and interior side yards, and…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsAll fences in Saint Paul must be on the owner's property and kept in good repair. Sec. 60.209 sets zoning rules…
Read full rule →Scott County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Scott County, Zoning Ordinance No. 3 caps fences at six feet in Rural Residential, Residential…
Read full rule →Stearns County
Some RestrictionsStearns County's zoning ordinance caps residential fences at six feet under Section 7.12.1.A, but a fence inside the…
Read full rule →Washington County
Some RestrictionsWashington County caps fence height inside its Shoreland and St. Croix River Overlay Districts. Solid walls over 4 feet…
Read full rule →Woodbury
Some RestrictionsWoodbury caps residential fences at six feet on rear and side lot lines, only four feet forward of the front corner of…
Read full rule →Olmsted County
Few RestrictionsOlmsted County regulates fences in unincorporated areas through its Chapter 1400 Zoning Ordinance, administered by the…
Read full rule →Fence Permit Requirements
Whether you need a building permit to install or replace a fence, and what the permit process and fees look like.
Anoka County
Some RestrictionsThere is no county-wide fence permit. Permitting is set by your city under Minn. Stat. §462.357. In Coon Rapids a…
Read full rule →Carver County
Some RestrictionsMost fences in unincorporated Carver County go up without a permit, but § 152.029 requires one the moment a fence…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsAll fences in Saint Paul require a plan review and permit from DSI. The base fee is $45 for the first 200 lineal feet…
Read full rule →Washington County
Some RestrictionsWashington County requires a Certificate of Compliance before any fence goes up on a lake or river frontage lot in its…
Read full rule →Woodbury
Light RestrictionsWoodbury's fence article does not set up a general fence permit system. The one permit it requires is a special use…
Read full rule →Neighbor Fence Rules
Rules about shared boundary fences, including who pays for construction and maintenance, and which side faces the neighbor.
Minnesota: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsMinnesota's partition fence law, Minn. Stat. chapter 344, makes adjoining landowners build and maintain a boundary…
Read full rule →Anoka County
Some RestrictionsAnoka County does not referee fence disputes between neighbors; cities set the rules. In Coon Rapids the finished side…
Read full rule →Bloomington
Some RestrictionsMinnesota's partition-fence law, Minn. Stat. Ch. 344, splits line-fence costs between adjoining owners, but only where…
Read full rule →Carver County
Some RestrictionsWhen Carver County property owners share a boundary line, § 152.029 puts the burden of placement on the fence-builder…
Read full rule →Maple Grove
Some RestrictionsMaple Grove requires a fence to sit entirely on the builder's own property unless the neighbor agrees in writing to let…
Read full rule →Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis fence owners must locate the property line themselves before building, face the finished side of the fence…
Read full rule →Scott County
Some RestrictionsMinnesota's partition-fence law, Chapter 344, makes adjoining owners of livestock land share a division fence in equal…
Read full rule →Wright County
Some RestrictionsBetween Wright County farm parcels, Minnesota's partition-fence law (Chapter 344) makes adjoining livestock owners…
Read full rule →Washington County
Light RestrictionsWashington County lets property owners in its overlay districts build a fence right along the property line, but only…
Read full rule →Retaining Walls
Height limits and permit requirements for retaining walls, including engineering requirements for taller walls on sloped lots.
Anoka County
Some RestrictionsRetaining walls are regulated by your city, not Anoka County. In Coon Rapids a building permit (and possibly a…
Read full rule →Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis zoning code caps front-yard retaining walls that raise grade at 3 feet, while walls that hold the natural…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsRetaining walls over 4 feet tall in Saint Paul require a building permit and engineered plans. Only segmental block…
Read full rule →Stearns County
Some RestrictionsRetaining walls in Stearns County's Shoreland Overlay District need a shoreland alteration permit under Ordinance 439…
Read full rule →Woodbury
Some RestrictionsWoodbury exempts a retaining wall built under a valid building permit from the separate land disturbance permit only…
Read full rule →Material Restrictions
Specific materials that are prohibited for fencing, such as barbed wire, razor wire, or electric fencing in residential zones.
Saint Paul
Heavy RestrictionsSaint Paul bans barbed wire fencing on or near any residential lot and prohibits aboveground electric fences citywide…
Read full rule →Maple Grove
Significant RestrictionsMaple Grove bans barbed wire and electric fences on most residential lots, permitting them only on farms or…
Read full rule →Woodbury
Significant RestrictionsBarbed wire and electric fencing are outlawed in Woodbury's platted areas under City Code section 6-145. Commercial…
Read full rule →Anoka County
Some RestrictionsApproved fencing materials are set by each city, not Anoka County. Coon Rapids lists vinyl, wood, wrought iron and…
Read full rule →Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis bans electrically charged wire, razor wire, chicken wire, slatted chain link, rope, cable, railroad ties…
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