Fence laws in Eden Prairie, Minnesota
What the Eden Prairie municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Eden Prairie sets no rule of its own, the Minnesota rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- The Eden Prairie fence section sets no distance from a lot line, asks for no consent from an adjoining owner, says nothing about which side the finished face or the posts point toward, and does not divide the cost of a shared fence, and the answer turns on whether the lot is in a shoreland area. The figure is 10 feet, for setback from the ordinary high water level.
- How tall
- Eden Prairie gives the whole city one sentence. The figure is 7 feet, for fence anywhere on a lot.
- Permits
- The Eden Prairie fence section names no fence permit, and the answer turns on what the applicant wants and which official decides it. The figure is 4 feet, for minimum pool fence height and distance from the pool.
- Pool barriers
- Minnesota rules say a public pool has to be closed off so children cannot get in. The figure is 5 feet, for minimum height of fencing around a public pool.
- Spite fences
- Minnesota counts a spite fence as a private nuisance.
- Measured from what
- Minnesota does name the ground, once. The figure is 16 inches, for bottom wire of a legal fence, measured from the ground. It reaches a legal fence built of barbed wire only.
- Corner lots
- Eden Prairie writes its visibility rule as a height plus a judgment rather than as a triangle, and the answer turns on whether the City Engineer finds interference with sight distance. The figure is 30 inches, for height limit where sight distance is interfered with.
- Retaining walls
- A retaining wall in Minnesota needs no building permit if it is four feet tall or less, and the four feet is measured from the bottom of the footing up to the top of the wall, not from the ground. The figure is 4 feet, for height at or below which a retaining wall needs no building permit. It reaches work covered by the Minnesota State Building Code only.
- Materials
- A fence in Eden Prairie has to be built of permanent materials designed for permanent fencing, and any wood has to be resistant to decay, and the answer turns on the material and what the fence is being used for. The figure is 78 inches, for height barbed wire has to start at.
- Livestock
- Minnesota lists the builds that count as a legal fence. The figure is 32 inches, for minimum woven wire height on a legal fence that carries two barbed wires above it.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Eden Prairie?
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Eden Prairie answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the lot is in a shoreland area.
The Eden Prairie fence section sets no distance from a lot line, asks for no consent from an adjoining owner, says nothing about which side the finished face or the posts point toward, and does not divide the cost of a shared fence. The definition it opens with treats a fence as something located along the boundary or within a required yard, so building on the line is assumed rather than regulated. Where the section does set boundaries is at the water. A fence in a shoreland area has to stand at least ten feet back from the ordinary high water level. A solid fence is not permitted inside the shore impact zone. A fence may not be located in a wetland or a wetland buffer, or inside a bluff impact zone or on a steep slope. And inside the shore impact zone a fence has to be installed and maintained without removing healthy native vegetation, which makes the manner of building it part of the rule.
Fences must be set back at least ten (10) feet from the ordinary high water level;
The answer turns on whether the lot is in a shoreland area.
- an ordinary lot line
- No setback stated.
- a lakeshore lot
- Ten feet from the high water level. 10 ft
- the shore impact zone
- Nothing solid, and no clearing to build it.
- a wetland or bluff
- No fence at all.
Also on fences on the property line in Eden Prairie
- set in state lawMinnesota splits the cost of a fence on the property line in equal shares, and only on farm land. Both sides have to be used, fully or partly, to raise or keep livestock, and at least one owner has to want a fence. Then each side builds and keeps up half. The statute names which animals count as livestock. A yard that holds none of them is outside the rule. Minn. Stat. 344.03, subd. 1(a)Minnesota · Statute
- set in state lawMinnesota settles a boundary fence argument through fence viewers, who are town officers picked for the job. When one side will not build or fix a fence it has to keep, the other side can complain to them. The fence viewers give notice, look at the fence or at whether one is needed, and can order the work done in a reasonable time. If that order is ignored, the side that complained can do the work and get paid back under section 344.05. Minn. Stat. 344.04Minnesota · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Eden Prairie?
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Eden Prairie answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Eden Prairie gives the whole city one sentence. Fences may not exceed seven feet in height and may occupy any yard, and fences above seven feet are prohibited. There is no front yard figure, no corner side yard figure, no opacity requirement, no allowance for a tennis court or a pool, and no conditional use route to anything taller. The words may occupy any yard do as much work as the seven feet, because they remove the question that most of this set answers with a table: a seven foot privacy fence is permitted across the front of a house here. What holds the front in check instead is the vision clearance rule in the next section and the Building Code, which the same subdivision requires every fence to meet. Fences in the Park and Open Space District are exempt from this section entirely and follow their own standards in the zoning chapter.
Fences may not exceed seven (7) feet in height and may occupy any yard. Fences above seven (7) feet are prohibited.
7 ftfence anywhere on a lot
Also on fence height in Eden Prairie
- no rule, documents checkedMinnesota sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. The boundary fence chapter says what a farm fence is built from and never caps a fence in a yard. The building code lets a fence up to seven feet go without a permit, which is a permit line and not a height cap. The city or county sets the limit. Minn. Stat. 344.02, 344.03Minnesota · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Eden Prairie?
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Eden Prairie answers this, but the answer changes depending on what the applicant wants and which official decides it.
The Eden Prairie fence section names no fence permit. What it requires is that fences be constructed in accordance with the applicable Building Code, and what it names beyond that is three officials with narrow powers. The City Planner may approve barbed wire at an airport, data center, city building, public infrastructure or a similar use. The City Forester may approve temporary electric fencing to contain animals treating invasive vegetation. The City Engineer decides whether something interferes with traffic sight distance. None of those is a general route to a taller or different fence, because anything over seven feet is prohibited outright rather than made conditional. A pool fence is handled in the construction permits chapter instead, where a security fence or wall at least four but not more than seven feet has to stand at least four feet from the edge of the pool. Violating the fence section is a misdemeanor.
Fences must be constructed in accordance with the applicable Building Code requirements.
The answer turns on what the applicant wants and which official decides it.
- an ordinary fence
- No fence permit, but the Building Code applies.
- barbed wire at a public facility
- City Planner approval.
- an electric fence for grazing animals
- City Forester approval.
- a pool fence
- Four to seven feet, four feet from the water. 4 ft
Also on permits in Eden Prairie
- set in state lawA fence in Minnesota seven feet tall or shorter needs no building permit. Minnesota runs one building code for the whole state, and the rules that come with it list the work that needs no permit. A fence is on that list up to seven feet. Above seven feet it needs a permit. Minn. R. 1300.0120, subp. 4Minnesota · Building code
Pool fence requirements in Eden Prairie
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Minnesota answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Minnesota rules say a public pool has to be closed off so children cannot get in. Where a fence does that job it has to stand at least five feet high, with gates that close and latch themselves and can be locked. No opening in the fence can be wider than four inches, no gap under it can be wider than two inches, and it cannot be built in a way that is easy to climb. The rule covers public pools. A pool at a private home is not in it.
This one is Minnesota law, not Eden Prairie law. All Minnesota findings
Access to a public pool must be controlled to effectively prevent the entrance of children.
5 ftminimum height of fencing around a public pool
Spite fence laws in Eden Prairie
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Minnesota answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Minnesota counts a spite fence as a private nuisance. Any fence or other structure put up or kept there to annoy the owner or occupant next door falls under the statute. The current text names no height at all, so the test is why the fence is there, not how tall it is.
This one is Minnesota law, not Eden Prairie law. All Minnesota findings
Any fence, or any other structure, maliciously erected or maintained for the purpose of annoying the owners or occupants of adjoining property shall be deemed a private nuisance.
How fence height is measured in Eden Prairie
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Minnesota answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Minnesota does name the ground, once. Section 344.02 lists the fences that count as legal, and the barbed wire one puts the top wire no more than forty eight inches high and the bottom wire twelve to sixteen inches from the ground. So the bottom of that fence is measured from the ground. The top is a bare number with no surface named, which leaves a fence on a slope unanswered. For a fence at a house, section 462.357 lets the city set the height rule, so the city decides how it is measured too.
This one is Minnesota law, not Eden Prairie law. All Minnesota findings
fences consisting of at least four barbed wires with at least 40 barbs to the rod, the wires firmly fastened to posts not more than one rod apart, the top wire not more than 48 inches high and the bottom wire 12 to 16 inches from the ground
16 inbottom wire of a legal fence, measured from the ground
Also on how height is measured in Eden Prairie
- no rule, documents checkedThe section states a single height and never says what it is measured from. That matters more here than in a city with a table, because seven feet is the only number a fence has to meet and there is no second figure to check it against. Sloping ground is not addressed, a berm is not addressed, a fence on top of a retaining wall is not addressed, and nothing prevents an owner raising the ground before setting posts. No allowance is given for a post cap standing above the top rail, and since anything above seven feet is prohibited outright rather than made conditional, a cap that pushes a fence over has no route to approval. The one place the section fixes a vertical reference is the barbed wire exception, which requires the wire to sit at least six and a half feet above grade. 9.76Eden Prairie · Zoning code
Fence rules for corner lots in Eden Prairie
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Eden Prairie answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the City Engineer finds interference with sight distance.
Eden Prairie writes its visibility rule as a height plus a judgment rather than as a triangle. No fence, hedge or other vegetation over thirty inches, and no tree pruned only to a height less than eight feet, is permitted where there will be interference with traffic sight distance as determined by the City Engineer. There is no triangle, no leg length and no list of which corners are covered, so the rule can reach any point on any lot where the engineer finds a problem, including a mid-block driveway. Two details are worth noting. The tree clause is written from the other direction, requiring the canopy to be lifted to eight feet rather than the trunk to be removed. And because the fence section allows seven feet in any yard, this rule is the only thing standing between a corner lot and a seven foot privacy fence running to the intersection.
No fence, hedge, or other vegetation exceeding thirty (30) inches in height, or trees pruned even to a height less than eight (8) feet, are permitted where there will be interference with traffic sight distance as determined by the City Engineer.
The answer turns on whether the City Engineer finds interference with sight distance.
- a fence or hedge
- Thirty inches where sight distance is affected. 30 in
- a tree
- Pruned clear to eight feet. 8 ft
- who decides
- The City Engineer.
- the shape of the area
- Not stated anywhere.
Also on corner visibility in Eden Prairie
- set in state lawMinnesota names the fence and names the roads. Chapter 160 makes it a misdemeanor to put a fence on the right of way of a trunk highway, a county state aid highway, a county highway or a town road. The one exception is a lane fence at the ends of a livestock crossing. The same section bars a building or structure inside the limits of any highway. Neither reaches a fence standing back on a private corner lot. Section 462.357 gives the city power over the height of structures and the size of yards, and a clear view triangle is written there. Minn. Stat. 160.2715Minnesota · Traffic code
Retaining wall rules in Eden Prairie
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Minnesota answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
A retaining wall in Minnesota needs no building permit if it is four feet tall or less, and the four feet is measured from the bottom of the footing up to the top of the wall, not from the ground. Minnesota prints this in its own state rule instead of pointing at a model code. Two things take a wall off the no permit list at any height. One is holding up a surcharge, which means extra weight pressing on the soil behind the wall, such as a driveway or a building. The other is holding back Class I, II or III-A liquids, which are liquids that burn.
This one is Minnesota law, not Eden Prairie law. All Minnesota findings
retaining walls that are not over four feet (1,219 mm) in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge or impounding Class I, II, or III-A liquids;
4 ftheight at or below which a retaining wall needs no building permit
Fence materials allowed in Eden Prairie
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Eden Prairie answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material and what the fence is being used for.
A fence in Eden Prairie has to be built of permanent materials designed for permanent fencing, and any wood has to be resistant to decay. The prohibited list is one of the longest in this set: razor wire, barbed wire, chain link with slats, chicken wire, rope, cable, railroad ties, landscape timbers, utility poles, mesh of any type, tarps, electrically charged wire, anything similar, and anything not specifically manufactured for permanent fencing. Five exceptions follow and each is tied to a use rather than to a district. Chicken wire may fence chickens kept under the poultry section or a compost area under the nuisance section. Barbed wire may be used at an airport, data center, city building, public infrastructure or similar use approved by the City Planner, and only above six and a half feet. Temporary electric fencing may contain animals used to treat invasive vegetation with the approval of the City Forester. Temporary construction fencing may be used and has to come off when the work is done.
Fences may not be constructed of razor wire, barbed wire, chain link with slats, chicken wire, rope, cable, railroad ties, landscape timbers, utility poles, mesh of any type, tarps, electrically charged wire or any other similar materials, or any other materials not specifically manufactured for permanent fencing.
The answer turns on the material and what the fence is being used for.
- an ordinary house lot
- Permanent fencing materials only.
- chickens or a compost pile
- Chicken wire is allowed.
- an airport, data center or public facility
- Barbed wire above six and a half feet, with City Planner approval. 78 in
- goats clearing invasive plants
- Temporary electric fencing, with City Forester approval.
Also on materials in Eden Prairie
- set in state lawMinnesota lists five builds that count as a legal fence on a property line, and four of the five are wire. Barbed wire appears in all four, either on its own or stacked above woven wire, with rules on how many strands, how many barbs and how far apart the posts stand. The fifth is an open list of rails, beams, wires, boards, stone walls or a mix, so long as the fence viewers judge it equal to the others. No material is ruled out. Minn. Stat. 344.02Minnesota · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in Eden Prairie
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Minnesota answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Minnesota lists the builds that count as a legal fence. Woven wire at least thirty two inches tall with two barbed wires above it counts. So does woven wire at least forty inches tall with one barbed wire above it, and woven wire at least forty eight inches tall with one barbed wire above it. All three go on well set posts no more than a rod apart. A rod is sixteen and a half feet. Four barbed wires also count, with at least forty barbs to the rod, the top wire no higher than forty eight inches and the bottom wire twelve to sixteen inches off the ground. Anything the fence viewers judge equal to those counts too.
This one is Minnesota law, not Eden Prairie law. All Minnesota findings
The following are legal and sufficient fences: (a) fences consisting of at least 32-inch woven wire and two barbed wires firmly fastened to well-set posts not more than one rod apart, the first barbed wire being above and not more than four inches from the woven wire and the second barbed wire being above and not more than eight inches from the first wire;
32 inminimum woven wire height on a legal fence that carries two barbed wires above it
Also on agricultural fencing in Eden Prairie
- set in state lawMinnesota puts the duty on the animal owner. Letting cattle, a horse, a donkey, a mule, sheep, swine or a goat run loose in the state is against the law, and driving an animal onto someone's land over their objection counts as running loose too. The section does not ask the neighbor to have built a fence first. Minn. Stat. 346.16Minnesota · Statute
Documents behind this page
10 documents, of which 2 were published by Eden Prairie itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of StatutesMinnesota Statutes, Chapter 344, Section 344.03, Expense; Equal Shares
- Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of StatutesMinnesota Statutes, Chapter 344, Section 344.04, Failure to Build or Repair; Rights of Complainant
- City of Eden PrairieEden Prairie City Code, Chapter 9, Section 9.76, Fences
- Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of StatutesMinnesota Statutes, Chapter 344, Partition Fences
- Minnesota Department of Labor and IndustryMinnesota Rules, Chapter 1300, Part 1300.0120, Permits
- Minnesota Department of HealthMinnesota Rules, Chapter 4717, Part 4717.1550, Pool Access Restriction; Fencing
- Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of StatutesMinnesota Statutes, Chapter 561, Section 561.02, Maliciously Maintained Structure
- Minnesota Office of the Revisor of StatutesMinnesota Statutes, Chapter 160, Section 160.2715, Right-of-way use; misdemeanors
- City of Eden PrairieEden Prairie City Code, Chapter 9, Section 9.77, Vision Clearance
- Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of StatutesMinnesota Statutes, Chapter 346, Animals, Section 346.16, Running at Large; Defined; Prohibited; Treble Damages
What this page does not cover
A city ordinance is not the only rule that reaches a fence. The zoning district a parcel sits in can change the height allowed on it, and so can an overlay district, a recorded easement, a fire hazard severity zone or a coastal zone. A homeowner association can be stricter than the city and nothing in the municipal code will say so. None of those appear here.
The rules above are the ones Eden Prairie publishes, plus the Minnesota rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in Minnesota has the state layer in full.
This is general information drawn from published government documents. It is not legal advice, ordinances are amended, and the date beside each finding is the date the document was read. How findings are made · What the terms mean