Fence Installation in Minneapolis, MN
Every Minneapolis fence goes through zoning review, and a front yard fence has to be open and no taller than 4 feet.
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Fence rules in Minneapolis
| Permit | Every fence needs zoning review and approval. Fences up to 7 feet need no building permit; over 7 feet they do, with plans and a site plan. (City of Minneapolis, Fences handout, checked 2026-10-26) |
|---|---|
| Front yard height | 4 feet, and only for an open, decorative fence that is at most 60 percent solid. The city table lists no front yard height for a fence that is 60 percent or more solid. (City of Minneapolis, Fence Regulations (updated 08/11/25), checked 2026-10-26) |
| Back yard height | 6 feet in the rear yard, though a fence 60 percent or more solid may be held to 4 feet where the rear lot line meets an interior side lot line. No fence anywhere may top 8 feet. (City of Minneapolis, Fence Regulations (updated 08/11/25), checked 2026-10-26) |
| Corners and sight lines | No fence within 15 feet of a street or alley intersection where the zoning administrator finds it blocks views of traffic. A solid fence in the corner side yard is 4 feet, or 6 feet from the rear wall of the house back. (City of Minneapolis, Fence Regulations (updated 08/11/25), checked 2026-10-26) |
| Pool barrier | A pool barrier fence of any height needs a building permit. The fence and gates must be at least 4 feet tall, and gates must be self-closing. (City of Minneapolis, Fences handout, checked 2026-10-26) |
| Before you dig | Notify Gopher State One Call at least 48 hours ahead, not counting the day you call, weekends or holidays, and no more than 14 calendar days before digging. (Minnesota Statutes 216D.04, checked 2026-10-26) |
| Who to ask | Zoning reviews every fence. For a fence over 7 feet you need a site plan from the boundary monuments or a licensed surveyor; Hennepin County or Google images are not accepted. (City of Minneapolis, Fences handout, checked 2026-10-26) |
| Also good to know | A fence outside the required yards but within 5 feet of a public street or sidewalk is held to 6 feet. Any part that reaches into the public right-of-way needs an encroachment permit first. (City of Minneapolis, Fence Regulations (updated 08/11/25), checked 2026-10-26) |
How tall a fence can be in Minneapolis
No fence in Minneapolis may be taller than 8 feet anywhere on the lot. In the required front yard the limit is 4 feet, and a front-yard fence must be open, decorative fencing that is less than 60 percent opaque. (Minneapolis Code, Sec. 550.1550, checked October 2026)
In a required interior side yard the limit is 4 feet, but it can go to 6 feet if the fence is at least 5 feet from the neighbor's building, if the whole fence is open, decorative and less than 60 percent opaque, or between the rear wall of the neighbor's house and the rear lot line. (Minneapolis Code, Sec. 550.1550, checked October 2026)
Fences in the required rear or side yard that run along the rear lot line can be up to 6 feet tall, except that a rear yard next to a required side yard is treated as an interior side yard. (Minneapolis Code, Sec. 550.1550, checked October 2026)
On a corner lot, a fence in the required corner side yard is limited to 4 feet. It can go to 6 feet from where the corner side wall meets the rear wall of the house back to the rear lot line, and the zoning administrator may allow 6 feet farther forward to enclose a side entrance. (Minneapolis Code, Sec. 550.1550, checked October 2026)
For traffic visibility, the code says no fence may be built or kept within 15 feet of any street or alley intersection. (Minneapolis Code, Sec. 550.1530, checked October 2026)
Permits in Minneapolis
Every fence in Minneapolis needs zoning review and approval. Fences up to 7 feet tall do not need a building permit, but fences over 7 feet do, along with plans and a site plan based on found property boundary monuments or a survey. (Minneapolis Construction Code Services, Fences handout, checked October 2026)
For a fence over 7 feet, you have to find the property boundary monuments to make the site plan, or hire a licensed land surveyor to locate or set them. Online maps from Hennepin County or Google are not accepted in place of a site plan or survey. The handout does not state a fee. (Minneapolis Construction Code Services, Fences handout, checked October 2026)
Where the fence can go
Fences may go along or next to a lot line, but the fence owner is responsible for locating the property lines before building. The owner also maintains the strip between the property line and the fence, and no part of a fence may project into a public right-of-way without an encroachment permit. (Minneapolis Code, Secs. 550.1510, 550.1520 and 550.1540, checked October 2026)
Posts and supporting members have to be on the inside, so the finished side of the fence faces the neighboring property or the public right-of-way. (Minneapolis Code, Sec. 550.1560, checked October 2026)
Allowed materials are wood (decay resistant), metal, brick, masonry or other permanent fencing materials, with no more than two related types in one fence. Banned materials include electrified wire, razor wire, chain link with slats, chicken wire, rope, cable, railroad ties, landscape timbers and utility poles. (Minneapolis Code, Sec. 550.1560, checked October 2026)
No fence may block free access to a fire hydrant. (Minneapolis Code, Sec. 550.1530, checked October 2026)
Pool fences in Minneapolis
A pool barrier fence of any height needs a building permit in Minneapolis. Outdoor private residential pools must be protected by a fence, wall, building or other enclosure. The fence and gates must be at least 4 feet tall, gates must be self-closing and self-latching, and the opening between the bottom of the fence and the ground can be no more than 4 inches. (Minneapolis Construction Code Services, Fences handout, checked October 2026)
Before you dig in Minnesota
Minnesota law requires anyone excavating to notify Gopher State One Call at least 48 hours ahead, not counting the day of the call, Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, and no more than 14 calendar days before digging starts. (Minnesota Statutes, Sec. 216D.04, checked October 2026)
To file a locate request with Gopher State One Call, call 811, 651-454-0002 or 800-252-1166. (Gopher State One Call, checked October 2026)
Checking a fence company in Minneapolis
Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry requires a residential building contractor or remodeler license when a company contracts directly with the owner of a one to four unit home for work in more than one special skill. A contractor offering only one special skill does not need a state license, except residential roofers. DLI's list of eight special skills does not name fencing, so ask your contractor whether their work requires a license. (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, residential contractor licensing, checked October 2026)
Minneapolis ground and weather
Minnesota's building code sets the minimum footing depth for frost protection at 3-1/2 feet in Zone II, which includes Hennepin County, unless a soils engineer determines otherwise. This rule is about building footings, and it does not mention fence posts. (Minnesota Rules, part 1303.1600, checked October 2026)
Vinyl, chain link and cost in Minneapolis
Minneapolis says vinyl coated chain link counts as an open, decorative fence, so it is one of the few chain link fences you can put in a front yard there, up to 4 feet. Galvanized chain link with privacy slats is a different story: the zoning code bans chain link with slats. Fixr prices vinyl coated chain link at $18.75 to $40.50 a foot installed, against $13.15 to $28.50 for plain galvanized, and says the coated kind may last more than 25 years. (City of Minneapolis, Fence Regulations (updated 08/11/25), checked 2026-10-26) (Minneapolis Zoning Code, Chapter 550, Article X. Fences, checked October 2026) (Fixr chain link costs, checked 2026-10-26)
National figures, not a Minneapolis price survey. Price your own yard with the calculator, or see the vinyl, chain link and wood cost guides.
See how Minneapolis's rules compare with the other cities we cover in the fence height and permit table.
Comparing companies?
We ranked 6 Minneapolis fence companies on their Google ratings, years in business, insurance and emergency or storm repair work: best fence companies in Minneapolis.
Areas served
Minneapolis and nearby St. Louis Park, Edina, Bloomington, Richfield, Golden Valley, Brooklyn Center.