Chapter 344 — Fence Viewers

344.01 Fence Viewers This section says who serves as fence viewers in Minnesota. Town supervisors, city council members, commissioners of … 344.011 Exemption This law lets city councils or town boards pass a resolution to exempt neighboring landowners from the partition fence … 344.02 Kinds of Partition Fences This section defines what counts as a legal fence in Minnesota. It lists specific types of woven wire and barbed wire … 344.03 Expense; Equal Shares When two neighboring properties both keep livestock, the owners must share the cost of building and maintaining the … 344.04 Failure to Build or Repair; Rights of Complainant If your neighbor will not build or fix their share of a partition fence, you can complain to the fence viewers. The … 344.05 Repair Costs Recoverable If you build or fix a fence that your neighbor should have maintained, and the fence viewers approve the work, you can … 344.06 Controversy; Decision by Fence Viewers When neighbors disagree about who is responsible for which part of a shared fence, either person can ask the fence … 344.07 Failure to Erect or Maintain If a neighbor does not build or maintain the section of fence assigned to them by fence viewers, the other neighbor can … 344.08 Recorded Division; Binding on Heirs and Assigns Fence divisions made by fence viewers or agreed to in writing by neighbors are legally binding if properly recorded. … 344.09 Party Erecting More Than Share If fence viewers decide that one neighbor has already built more than their fair share of a partition fence, the other … 344.10 Lands Bounded by Stream When a stream or pond lies between two properties and is not enough of a barrier by itself, fence viewers can decide … 344.11 Lands Occupied in Common When two owners have been sharing enclosed land without a fence between them and one owner wants to use their own part … 344.12 Viewers to Fix Time for Building After fence viewers divide the fence responsibilities, they set a deadline for each neighbor to build their section. The … 344.13 Lands First Enclosed When someone encloses previously open land, they must pay half the value of any existing partition fence along their … 344.14 Viewers When Fence on Town Line When a partition fence needs to be built on the boundary between two towns, or crosses from one town into another, two … 344.15 This section has been repealed and is no longer in effect. It was removed from Minnesota law in 1974. 344.16 Division or Recorded Agreement Runs With the Land Once a fence line between unimproved lands has been divided by fence viewers or by a recorded agreement, that division … 344.17 Failure of Viewer to Perform Duty; Penalty A fence viewer who refuses to do their job without a good reason faces two penalties. They must pay a $5 fine to the … 344.18 Compensation of Viewers The person who asks for a fence viewing must pay the fence viewers for their work. The town board can require the person … 344.19 Viewers in Counties Not Organized Into Towns In Minnesota counties that are not divided into towns, county commissioners serve as fence viewers. They follow the same … 344.20 City or Town Option If eight or more landowners petition, a city council or town board can create its own partition fence rules. In towns, …