FOR RESIDENTS
Property Maintenance
Address numbers
Emergency vehicles - and your visitors - can find your home much faster if they don't have to slow down and shine a spotlight to see small address numbers on your home. To see how readable your home's address numbers are, try reading them at night from your car. If you have to squint or get out of the car to read the numbers - replace them!
St. Louis Park city ordinance requires that house numbers be
- At least 4 inches high
- At least 1/2 inch wide
- In sharp contrast with your home's exterior
- Placed near the front door
- Not obstructed by shrubs or bushes
Because police and firefighters respond to emergency calls via alleys, address numbers are also required on alley-facing garages.
Fences
Before you put up your fence, you must obtain a permit from the City of St. Louis Park. Fence permits can usually be issued on the same day you apply. To apply, come to the second floor customer service counter in City Hall, 5005 Minnetonka Boulevard. Here's what you will need
- A survey or site plan showing the location of your proposed fence
- Plans that show the design of your fence
- $15 for the permit.
Fences must be built in compliance with City ordinance. Here's an overview of the ordinance
- Fences must be located entirely inside your property line. A fence cannot be located on the property line, a neighbor's land, or public property (boulevards, sidewalk area, etc.). You can find your property line by locating your lot's corner irons or hiring a registered land surveyor.
- On interior lots, front yard or street side fences cannot be more than 42 inches high. Side or rear yard fences on interior lots cannot be more than six feet high.
- Corner lots have a lower allowable fence height because a high fence obstructs traffic visibility. Fences in the traffic "visibility triangle" cannot be higher than 30 inches. Owners of corner lots should contact the Assistant Zoning Administrator for help in determining where their lot's "visibility triangle" is located. (To see a map of the "visibility triangle," click here.)
Through lots - a lot that abuts two opposite, parallel streets - also have lower allowable fence height. Because a through lot abuts two streets, both yards are considered "front" yards so fence height must be lower to avoid obstructing traffic visibility. A fence in one of the "front" yards may be six feet high as long as it complies with the visibility triangle requirements, is used as a "back "yard, and doesn't abut a neighbor's yard that they use as a "front" yard. Owners of through lots should contact the Assistant Zoning Administrator for help in determining allowable fence height.
In some special locations, a fence can be higher than six feet as long as the owner obtains a building permit. These are lots next to state highways, railroads, industrial property, schools, churches or synagogues.
Fences surrounding a swimming pool must keep children from entering the pool enclosure. Pool fences and gates must be at least four feet high, have no openings greater than four inches either through or under the fence or gate. Pool fences cannot have handholds or footholds, and the gates must be self-closing and self-catching.
The structural side of the fence must face your property. The finished side of the fence must face your neighbors' property. Fences must be constructed of durable materials such as wood or chain link (points turned down). Woven wire, chicken wire, plastic and electric fences are not allowed as property line fences.
Fence owners are responsible for
- Maintaining both sides of the fence
- Trimming the grass
- Painting or staining wood
- Replacing broken boards or torn chain link
- Making sure there are no safety hazards such as protruding nails or sharp objects.
If you have any questions, call the Assistant Zoning Administrator at (952) 924-2592 or visit the customer service counter on the second floor of City Hall between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Firewood storage
Don't store elm wood: this wood harbors the beetles that spread Dutch elm disease. To avoid elm wood, don't buy firewood from individuals driving through neighborhoods. For a list of licensed firewood suppliers, contact the city forester at jvaughan@stlouispark.org or (952) 924-2565.
To keep our neighborhoods attractive and avoid health and fire risks, city code requires that outdoor firewood stacks:
- Cannot exceed a total of 64 sq. ft. each (the equivalent of two full cords of wood)
- Have at least 10 ft. of space between stacks
- Cannot be higher than five feet
- Must be at least six inches above ground (not directly on the ground)
- Cannot be infested with rodents, insects or other animals.
For more information about storing firewood outdoors, contact the Inspections Department at (952) 924-2589 or mcamilon@stlouispark.org.
Lot lines
Before you build any structure or install landscaping, you must verify the location of your property lines. Here are several ways to determine your lot lines
- Locate your lot's corner irons. Often, you can use a metal detector to find your property's corner irons. Usually, these are 18 inch metal pipes that were buried in each of the four corners of your yard when the parcel of land was subdivided. The invisible line connecting the four property irons forms your property line.
- Come to City Hall to see if there is a lot survey on your property on file. (City Hall is located at 5005 Minnetonka Boulevard; come to the second floor service counter.)
- Hire a registered land surveyor. Land surveyors are listed in the yellow pages under the "Surveyors - Land"
And, don't forget, the first five feet of land from the curb into your property is not private property. This strip is public right-of-way and is reserved for public uses such as sidewalks, boulevard trees and storing plowed snow. Adjacent property owners may not install fences or make any permanent changes to boulevards. Landscaping on public property would have to be removed if it infringes on a public use (i.e., a new sidewalk will be installed).
Property owners are, however, responsible for shoveling adjacent public sidewalks and mowing the strip of grass along the boulevard.
For more information about boulevards, call (952) 924-2555. For more information about lot lines, call (952) 924-2592.
Property maintenance
Well tended homes tell a positive story about a neighborhood. If you have questions or concerns about property maintenance, call (952) 924-2588.
Home Exteriors
- The City's property maintenance code requires that home exteriors be properly maintained. The problems listed below represent violations of the City property maintenance code that must be corrected.
Exterior
- Peeling paint or bare wood
- Broken windows
- Rotted fascia boards
Interior
- Inoperable or missing smoke detectors
- Improper exhaust venting of dryers
- Unsafe or overlooked electrical wiring
- Unsafe furnaces or space heaters
- Missing stair handrails.
Why does Graffiti exist?
Graffiti exists for a variety of reasons. The graffiti St. Louis Park has been experiencing and what we have been seeing has not been gang-related. It can be caused by the "common tagger", artistic taggers, gangs, or simply be an isolated juvenile incident. The common tagger is someone who likes to tag in high-volume, accessible locations, where there is high visibility, and may draw stylized but simple nicknames. Conventional graffiti is oftentimes spontaneous, isolated youthful acts. The motive is for notoriety and/or defiance of authority, excitement, play, etc. There are many theories out there on why graffiti exists.
How does graffiti affect a neighborhood?
Graffiti can lead to an overall psychological and physical decline of a neighborhood. Graffiti is vandalism and destruction of property and if not removed promptly, can be interpreted as a sign of low neighborhood pride.
Materials used to apply graffiti:
Materials used to apply graffiti include spray paint, grease pencils, felt-tipped pens, water-based paints, stickers, shoe polish, and even crayons KEEP THESE MATERIALS IN SAFE, LOCKED PLACES AND ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO USE UNDER DIRECT ADULT SUPERVISION ONLY
GRAFFITI REMOVAL
Graffiti should be removed as quickly as possible after its discovery. There is a direct correlation between length of time prior to removal and the rate of reoccurrence. If you are a victim of graffiti, contact the police department's non-emergency line at phone number (952) 924-2618. An officer will come out and document the incident. If you do not want to wait to remove the graffiti, take a picture before removal. Then call the police department's non-emergency line so that an officer may come out and retrieve the picture for documentation purposes. By keeping accurate reports of graffiti, police are better able to track and find the people who are involved in the vandalism. You may also contact Manny Camilon of St. Louis Park Inspections for removal tips and information on City requirements for removal.
Removal Tips
- For pens on painted wood or metal surfaces use denatured alcohol or Safety Two.
- For spray paint on painted wood, concrete, or metal surfaces, use denatured alcohol or repaint.
- For pens or spray paint on unpainted concrete, stucco, or aggregate, use Safety Two, then water under pressure with a wire brush.
- For pens or spray paint on glass or plastic, use a window scraper, then denatured alcohol.
- When using chemicals to remove graffiti, follow manufacturer's instructions and wear proper protective equipment. Some removers may damage some painted surfaces.
- When painting over graffiti, attempt to match the background cover, if possible. An alternative is to paint a large section of the wall.
Prevention Tips:
- For exposed concrete walls, consider growing vines or ivy to cover the wall.
- Use dark paint on walled surfaces; graffiti does not show up well against a dark background.
- Plant prickly or spiny shrubs adjacent to walls to discourage access.
- Use graffiti-resistant coatings and protectants on exterior surfaces.
- Report suspicious activity immediately to the police.