Common Ordinance Questions

Abandoned junk vehicles and/or junk vehicle parts are not allowed in any public place in the city. For more information, read the city's Abandoned Vehicle Ordinance outlined in Section 15, Article II of the City Code.

No person shall own, care for, or have custody or control of any non-domestic animals (such as tigers, lions, bears and primates) in Woodbury.

In 2004, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law to regulate the sale and ownership of such animals. The state law, which became effective January 1, 2005, makes it illegal for most individuals to obtain regulated animals. Woodbury's ordinance further regulates the possession and purchasing/obtaining of regulated animals in Woodbury.

There are a few exceptions when non-domestic animals are allowed in Woodbury including for a traveling circus, zoo, exhibit, etc.

The Police Department staff includes Community Service Officers responsible for control of domestic animals and pets. A city ordinance forbids allowing dogs, cats or other domestic animals to run at large beyond the land limits of the owner. This means your pets must be leashed and under your control when off your property. Also, owners are responsible for cleaning up after their pet when walking it off their property. Call (651) 714-3600 to register a complaint with the animal control officer or request service online.

More information about animal ordinances can be found in Chapter 5 of the City Code.

View the Winter Parking Regulations page.

View the Watering Policy page.

Burglar and fire alarms are regulated by the city ordinance. Audible alarms must have an automatic shutoff, which will silence the audible alarm within 20 minutes. Persons with an audible alarm must post a notice containing the name and telephone number of the person to be notified to render repairs or service. This notice must be posted at the main entrance and be kept current.

Residential false alarms:

• 1st through 2nd false alarm -- $0 each
• 3rd and 4th false alarm -- $75 each
• 5th and subsequent false alarms -- $100 each

Commercial false alarms:

• 1st through 2nd false alarm -- $0 each
• 3rd and 4th false alarm -- $100 each
• 5th and subsequent false alarms -- $200 each

View city ordinances relating to burglar and fire alarms.

The City of Woodbury requires that any person engaging in door-to-door sales apply for a permit (peddlers) (mobile vendors) or registration (solicitors) from the city. The permit or certificate of registration must be received before business can be conducted in the city.
The fee for a peddlers permit or mobile vendor permit is $35 per person. There is no fee to register as a solicitor. Permits and registration are valid for the current calendar year. Soliciting or peddling without a permit is a misdemeanor crime punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail.
Solicitor or Peddler Permit Applications and Mobile Vendor Applications are available online and at the Public Safety Building at 2100 Radio Drive. Completed applications must be returned in person and a government-issued photo ID must be presented. The Public Safety Building is open Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Solicitors and peddlers are allowed to operate between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Peddler
A person who goes from house-to-house, door-to-door, business-to-business, street-to-street, or any other type of place-to-place movement, for the purpose of offering for sale, displaying or exposing for sale, selling or attempting to sell, and delivering immediately upon sale, the goods, wares, products, merchandise, other personal property, or services that the person is carrying or otherwise transporting.

Solicitor
A person who goes from house-to-house, door-to-door, business-to-business, street-to-street, or any other type of place-to-place movement, for the purpose of obtaining or attempting to obtain orders for goods, wares, products, merchandise, other personal property, or services of which he or she may be carrying or transporting samples, or that may be described in a catalog or by other means, and for which delivery or performance shall occur at a later time.

City Ordinance (See Chapter 11, Article VI - Peddlers and Solicitors)

Report violators Solicitors are required to display their permit at all times. While the city generally cannot prohibit people from trying to sell you something, you have the right to privacy. A solicitor may not remain on your property after you have asked him/her to leave. He/she may not conduct business in a manner that a reasonable person would find obscene, threatening, intimidating or abusive.
Any resident who wishes to exclude peddlers or solicitors from his/her premises may place a printed placard near the usual entrance bearing the following notice:

The sign must be at least 3 ¾ inches wide by 3 ¾ inches high. The lettering must be ½ inch high. No peddler or solicitor should enter or attempt to enter any premises where such a placard or sign is placed and maintained.

Print No Solicitors Sign

You may pick up a pre-printed sign at the Woodbury Public Safety Building, 2100 Radio Drive or at Woodbury City Hall at 8301 Valley Creek Road between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Residents may report violators by quickly calling the Police Department dispatch at (651) 439-9381, allowing an officer to respond immediately. Callers should be prepared to provide a physical description of the person, direction of travel, and/or vehicle information, if obtainable.

For additional information or if you have any questions, please contact the Police Department at (651) 714-3600 or send an email to police@woodburymn.gov.

Snowmobile operators, preparing to hit the trails after a fresh snowfall, need to be aware of the regulations that govern snowmobile use in Woodbury.

While snowmobiles are permitted in the city, local ordinances restrict their use. The city's goal is to protect everyone's safety and to reduce the number of complaints we receive about snowmobiles.

In particular, snowmobiles are prohibited in city parks including HealthEast Sports Center and the Eagle Valley Golf Course. They also are not allowed on walking paths, bike paths, and on school sites.

In a nutshell, city regulations stipulate that:

• You may operate a snowmobile only between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
  In residential areas, you may operate a snowmobile on the right hand side of the road while obeying all traffic laws. Riding on the boulevard of city streets is prohibited.
• Snowmobiles are prohibited in parks, on walking paths, bike paths and trails unless specifically designated as a snowmobile trail.
• In Woodbury, snowmobiles generally are ridden in the ditches along county roads and trunk highways. After dark, be sure to ride on the same side of the road and in the same direction as traffic is flowing.
• Operation of snowmobiles while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance is illegal (Minnesota Statute 84.91, 169A).
• Snowmobiles must be equipped with a muffler or other device which effectively prevents loud or explosive noise and complies with state laws and regulations.
  Towing a person or an object with your snowmobile is not allowed except with the use of a rigid tow bar attached to the rear of the snowmobile.
• When using the snowmobile trail maintained by the Washington County Star Trail Association, you must stay within the marked and groomed trail area. The trail generally runs east of Manning Avenue, north of Valley Creek Road, and east of County Road 19 between Bailey Road and Cottage Grove. Trail maps are available online and from the Parks and Recreation Department at City Hall. The speed limit for all trail systems in Minnesota is 50 miles per hour.
• Snowmobiles may be operated on any public waterway for which there is public access. (There is no access for snowmobiles on Powers, Colby, Wilmes and Carver Lakes, which are surrounded by city park land.) Please use extreme caution if you ride on frozen lakes.
• You may operate a snowmobile on your own property or on other private property if you have the written and dated permission of the land owner.
• You must be 18 years of age or older to operate a snowmobile on public roads and/or public property. Persons under 18 must follow Department of Natural Resources restrictions regarding snowmobile use.
• Snowmobile riders born after Dec. 31, 1976, need a snowmobile safety certificate or driver's license with a snowmobile qualification indicator.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has warned snowmobile operators to watch out for construction-related materials, such as soil stockpiles, pieces of unused concrete culverts, wooden survey stakes and steel right of way markers that might be buried beneath the snow.

Silt fences, which control water runoff during the spring, also pose a threat to snowmobile riders. The fences are made of black fabric reinforced with woven wire and held in place by steel posts. They are usually placed across ditch bottoms located near culverts, bridges, streams and lakes.

All snowmobiles must be registered with the state, even if they are operated only on private property. The Washington County License Bureau, located at 2150 Radio Drive, can assist you with registration.

Most of Woodbury is designated as no hunting. However, there are still limited locations or "open areas" in the city where hunting is allowed. To use these areas, hunters are required to obtain landowner permission and complete a Hunting/Shooting Limited Permit.

To see the designated areas, view the hunting zone map.

Please note:To reflect current language in Minnesota State Statute and better define the permission and permit process for hunting within city limits, the Woodbury City Council amended weapons ordinance Section 13.5 of the City Code at its August 27, 2008, meeting. The hunting access map has also been updated to comply with the amended city zoning specifications that were needed to accommodate the continued growth of the city. To view the amended ordinance, select the link near the bottom of this page.

Transporting your Firearm* or Controlled Weapon**

When transporting your firearm* or controlled weapon** in a vehicle, it must be unloaded and in a fully enclosed and locked container in the trunk, or rear most portion of the vehicle, inaccessible to the occupants. Archery bows must either be in a fully enclosed case, or the bow must be unstrung.
It is unlawful to possess, carry or transport a firearm* or controlled weapon** while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance.

Hunting Ordinances

• It is unlawful for any person to discharge any firearm* or controlled weapon** in any place or manner so as to endanger any person or property even if no injury or damage results.
• It is unlawful for any person to discharge any firearm* within a "closed area" designated by the City of Woodbury (view the hunting zone map). The Woodbury Public Safety Department may grant a limited permit to allow the discharge of a firearm* by person(s) demonstrating a reasonable necessity for such action.
• It is unlawful within the "closed area" for any person on property not their own to possess, carry, or have under their control any firearm* except:     

1. To carry it between a residence or place of business and a vehicle for transportation in accordance with state law; or
2. To carry it between a vehicle and a gun dealer or gunsmith shop

• In "open areas" it is unlawful to discharge any firearm* other than a shotgun. The maximum size shot that may be used in such designated areas is a No. 2 steel shot or smaller, or a No. 4 lead/Bismuch/tungsten/Hevi-Shot or smaller (smaller shot sizes smaller actually go up in numbers, i.e., shot 5, 6, 7, 8). The use of appropriate shot is also dictated by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources regulations. The use of shotgun slugs is prohibited. The Woodbury Public Safety Department may grant a limited permit to allow the discharge of a firearm* other than a shotgun or a shotgun with slugs.
• It is unlawful for any person to discharge any firearm* or controlled weapon** in any residential platted/zoned area (R-2, R-4), or in any city park, on any school property, in any developed business, commercial or industrial area. For more information, view the city's zoning map. The Woodbury Public Safety Department may grant a limited permit to allow the discharge of a controlled weapon**.
• It is unlawful for any person to possess, carry, or have under their control any firearm* upon the land of another without written permission, or be in the presence of, the landowner or lessee of the land. The person authorized to hunt/shoot must have in their possession the written permission. Written permission must be dated and include the following: the full name, address, date of birth, phone number, and signature of the person authorized to hunt or shoot on identified land; and the full name, address, phone number and signature of the landowner or lessee.
• It is unlawful for any person to possess, carry, or have under their control any controlled weapon** upon the land of another without the written permission, be in the presence of, or have the oral permission of the landowner or the lessee of the land. If the permission is oral, the person must be able to provide immediately the name, address and phone number of the owner or the lessee from which the permission was obtained. If requested, written verification of the oral permission must be produced within 72 hours.
• It is unlawful to hunt under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance.
  It is unlawful to discharge a firearm* or controlled weapon** across or within the right of way of any public roadway or highway.
• A limited permit is not valid unless it is signed and dated by a Woodbury Public Safety Department representative and in the possession of the authorized person(s) while in the field and at the time of contact.
• It is unlawful to use a controlled weapon**, or discharge a firearm* or controlled weapon**, in any area designated by the City as "Restricted" for hunting purposes without a permit therefore issued by the Public Safety Director based upon showing of reasonable need.

* A "firearm" is defined as any gun from which any projectile is discharged or propelled by means of an explosion, excluding devices used exclusively for the firing of stud cartridges, explosive rivets, or similar industrial apparatus, instruments, or equipment used by construction personnel, licensed physicians or veterinarians in the course or scope of their professions.

** "Controlled weapon" is defined as a gun, or any mechanical device from which a shot or projectile is discharged by means of gas, compressed air, or any other mechanical means capable of launching said projectile or arrow and includes, but is not limited to, pellet and BB guns, archery bows, crossbows, wrist rockets, slingshots and paint ball guns.

The above information is only a summary of Woodbury ordinances pertaining to hunting. Furthermore, if a person possesses a valid permit to carry, he/she is allowed to carry a firearm as described by state law. It shall be the person's responsibility to be aware of, and hunting within accordance of, all applicable city ordinances, state and federal laws as well as any applicable state game and fish rules and/or regulations.

• Hunting/Shooting Limited Permit  (53 KB)
• Resolution No. 06-178 - Adopting the Amended Weapons Ordinance
• Section 13.5)/Amended Hunting Access Map  (65 KB) 
• Amended Weapons Ordinance No. 1776  (111 KB)

Woodbury has a noise ordinance to protect the overall quality of life in our community. Chapter 13 of the City Code protects and promotes “public health, safety and general welfare by restricting activities which emit noise that unreasonably annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace, safety or welfare of any person or persons, or precludes their enjoyment of property, or adversely affects their property’s value.”

Barking dogs
Barking dogs also can negatively impact a neighborhood’s quality of life. Chapter 5 of the City Code prohibits “the owning, keeping, or harboring of any animal which shall by any noise, unreasonably and/or excessively disturb the peace and quiet of any person in the vicinity.” 

Talk to your neighbor
If you experience a noise or nuisance issue, we encourage you to talk to your neighbors about it. Often they don’t know that the noise is bothersome. 

If you can’t work it out directly with your neighbor, call the non-emergency dispatch number at (651) 439-9381. This will allow a police officer to observe the behavior, and make direct and timely contact with the potential offender.

The Woodbury Public Safety Department can help eliminate this behavior when residents are aware they are disturbing others’ peace at the time the action is occurring.

Additional noise and nuisance ordinance details are available in the City Code.

Questions about the noise ordinance should be directed to the Woodbury Public Safety Department at (651) 714-3600 or police@woodburymn.gov.