BLAINE, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Blaine City Council moved to formally outlaw nudity at its parks and beaches in response to a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling last year that established a woman's bare breasts in public do not qualify as "lewd" unless a person is engaged in conduct that is sexual in nature.
Blaine bans nudity at public parks and beaches
What they're saying:
The ordinance defines nudity as "showing of the male or female genitals, pubic area, or anus with less than a fully opaque covering" or "The showing of the female breast below a point immediately above the top of the areola with less than a fully opaque covering."
It then establishes that it is unlawful for any person in public to appear in a state of nudity as the city defines it.
Public spaces include, but are not limited to, parks, beaches, sidewalks, streets, public buildings, and other city facilities.
During the May 4 city council meeting, Baline City Council Member Leslie Larson, who represents Ward 2, said, "We have added that it's an offense to be nude at the beach, which seems like a silly thing to even have to cover, but the Supreme Court in Minnesota had deemed, in the last couple years, that it's not an offense any longer to be topless as a female, and I had brought this item forward, saying, ‘Well we have a public beach here in Blaine, and it would be nice to make sure that we have this area covered, as it’s a family beach, it's a community beach, and I wanted to make sure that nudity was not allowed at the beach. We did not see that to be a problem last summer, but you know, with the new policy we weren't sure what to expect."
READ MORE: 'Free the nipple': MN bill would remove penalties for female breast exposure
Dig deeper:
The full May 2025 Supreme Court ruling can be found below:
The full Blaine City Council agenda from May 4, which included the new ordinance, can be viewed below:
The Source: This story uses information from a May 4, 2026, Blaine City Council meeting and the May 2025 Minnesota Supreme Court ruling.