diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/db/backends/postgis/schema.py b/django/contrib/gis/db/backends/postgis/schema.py
index 4ee46cb3ff..d88901b50d 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/db/backends/postgis/schema.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/db/backends/postgis/schema.py
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ class PostGISSchemaEditor(DatabaseSchemaEditor):
     geom_index_ops_nd = 'GIST_GEOMETRY_OPS_ND'
     rast_index_wrapper = 'ST_ConvexHull(%s)'
 
+    sql_alter_column_to_3d = "ALTER COLUMN %(column)s TYPE %(type)s USING ST_Force3D(%(column)s)::%(type)s"
+    sql_alter_column_to_2d = "ALTER COLUMN %(column)s TYPE %(type)s USING ST_Force2D(%(column)s)::%(type)s"
+
     def geo_quote_name(self, name):
         return self.connection.ops.geo_quote_name(name)
 
@@ -36,3 +39,29 @@ class PostGISSchemaEditor(DatabaseSchemaEditor):
             "columns": field_column,
             "extra": '',
         }
+
+    def _alter_column_type_sql(self, table, old_field, new_field, new_type):
+        """
+        Special case when dimension changed.
+        """
+        if not hasattr(old_field, 'dim') or not hasattr(new_field, 'dim'):
+            return super(PostGISSchemaEditor, self)._alter_column_type_sql(
+                table, old_field, new_field, new_type
+            )
+
+        if old_field.dim == 2 and new_field.dim == 3:
+            sql_alter = self.sql_alter_column_to_3d
+        elif old_field.dim == 3 and new_field.dim == 2:
+            sql_alter = self.sql_alter_column_to_2d
+        else:
+            sql_alter = self.sql_alter_column_type
+        return (
+            (
+                sql_alter % {
+                    "column": self.quote_name(new_field.column),
+                    "type": new_type,
+                },
+                [],
+            ),
+            [],
+        )
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.11.txt b/docs/releases/1.11.txt
index 75407ceed8..73240c76ac 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.11.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/1.11.txt
@@ -141,6 +141,8 @@ Minor features
   ``https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com`` which is more suitable for production use
   than the the old ``http://openlayers.org`` source.
 
+* PostGIS migrations can now change field dimensions.
+
 :mod:`django.contrib.messages`
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
diff --git a/tests/gis_tests/gis_migrations/test_operations.py b/tests/gis_tests/gis_migrations/test_operations.py
index 99dc1295d9..26ff16feed 100644
--- a/tests/gis_tests/gis_migrations/test_operations.py
+++ b/tests/gis_tests/gis_migrations/test_operations.py
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 from __future__ import unicode_literals
 
+from unittest import skipIf
+
 from django.contrib.gis.db.models import fields
+from django.contrib.gis.geos import MultiPolygon, Polygon
 from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
 from django.db import connection, migrations, models
 from django.db.migrations.migration import Migration
@@ -9,7 +12,7 @@ from django.test import (
     TransactionTestCase, skipIfDBFeature, skipUnlessDBFeature,
 )
 
-from ..utils import mysql
+from ..utils import mysql, spatialite
 
 if connection.features.gis_enabled:
     try:
@@ -59,7 +62,7 @@ class OperationTestCase(TransactionTestCase):
             ('geom', fields.MultiPolygonField(srid=4326))
         ]
         if connection.features.supports_raster or force_raster_creation:
-            test_fields += [('rast', fields.RasterField(srid=4326))]
+            test_fields += [('rast', fields.RasterField(srid=4326, null=True))]
         operations = [migrations.CreateModel('Neighborhood', test_fields)]
         self.current_state = self.apply_operations('gis', ProjectState(), operations)
 
@@ -187,6 +190,25 @@ class OperationTests(OperationTestCase):
         if connection.features.supports_raster:
             self.assertSpatialIndexExists('gis_neighborhood', 'rast', raster=True)
 
+    @skipUnlessDBFeature("supports_3d_storage")
+    @skipIf(spatialite, "Django currently doesn't support altering Spatialite geometry fields")
+    def test_alter_geom_field_dim(self):
+        Neighborhood = self.current_state.apps.get_model('gis', 'Neighborhood')
+        p1 = Polygon(((0, 0), (0, 1), (1, 1), (1, 0), (0, 0)))
+        Neighborhood.objects.create(name='TestDim', geom=MultiPolygon(p1, p1))
+        # Add 3rd dimension.
+        self.alter_gis_model(
+            migrations.AlterField, 'Neighborhood', 'geom', False,
+            fields.MultiPolygonField, field_class_kwargs={'srid': 4326, 'dim': 3}
+        )
+        self.assertTrue(Neighborhood.objects.first().geom.hasz)
+        # Rewind to 2 dimensions.
+        self.alter_gis_model(
+            migrations.AlterField, 'Neighborhood', 'geom', False,
+            fields.MultiPolygonField, field_class_kwargs={'srid': 4326, 'dim': 2}
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(Neighborhood.objects.first().geom.hasz)
+
 
 @skipIfDBFeature('supports_raster')
 class NoRasterSupportTests(OperationTestCase):