diff --git a/doc/api/next_api_changes/2019-02-08-AL.rst b/doc/api/next_api_changes/2019-02-08-AL.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a43a5323d14e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/api/next_api_changes/2019-02-08-AL.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+Deprecations
+````````````
+
+``Spine.is_frame_like`` is deprecated.  It has never been used in the codebase
+since its addition in 2009.
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/spines.py b/lib/matplotlib/spines.py
index 7eaa72f5c4c9..d5d3880b88d5 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/spines.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/spines.py
@@ -177,6 +177,7 @@ def cla(self):
         if self.axis is not None:
             self.axis.cla()
 
+    @cbook.deprecated("3.1")
     def is_frame_like(self):
         """return True if directly on axes frame