Fence Regulations in Dearborn, MI (2026)
4 verified fence regulations for Dearborn, Michigan, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Height Limits
Dearborn caps residential line fences at six feet, bans fences in the front yard, tapers corner-lot fences to two feet, and protects 25-foot sight triangles at intersections.
Dearborn Residential Fence Height Limits
Some RestrictionsDearborn Code of Ordinances § 5-128(1); § 5-127(6)(a)
(a) Line fences in residential districts shall not exceed six feet in height. ... (c) No fence shall be permitted to extend into one's own front yard. No fence shall be located beyond the rear yard or project into the side yard farther than three feet from the side grade door opening to enclose the door in a side yard.
Fence Permit Requirements
Dearborn requires a compliance certificate, the city's version of a fence permit, before building, replacing, removing, repairing, or relocating any line fence, with narrow exceptions for minor repairs and decorative fencing.
Dearborn Fence Compliance Certificate
Some RestrictionsDearborn Code of Ordinances § 5-123
It shall be unlawful for any person to build, replace, remove, repair or relocate a line fence in the city without first having secured a compliance certificate therefor from the department. Exceptions: (a) A compliance certificate is not required for minor repairs that do not exceed ten percent of the length of the fence along any one property line within any 12-month period, provided that the...
Neighbor Fence Rules
Dearborn splits boundary-fence maintenance by post location: whoever's land holds the posts maintains specific halves of the shared and rear-line fences.
Dearborn Shared Fence Responsibility Rules
Some RestrictionsDearborn Code of Ordinances § 5-127(5)
(5) Location of posts. (a) Line fences shall be constructed on common property lines. ... The lot owner upon whose property the posts are located shall be responsible for building, relocating, replacing, removing or repairing the front half of the fence and the rear half of the opposite fence. ... the owner on whose property the posts are located shall be responsible for ... that half of the fe...
Material Restrictions
Dearborn requires fence posts of iron pipe, wood, or reinforced concrete set three feet deep in concrete, and bans electrified fencing and razor wire under the city's fence ordinance, Code of Ordinances § 5-127.
Dearborn Fence Material Requirements
Some RestrictionsDearborn Code of Ordinances § 5-127
All fences built or repaired shall have posts made of either iron pipe one and five-eighths inches outside diameter, wood posts four inches in diameter, reinforced concrete posts four inches across, or any other material of equal stability sunk in the soil at least three feet encased in concrete. On the posts shall be properly fastened materials commonly used in conventional fence construction,...
Looking for Wayne County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Dearborn city rules.
Fence Regulations in Wayne County →