7 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Hamilton County, Indiana.
Verified from official government sources
Fence height is set by your city, not the county. In Fishers, a fence may be up to 6 feet in a side or rear yard but only 4 feet in a primary front yard, and the front-yard fence must be at least 50% open.
Fishers Unified Development Ordinance, Sec. 6.18.2 (Walls & Fences), height standards
Primary front yard: 4' maximum, 50% minimum openness. Within a required or established side or rear yard of a one- or two family residential lot: 6' maximum.
Permit rules depend on your city. Fishers does not require a building permit for a residential fence, though it must comply with the UDO. Carmel requires an Improvement Location Permit before installing any new fence.
Fishers Unified Development Ordinance, Sec. 6.18.2 (Walls & Fences)
Walls and fences do not require a building permit, but they must comply with the requirements of this Article.
Under the Fishers UDO, a fence may be built directly on the property line but may not encroach into the public right-of-way or into drainage and utility easements. Indiana treats shared-fence cost disputes as a private civil matter.
Fishers Unified Development Ordinance, Sec. 6.18.2 (Walls & Fences), location standards
Fences may be built directly along a property line; however, fences shall not encroach into the public right-of-way, and not into easements that otherwise prohibit the installation of fences (e.g., drainage and utility easements).
Retaining walls fall under each city's wall and fence standards. In Fishers, walls may sit along a property line but not in the public right-of-way or protected easements. A structural retaining wall may need a building permit under the Indiana Residential Code.
Fishers Unified Development Ordinance, Sec. 6.18.2 (Walls & Fences), location standards
Fences may be built directly along a property line; however, fences shall not encroach into the public right-of-way, and not into easements that otherwise prohibit the installation of fences (e.g., drainage and utility easements).
In Fishers, a fence needs no building permit but must meet the UDO: correct height and openness by yard, allowed materials, no encroachment into the right-of-way, and the finished side facing outward toward the property line.
Fishers Unified Development Ordinance, Sec. 6.18.2 (Walls & Fences), construction standard
Walls and fences shall be constructed with the non-structural (e.g., posts, beams) facing outward (e.g., toward the property line).
The Fishers UDO bars barbed wire, security wire, sharpened top spikes, and electrified wire on residential fences (except for agricultural or City uses). Chain-link is limited to side and rear yards and may not be placed adjacent to a street right-of-way.
Fishers Unified Development Ordinance, Sec. 6.18.2 (Walls & Fences), prohibited materials
Except where used for agricultural purposes or City facilities, fences and walls shall not incorporate barbed wire, security wire, sharpened top spikes, electrified wires or the like.
Standard residential fence materials, wood, vinyl, ornamental metal, and masonry, are allowed under city ordinances. Under the Fishers UDO, chain-link fences must be vinyl-coated, and slats are prohibited in chain-link fences.
Fishers Unified Development Ordinance, Sec. 6.18.2 (Walls & Fences), chain-link standards
Chain-link fences shall be vinyl-coated. Slats are prohibited in chain-link fences.
1 cities in Hamilton County have their own fence regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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