5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Oakland County, Michigan.
Verified from official government sources
Oakland County has no county-wide fence height ordinance; rules are set by each city, village, or township. Suburban municipalities typically cap residential fences at six feet in rear/side yards and three to four feet in front yards, with stricter corner-lot sight-triangle rules.
Royal Oak (Oakland Co., MI) Code §323-3
No fence shall be erected, constructed, or reconstructed to a height of more than six feet above the adjoining ground level of the owner's or lessee's property. No fence shall be erected, constructed, or reconstructed to a height of more than four feet above the adjoining ground level of the owner's or lessee's property when placed in a front yard as defined by § 323-2.
Fence permits are issued by each Oakland County municipality, not by the County. Most suburban cities (Troy, Farmington Hills, Royal Oak, Birmingham) require a permit for any fence regardless of height, with fees usually $50-$150 plus a site plan.
Michigan's Partition Fence Act (MCL 43.51) makes adjoining rural landowners equally responsible for the cost of a boundary fence in unincorporated/agricultural areas, but it does not apply within Oakland County's cities and villages. In suburban Oakland County, fences are governed by local zoning and civil property law.
All residential swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas in Oakland County must comply with the Michigan Residential Code Appendix G (AG105), which requires a 48-inch barrier with self-closing, self-latching gates around any pool deeper than 24 inches.
Oakland County municipalities universally prohibit barbed wire, razor wire, and electrified fences in residential zones. Front-yard fences must commonly be 'ornamental' (wrought iron, aluminum, picket) — solid privacy fences are restricted to side and rear yards.
Troy (Oakland Co., MI) Code Chapter 83 §83-3
All fences in residential areas separating properties shall be of an ornamental type. Such fences may be constructed of metal, wood or masonry. No electrically charged fence shall be permitted in any areas of the City, nor shall barbed wire material be used in the construction of a fence in any residentially zoned area of the City.
1 cities in Oakland County have their own fence regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Oakland County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Oakland County Ordinance Hub →