Fence Regulations in St. Joseph County, IN (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated St. Joseph County, Indiana.
Verified from official government sources
Height Limits
Residential fence height in St. Joseph County depends on location and openness: 36 or 48 inches in front yards, six feet along a subdivision's perimeter street, and six or eight feet elsewhere, all subject to the county's clear sight area standard.
St. Joseph County Fence Height Limit Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Joseph County, Ind., Zoning Ordinance § 154.070(C)(2)(d)
(d)Fences.1.Individual lots; front yards. Fences located in a minimum front yard or in the buildable area of a lot located between the front line of the primary building and the minimum front yard shall not exceed:a.Thirty-six inches in height above grade, if the open space percentage of the fence is equal to or less than 70 percent; orb.Forty-eight inches in height above grade if the open spac...
Fence Permit Requirements
St. Joseph County exempts farm fences from its improvement location permit process entirely, so long as the fence still meets the clear sight area standard that protects visibility near intersections, driveways, and alleys.
St. Joseph County Fence Permit Exemption Rule
Light RestrictionsSt. Joseph County, Ind., Zoning Ordinance § 154.070(C)(1)(b)
(b)Fences.1.Fences in Agricultural Districts shall be permitted in any minimum front, side and rear yards provided that they comply with the clear sight area requirements of section 154.078. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, alteration, change, placement, erection or location of fences in Agricultural Districts shall not require the issuance of an improvement location permit.
Material Restrictions
Barbed wire, electric, and razor wire fencing are locked out of residential yards across unincorporated St. Joseph County. Section 154.070(C)(2)(d)6 of the zoning ordinance limits security wire fencing to nonresidential uses like farms, utility sites, communication towers, and public-safety facilities, and gives the zoning administrator final say over exactly where it goes up.
St. Joseph County Barbed Wire Fence Ban
Heavy RestrictionsSt. Joseph County, Ind., Zoning Ordinance § 154.070(C)(2)(d)6
6.Security fencing. Fences, including but not limited to barbed wire, electric, razor wire or other types of security wire fencing:a.Shall only be permitted for nonresidential uses such as but not limited to: agricultural uses; heating, ventilating and air-conditioning equipment; public and private communication facilities such as wireless, radio and television communication towers; restricted ...
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