Fence Regulations in Vanderburgh County, IN (2026)
4 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana.
Verified from official government sources
Height Limits
County zoning caps fences, walls, and hedges within required yard setbacks at three feet on front yards of corner lots, four feet on other front yards, six feet along side or rear lines of residential property, and eight feet along side or rear lines of nonresidential property. The limits apply countywide under Zoning Code Section 17.12.060, enforced by the Evansville-Vanderburgh Area Plan Commission.
Vanderburgh County Fence Height Limits
Some RestrictionsVanderburgh County Code § 17.12.060(A)
A. The height of fences, walls, or hedges in required yard setbacks may not exceed the following: 1. Three feet in all required front yards on corner lots, and four feet in all other required front yards; 2. Six feet along a side or rear lot line of residential property; and 3. Eight feet along a side or rear lot line of nonresidential property.
Fence Permit Requirements
Vanderburgh County requires an Improvement Location Permit before any structure, including a fence, is erected in the unincorporated county. The Area Plan Commission application must include a site plan showing the exact location, type and height of every existing and proposed fence.
Fence Permits in Vanderburgh County
Some RestrictionsVanderburgh County Code § 17.36.020(B)(1), (2)(a), (2)(b)(viii)
B. Issuance. 1. No building or other structure shall be erected, moved, relocated, added to or structurally altered so as to change the building footprint, without first obtaining an Improvement Location Permit from the Area Plan Commission. 2. An application for an Improvement Location Permit shall be filed with the Area Plan Commission and must include the following: a. An accurate site p...
Retaining Walls
Vanderburgh County requires any retaining wall six feet or taller to be designed by an Indiana-licensed engineer or registered architect. Timber, post, plank and masonry construction each carry their own minimum sizing and depth standards under the fences chapter.
Vanderburgh County Retaining Wall Design Rule
Some RestrictionsVanderburgh County Code § 15.20.070
15.20.070 Retaining walls. All fences constructed as retaining walls shall be designed as retaining walls. If the retaining wall is six (6) feet or more in height, it shall be designed by an Indiana licensed Engineer or Indiana registered Architect. ... C. Posts. The minimum size of posts used for the construction shall not have a cross-sectional area less than nine and one-fourth square inches...
Material Restrictions
Vanderburgh County bars barbed wire, razor wire and electrically charged fences on ordinary residential property. Barbed wire is allowed only above 6 feet and razor wire only above 8 feet, angled inward over private ground, and electric fences are limited to farm-animal enclosures.
Vanderburgh County Barbed Wire, Electric Fence Rules
Significant RestrictionsVanderburgh County Code §§ 15.20.060, 15.20.080
15.20.060 Security fences. No person shall construct or cause to be constructed or maintain a barbed wire, razor wire, or similar material fence, partially or wholly around any area in any street, alley, public highway, or right-of-way... However, fences at least six feet (6') high may have barbed wire and fences at least eight feet (8') high may have razor wire or similar material attached to ...
Fence Regulations by City in Vanderburgh County
1 cities in Vanderburgh County have their own fence regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Vanderburgh County ordinances
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