Berwyn, IL Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Berwyn's fence rules are in § 1244.04(C)(6) of the Zoning Code. The maximum height of a fence or wall is six feet, measured from the ground at the base of the fence or wall. A residential lot directly adjacent to, or across an alley from, a Commercial or Industrial District can erect a solid fence or wall in the rear yard up to six feet, including any decorative open trellis.

Placement is tighter than height. Fences and walls, including all posts, bases and other structural parts, have to sit completely within the lot's boundaries. They are prohibited in the front yard. They are allowed in the interior side and rear yards and setbacks, and in the corner side yard and setback between the principal structure's rear facade and the rear lot line. A second fence cannot be attached or installed parallel to an existing fence at the same lot line.

Corner lots face a separate visibility rule in § 1242.05(C). No building, structure or landscape element can exceed three feet in height within the sight triangle formed by 25 feet of the intersecting streets, measured along the curb line or the edge of pavement where there is no curb. At driveways, nothing can obstruct the area between three and seven feet in height within a triangle measured ten feet along the lot line and ten feet along the driveway.

Table 1244.04-A marks Fence or Wall with a B in every district, so a building permit under Chapter 1443 is required. Allowed materials are brick, stone, treated wood, simulated wood, PVC, chain link and metal mesh. Barbed wire, exposed cinder block, exposed concrete block, corrugated metal and razor wire are prohibited, except that chain link or barbed wire can be approved in Commercial, Industrial and Public Areas Districts by the Zoning Administrator. The finished side has to face outward from the lot.