Cicero, IL Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Section 22-320 sets Cicero's residential fence heights by yard. Front yard fences aren't allowed in residential districts at all, and any front yard fence already standing must be non-locking. Side yard fences are permitted up to six feet if they're built of wood, chain link, PVC or wrought iron, are non-locking, and the neighboring building sits at least 15 feet from the fence's own building. Rear yard fences get the same six-foot cap and material list, without the 15-foot building-separation rule.

Outside those front/side/rear categories, subsection (d) caps a 'structural fence' (one built on a concrete footing) at five feet, measured from the average ground level on both sides. That five-foot cap rises to seven feet along a lot line separating a residential property from a commercial or manufacturing use, or along a railroad right-of-way. A privacy fence enclosing a first-floor patio or deck can reach five feet measured from the deck or patio floor; privacy fencing around any deck above the first floor isn't allowed at all, and back-to-back patio or deck fences are barred under the same subsection.

Every fence permit application needs a current, accurate plat of survey under subsection (g), and an application to remove a fence must be signed by the fence's owner. Commercial and manufacturing districts follow a separate eight-foot cap under section 22-321, and open lots and vacant residential lots must be screened per section 22-322's six-foot noncombustible fence requirement.