Janesville, WI Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Chapter 18 (Zoning) of the Janesville Code of General Ordinances is adopted under Wis. Stat. Sec. 62.23 (city planning and zoning authority). Sec. 18.32.035 was created by File Ordinance No. 2019-748 to consolidate fence regulations previously scattered across Sec. 18.32.030 (Permitted Obstructions in Required Setback Areas) and the repealed Chapter 8.12 (Barbed Wire and Electric Fences). Fence height is measured vertically from the finished grade on the interior side; if a fence sits on a berm, the berm is included in the height. Support posts may not extend more than 3 inches above the top line of the fence, except for manufacturer decorative caps, knobs, or finials. A privacy fence is defined as one with 0 to less than 50 percent visibility; a semi-transparent fence has 50 percent or greater visibility. Front setback area heights: residential and business/office semi-transparent fences shall not exceed 4 ft, industrial semi-transparent fences shall not exceed 12 ft, and privacy fences shall not exceed 30 inches in any district. Corner side setback heights: residential and business/office semi-transparent fences shall not exceed 6 ft, industrial fences shall not exceed 12 ft, and privacy fences shall not exceed 30 inches in any district. Interior side and rear setback heights: residential 6 ft, business/office 8 ft, industrial 12 ft, applied to both privacy and semi-transparent fences. Where front and interior side setbacks overlap, the front setback standards control. Sec. 18.32.035 G.7 grants R2 Limited General Residence District corner lots a special allowance: privacy fences may extend halfway between the corner side of the principal building and the corner side lot line, provided the fence stays out of the vision triangle. Sec. 18.32.035 G.8 allows privacy fences up to 6 ft in the rear and corner side setbacks of double-frontage lots backing State or Federal Highways 11, 14, 26, and 51, County Trunk Highways A, D, F, G, O, and Y, or designated town roads, when access is controlled and prohibited for at least 500 feet in either direction. Fences must be installed up to but not on the property line, with the finished side facing the adjacent property and posts on the inside of the lot, unless designed to look identical on both sides. Fences within the vision triangle near street intersections (Sec. 18.32.020) and driveways must provide at least 50 percent visibility, and privacy fences over 30 inches are prohibited within driveway vision triangles formed by points 15 ft from the intersection. Approved residential materials include aluminum, wrought iron or steel, chain-link, wood, and vinyl; opaque metal is prohibited in residential districts. Wire-type fencing must be 13 gauge or thinner. Chicken wire, deer fence, hog wire, and high-tensile agricultural wire are prohibited (exception: 24-inch chicken wire allowed around rear-yard food gardens). Barbed wire is allowed only in Industrial districts and only at least 6 ft above the ground; aboveground electric fences and razor wire are prohibited (invisible pet fences are exempt). Properties in the Courthouse Hill Historic District or any historic overlay must obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Commission before a fence permit issues. Fence permit applications are filed with the Building Division (608-755-3060) with a site plan or property survey showing property lines, adjoining streets, all buildings, and the proposed fence. Fences authorized by a permit must be fully installed within one year of permit issuance. Wis. Stat. Chapter 90 (partition fences) governs shared boundary fences between adjoining owners.