Waukesha County, WI Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Wisconsin has no statewide residential fence-height law - authority is delegated to municipalities through Wis. Stat. sec. 62.23, sec. 61.35 and sec. 60.61. Waukesha County's primary land-use document is the Basic Zoning Ordinance (Appendix A to the County Code, effective December 11, 2024), which applies to towns that have adopted county zoning and addresses use districts, setbacks, accessory structures, and bulk regulations. The county zoning code's definition of 'structure' does not include fences, which means fence-height limits are not set by the county zoning ordinance and are instead controlled at the city, village or town level. The City of Waukesha regulates fences in Section 22.58 of its Municipal Code: the maximum fence height is 6 feet outside vision triangles, the maximum height inside a vision triangle is 3 feet, and fences are not permitted at all in required front yards. Vision triangles are the area where two streets meet, a street meets an alley, or two alleys meet. Waukesha County's Shoreland Protection Ordinance (Appendix B) applies within 1,000 feet of the ordinary high water mark of a navigable lake, pond or flowage, or within 300 feet of a navigable river or stream, and may restrict fence placement near the shoreline through its setback and vegetative-buffer provisions. Fence rules vary across the county's 37 municipalities: Brookfield, Menomonee Falls, New Berlin, and Oconomowoc each have their own zoning chapters governing residential fence heights, materials, and setbacks. Permits are typically required for fence construction in the larger cities. Barbed wire, razor wire and electrified fencing are generally prohibited in residential zones across the county. Always confirm with the specific city, village or town before construction.