The City of Racine regulates fences through Chapter 114 (Zoning) of the Municipal Code, adopted under Wis. Stat. § 62.23. Fence standards (including height, setback, and vision-corner rules) are administered through Article VII (Supplementary District Regulations) together with the dimensional standards of the underlying zoning district in Article V. A fence permit is required from the City of Racine Building Inspection Division (730 Washington Avenue, Room 102) before construction. Wisconsin partition-fence statutes (Wis. Stat. Chapter 90) apply to shared boundary fences. For exact maximum heights in your zoning district, contact Building Inspection at 262-636-9171.
Chapter 114 of the Racine Municipal Code is the city's Zoning Ordinance, organized into Article I (In General), Article II (Administration and Enforcement), Article III (Conditional Uses), Article IV (Nonconforming Buildings, Structures and Uses), Article V (District Regulations), Article VI (Overlay Districts), Article VII (Supplementary District Regulations), Article VIII (Flood Regulations), Article IX (Shoreland and Wetland Regulations), Article X (Sign Regulations), and Article XI (Off-Street Parking and Loading). Fences are accessory structures regulated under Article VII supplementary regulations together with the dimensional standards (yard setbacks, building height, lot coverage) of the underlying district under Article V. Vision-corner clearance at street intersections is enforced city-wide so that fences, walls, hedges, and other obstructions do not block driver sight lines on corner lots, consistent with how Racine County's parallel ordinance (Sec. 20-1086) treats this issue. Wisconsin's general partition-fence statutes apply to shared boundary fences in the city: Wis. Stat. § 90.02 (legal and sufficient fence definitions), § 90.03 (duty to maintain partition fences), and § 90.05 (height and material standards for legal fences). City-specific shoreland and wetland fence rules apply within 1,000 feet of Lake Michigan's ordinary high-water mark and within 300 feet of the Root River and other navigable streams under Article IX (Shoreland and Wetland Regulations), implementing Wis. Stat. § 59.692 and Wis. Admin. Code Ch. NR 117. A fence permit is required from the City of Racine Building Inspection Division and zoning compliance is verified by the Department of City Development at City Hall, 730 Washington Avenue. Property owners should bring a site plan showing the proposed fence location, height, and materials when applying. Because Chapter 114 is amended periodically by the Common Council (most recently in 2017 under Ord. 0009-17 for related zoning amendments), confirm the current text of the applicable Article VII section and the underlying district before designing.
Building or maintaining a fence in violation of Chapter 114 of the Racine Municipal Code - including without a fence permit, exceeding the height allowed in the underlying zoning district, blocking the vision corner at a street intersection, or violating the shoreland-wetland setback in Article IX - is enforceable by the Building Inspection Division and Department of City Development. Enforcement remedies include stop-work orders, after-the-fact permit fees, citations, daily forfeitures under the city's general penalty provisions, and orders to remove or modify the fence. Common Council citation appeals are processed through the Racine County Circuit Court. Disputes between adjoining owners over a shared partition fence are governed separately by Wis. Stat. Chapter 90, with fence-viewers appointed under § 90.07 to resolve cost-allocation and condition disputes.
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