The Village of Rothschild regulates fence height through § 590-95 (Fences, landscape walls and decorative posts) of Chapter 590 (Zoning), Article VI (Development Standards), adopted under Wis. Stat. § 61.35. In residential zoning districts, fences in a front or street yard are capped at 4 feet, must be at least 50% transparent, and must sit at least 18 inches back from the property line. In side and rear yards, residential fences may rise to 6 feet. Where a commercial or C-1 lot abuts a residential district, an 8-foot solid screening fence is required. Barbed wire is permitted only on nonresidential security fences 6 feet or taller with Planning and Zoning Commission approval. Fences under 4 feet outside the front or street yard do not require a permit.
Chapter 590 of the Rothschild Village Code is the Village Zoning Ordinance, adopted by the Village Board pursuant to its zoning authority under Wis. Stat. § 61.35 (which incorporates the city zoning powers of Wis. Stat. § 62.23). Article VI (Development Standards), § 590-95 (Fences, landscape walls and decorative posts) governs all fencing, landscape walls, and decorative posts on every land use in the Village. In all residential zoning districts, a fence within a front or street yard may not exceed 4 feet in height, must be a minimum of 50% transparent (including along property lines that intersect a public right-of-way), and must be set back at least 18 inches from the front-yard or street-yard property line. In side or rear yards within residential districts, the maximum height is 6 feet. A 6-foot height with no transparency requirement is allowed along double- or triple-frontage residential lots that abut Volkman Street, Alderson Street, Military Road, Kamke Street, Lee Street, or Weston Avenue. Where a commercial or C-1 district lot abuts a residential district, an 8-foot solid screening fence is required along the shared boundary. Acceptable materials include wood, stone, brick, vinyl, wrought iron, chain link, and wire mesh; barbed wire is permitted only on nonresidential security fences at heights of 6 feet or more with the approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission. No fence, landscape wall, or decorative post may sit within the vision triangle, and no such structure may be closer than 18 inches to the front-yard or street-yard property line on any lot. Fences, landscape walls, and decorative posts under 4 feet in height that are not located in the front or street yard do not require a zoning permit; all other fences require a Fence or Landscape Wall Building Permit from the Village. Wisconsin's partition-fence statutes (Wis. Stat. Chapter 90) also apply to shared boundary fences.
Erecting or maintaining a fence taller than the limits in § 590-95 (4 feet in residential front/street yards, 6 feet in residential side/rear yards, 8 feet for required commercial-to-residential screening), violating the 50% transparency or 18-inch setback rule in front yards, placing any fence within the vision triangle, using barbed wire in a residential district, or installing a permit-required fence without a Fence or Landscape Wall Building Permit are violations of Chapter 590. The Village Zoning Administrator and Planning and Zoning Commission enforce the chapter through stop-work orders, citations, forfeitures under the Village's general penalty provisions, and orders to remove or modify the offending fence. Continued violations may be referred to Marathon County Circuit Court.
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