Wausau, WI Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

40(6) sets the maximum fence, landscape wall, and decorative post height by district. In the SR-2, SR-3, SR-5, SR-7, MH-7, DR-8, TR-10, MR-12, MR-20, MR-50, I, and NMU districts, fences are limited to four feet in the required or provided front or street yard (whichever is closer to the street) and six feet in the side or rear yard, but never beyond the front facade of the principal building. In RH-35, SO, SMU, UMU, DPMU, DHMU, DRMU, RP, LI, MI, HI, IOS, IOC, AO, and EX districts the side and rear yard maximum rises to eight feet, with the same four-foot front yard cap.

Height is measured from the ground directly under the fence to the top rail. Decorative posts spaced at least 24 inches apart may poke up eight inches past the maximum, up to four inches of ground clearance for slopes does not count toward height, and gently sloped berms (3:1 or flatter) are also excluded from the height measurement. 05 requires a vision triangle extending 20 feet from local street intersections and 30 feet where a collector or arterial street is involved (10 feet at alleys and driveways), inside which nothing between two and one-half and eight feet tall may block sightlines, except fencing capped at 30 percent opacity. Downtown Mixed-Use districts and signalized intersections are exempt from the street-corner triangle.