Beloit, WI Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Section 8-300 of the Zoning Code, the City of Beloit's fence ordinance, splits fence materials into what any resident may build and what only heavy-industry landowners may use. Subsection j, 'Prohibited Fences,' bans an aboveground electric fence or razor wire fence anywhere in the city, along with wire or chain-link fencing that leaves a cut or salvage end exposed at the top, fences built only of vertical materials, and fences that create a hazard to street, sidewalk or neighboring property users. Subsection k, 'Barbed Wire Fences Restricted,' goes further for that one material: no person may construct, use or maintain a barbed wire fence on residential, commercial or PLI-zoned property, period.

Barbed wire is permitted only in the M-1, M-2 and DH zoning districts, and even then it cannot run along a property line abutting a residential or PLI-zoned lot, or within 30 feet of a property carrying a residential use or a residential or PLI zoning classification. A narrow carve-out in subsection o lets utility providers such as water, sewer, telephone, cable, electric and gas companies exceed the standard height limits and add up to three strands of barbed wire atop security fencing, but only with written authorization from the Zoning Officer and never above 8 feet total.

Subsection i separately bars agricultural wire, chicken wire, deer fence, hog wire and high-tensile strands used for livestock or bird control in every district except DH. A property owner who installs a prohibited fence faces removal under this section; a fence built without the required permit can be kept only if the owner pays triple the standard permit fee under subsection u.