Cicero, IL Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited materials
- Barbed wire, razor wire, electric fencing
- Manufacturing exception
- Barbed wire allowed at 8+ feet
- Variance path
- ZBA hearing required elsewhere
- Permit required
- Code enforcement director, § 22-317
- Fine range
- $50 to $250 per § 22-326
Summary
The Town of Cicero bans barbed wire, razor wire and electrically charged fences everywhere except manufacturing districts, where barbed wire is allowed only at eight feet or higher. Any other district needs a zoning board of appeals variance granted after a public hearing on health, safety and welfare grounds.
The use of barbed wire, razor wire or electrically charged fences is prohibited. However, barbed wire may be used in the following circumstances: (1)In manufacturing districts, as defined by the town zoning ordinance, but at a height of not less than eight feet above ground level.(2)In other districts by a variation from the zoning board of appeals as provided in the town zoning ordinance and after notice and a public hearing, and only if the zoning board of appeals finds that the barbed or razor wire fence is required for the protection of the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the town.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 121).
Full Breakdown
Section 22-319 of the Town Code flatly prohibits barbed wire, razor wire and electrically charged fences within Cicero. The only carve-out for barbed or razor wire is in a manufacturing district, and even there the wire must sit at least eight feet above ground level. In any other zoning district, an owner who wants barbed or razor wire must apply to the zoning board of appeals for a variance; the board can grant it only after notice and a public hearing, and only if it finds the wire is needed to protect the health, safety and welfare of Cicero residents. Electrically charged fencing has no exception anywhere in town.
Before any fence goes up, the property owner needs a permit from the director of code enforcement under section 22-317, filed with plans to scale, a spot survey and specifications. Section 22-318's general rules apply on top of the material ban: fences must sit at least four inches inside the property line, structural framing must face the owner's own yard, and the fence must withstand 35 pounds of horizontal wind pressure per square foot. Back-to-back fences (parallel fences less than four feet apart) are banned outright, and no fence can block a fire hydrant.
A fence built with prohibited barbed wire, razor wire or electrified material is treated the same as any other illegal fence under section 22-326: the code enforcement director sends certified-mail notice giving the owner 30 days to bring it into compliance, and the town can then remove it at the owner's expense, recording the cost as a lien on the property.
Violations & Fines
Violating the fence material ban carries a fine of $50 to $250 under section 22-326, plus removal costs if the town has to take the fence down itself after the 30-day notice period. Those removal costs become a lien against the property. A fence with a locking gate that also violates height rules can add a separate $50 to $500 fine under section 22-327.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up an electric fence in Cicero?
Is barbed wire ever legal on a residential fence?
What happens if code enforcement finds an illegal barbed wire fence?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cicero
Compare Cicero to another location·View the Illinois fence regulations overview
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Material Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cook County handle material restrictions.