Coeur d'Alene, ID Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned materials
- Barbed or electrified wire
- Where banned
- Fences or gates along any street, alley, highway or road
- Exception
- City application showing good cause and no hazard, approved by City Council
- Removal deadline
- Ten days from service of notice
- Notice served by
- City clerk
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, each later day a new offense
Summary
In the City of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, barbed or electrified wire fencing or gates along any street, alley, highway or road is prohibited unless the City Council approves an application showing good cause and no hazard to public safety. Violations are a nuisance and a misdemeanor.
The use of barbed or electrified wire within the limits of the city for fencing or gates along any street, alley, highway or road is prohibited, except in those instances wherein the individual desiring to use barbed or electrified wire for these purposes makes an application to the city, which application shall set forth good cause for the use of the fence or gate and shall include a showing that the use of barbed or electrified wire in the particular instance requested will not constitute a hazard to public safety, and where the application has been approved by the city council.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 8.16 of the Coeur d'Alene Municipal Code bans the use of barbed or electrified wire for fencing or gates along any street, alley, highway or road within city limits. The chapter's printed notes point to sections 17.06.810 and 17.06.815 of the zoning code for related fence rules.
The only route around the ban is an application to the city. The application must set forth good cause for the use of the fence or gate, and it must include a showing that barbed or electrified wire in the particular instance requested will not constitute a hazard to public safety. The application then needs approval by the City Council. Section 8.16.020 confirms that any such use outside the approval procedure, as submitted by the planning director or a designee and approved by the City Council, constitutes a nuisance and a misdemeanor.
Enforcement runs through the City Clerk. Under section 8.16.030 the clerk serves written notice on the owner and occupant of the real property where an unauthorized barbed or electrified wire fence or gate is being erected, constructed or maintained. If the owner is not in the city, notice goes only to the occupant or anyone having control or management of the premises. The notice states that the fence or gate must be removed within ten days from the date of service. Section 8.16.040 then applies to any owner, occupant or agent in control who permits the fence or gate to remain more than ten days after receipt of the notice.
Violations & Fines
An owner, occupant or managing agent who lets an unauthorized barbed or electrified wire fence or gate stay more than ten days after receiving the notice is guilty of a misdemeanor as defined in section 1.28.010. Each day the fence or gate remains after conviction is a new and separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put barbed wire on a fence along my street frontage in Coeur d'Alene?
What happens after the city finds an unauthorized wire fence?
Does each day count as a separate offense?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coeur d'Alene
Compare Coeur d'Alene to another location·View the Idaho fence regulations overview
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