Gary, IN Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Where barbed wire is banned
- Business district front yards, along streets/highways
- Minimum wire height elsewhere
- More than 6 feet above ground
- Applies to
- Business (B) zoning districts only
- Related front yard fence cap
- 42 inches, business districts
- Enforcing office
- Zoning administrator
Summary
In Gary's business districts, Municipal Code § 123-333(e)(1)d bans any fence or wall containing barbed wire in the front yard or along a street or highway. Barbed wire is allowed elsewhere on a business-district fence only where the wire itself sits more than six feet above the ground.
In all business districts, no fence or wall, any part of which is barbed wire, may be erected on the front yard or area adjoining and adjacent to any street or highway. Barbed wire may be used on fences or walls provided said wire is more than six feet above ground.
Full Breakdown
The zoning code's yard-obstruction rules in § 123-333(e)(1) single out barbed wire as the one material this chapter restricts by name. Subsection d applies specifically to business districts: no fence or wall that includes any barbed wire, in whole or in part, may be erected in the front yard or in the area adjoining and adjacent to any street or highway. Away from those street-facing yards, barbed wire is not banned outright; it may be used on a business-district fence or wall, but only where the wire is strung more than six feet above ground level, keeping it out of reach at street level.
The rule sits alongside the chapter's other business-district fence standards: front yard fences and walls in business districts are separately capped at 42 inches, with taller fences requiring board of zoning appeals authorization, and all front yard fences or walls in a business district must be set back at least ten feet from the property line with landscaping installed in that setback strip. Fences on a business-district corner lot's side yard, whether barbed or not, also must sit five feet from the property line, and any fence over 42 inches there needs traffic engineer sign-off.
The zoning administrator in the department of development and planning enforces these material and placement limits when reviewing a zoning certificate for a proposed fence.
Violations & Fines
Erecting a barbed wire fence or wall in a business district front yard, or stringing barbed wire at six feet or below elsewhere on a business property, violates § 123-333(e)(1)d and is a zoning violation the zoning administrator can order removed. Under the Code's general penalty, § 1-7, violators face a fine of up to $2,500.00 for a first offense and up to $7,500.00 for a repeat offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a barbed wire fence around my business in Gary?
Does this barbed wire rule apply to residential fences?
How high does barbed wire have to be strung if it's allowed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gary
Compare Gary to another location·View the Indiana fence regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.