Grand Rapids, MI Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Section 8.800 of Chapter 141 bans barbed wire and electrically charged fencing at any residential property in the city, and bars electrically charged fencing everywhere else in the city as well. The only exception is barbed wire used around nonresidential properties, which is permitted so long as it stays at least six feet off the ground at all times. Fences generally must also be stable, safely supported, free of salvage materials, and properly protected against corrosion or rot under the chapter's companion sections (8.801-8.803), and any fence required elsewhere in the code, such as under the zoning ordinance, must be maintained to this same standard.