Madison County, IL Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

080 regulates buffer strips, fences, walls, and hedges across every zoning district in unincorporated Madison County. Division (C) bars any barbed wire or other sharp-pointed fence under 6 feet in height, and bars electrically charged fences outright, except in Agricultural Districts where both are allowed. Division (H) then lists the fencing materials the county actually permits by district: in Residential and Agricultural Zoning Districts, only wood, vinyl, wrought iron, composite, and chain link are allowed as permanent fencing, though temporary construction fencing may go up during a project and must come down within two months of completion.

Commercial and Manufacturing Districts get a wider list, adding corrugated metal, with any other material requiring the Zoning Administrator's approval. The same section caps fence height generally at 6 feet, drops that to 4 feet and at least 50% open in a front yard or front setback, and requires the finished side of any fence to face outward toward the neighboring property. Double fencing is barred outright: parallel fences must have at least a 2-foot gap between them, and any fence being taken down must be fully dismantled and all its components removed, not left standing partway.