Mobile, AL Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Material banned
- Barbed wire, unsafe materials
- Where banned
- Along/adjacent to building line
- Who decides "unsafe"
- Director of inspection services
- Exception
- Public property, police chief request
Summary
Mobile prohibits barbed wire or other unsafe fencing material along or adjacent to any building line, with a narrow carve-out for fencing around city-owned public property.
No person shall erect or maintain along or adjacent to any building line any fence constructed of barbed wire or other material that may be considered by the director of inspection services unsafe nor shall any part of any such fence be constructed of such materials. The provisions of this section shall not be deemed to apply to any fencing around public property when the chief of the police department has advised the city governing body that for the protection of the public property to be enclosed within the fence he recommends barbed wire be made a part of the fence.
(Code 1965, § 18-1; Ord. No. 18-050, 2-29-72)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
Under the general fence chapter, no one may erect or maintain a fence built of barbed wire, or any other material the director of inspection services deems unsafe, along or next to a building line, and no part of a fence anywhere on the property may be built of such material. The only exception applies to fencing around public property, and only if the police chief recommends barbed wire to the city governing body for that property's protection.
Violations & Fines
Violating the barbed-wire ban is an ordinance offense under Sec. 1-21: a fine up to $500 and up to six months' imprisonment or hard labor, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put barbed wire on my Mobile fence?
Is there any exception to Mobile's barbed wire ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mobile
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