Kenosha County, WI Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential barbed wire
- Banned outright, §12.19.030(a)
- FPO Floodplain Overlay
- Only barbed wire/ag wire-strand allowed, §12.19.030(c)
- Ag wire-strand fences
- Permit-exempt in shore yard/floodplain/C-1, §12.19.020(e)
- Non-residential security fences
- No stated material ban, up to 10 ft
- Vision triangle cap
- 2 ft max, applies to all materials
Summary
Section 12.19.030(a) flatly bans any residential fence or wall that incorporates barbed wire in unincorporated Kenosha County towns, while Section 12.19.030(c) flips the rule inside the FPO Floodplain Overlay district, where only barbed wire or agricultural wire-strand fencing is allowed.
No fence or wall which incorporates barbed wire shall be permitted in a residential district. ... (c) No fence, except barbed wire or wire strand fences for agricultural purposes, shall be constructed or placed within the FPO Floodplain Overlay.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 37 (2026), passed March 17, 2026).
Full Breakdown
030(a), the same subsection that sets residential fence heights, states without qualification that "no fence or wall which incorporates barbed wire shall be permitted in a residential district," and the ordinance carries no height or partial-use exception for it: any barbed wire strand on a residential fence violates the section. 020(e) allows it to be constructed or placed within the required shore yard, the 100-year floodplain, or the C-1 Lowland Resource Conservancy District without a zoning permit at all, provided it serves agricultural purposes. 030(b) lets non-residential security fences and walls run up to 10 feet without a stated material restriction, so commercial and industrial security fencing elsewhere in the county is not barred from incorporating barbed wire the way residential fencing is. 020 exemptions.
Violations & Fines
A residential barbed-wire fence, or a non-conforming fence built inside the FPO Floodplain Overlay, violates Section 12.19.030 and triggers the ordinance's general penalty under Section 12.53.010: a forfeiture of $10 to $500 per violation plus prosecution costs, with each day the fence remains up counted as a separate offense and unpaid forfeitures defaulting to up to 30 days in the county jail. The Division of Planning Operations can also order the noncompliant fencing removed as a condition of any certificate of compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put barbed wire on top of my backyard fence?
Is barbed wire ever allowed in unincorporated Kenosha County?
What fence materials are banned inside the Floodplain Overlay district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kenosha County
Compare Kenosha County to another location·View the Wisconsin fence regulations overview
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