Pocatello, ID Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Electrified fences
- Prohibited citywide, no exception
- Barbed wire
- Prohibited except approved industrial/commercial security fences
- Approval standard
- Good cause plus no public-safety hazard
- Residential materials
- Chainlink, split rail, wood, hedge, masonry, iron
- Other materials
- Need minor exception plus neighbor consent
Summary
Electrified fences are banned outright anywhere in the City of Pocatello. Barbed wire is prohibited too, except along the top and bottom of an approved security fence in light industrial, commercial general, or industrial zones, and only after the building official finds good cause and no public-safety hazard. Denials of a barbed-wire request must be explained to the applicant in writing.
15.28.030: REGULATIONS: ... B. No fence shall be electrified. ... D. The use of barbed wire is prohibited except along the top and bottom of approved security fences in light industrial, commercial general, and industrial zones. To receive approval, persons desiring to use barbed wire must demonstrate good cause for the use and show that the use requested will not constitute a hazard to public safety. Should a request be denied, the building official shall inform the applicant in writing, giving reasons for denial.
Full Breakdown
Section 15.28.030(B) states flatly that no fence shall be electrified, with no exception written into the subsection. Subsection D takes the same default approach to barbed wire, prohibiting its use citywide, but carves out a path for approved security fencing: barbed wire may run along the top and bottom of a security fence in light industrial, commercial general, or industrial zones if the applicant demonstrates good cause and shows the requested use will not create a hazard to public safety. If the building official denies that request, the denial has to come in writing with the reasons stated.
Chapter 15.28 also controls what a residential fence can be made of. Subsection J applies to fences in residential, residential/commercial/professional, and commercial general zones and requires all fencing materials to be architecturally compatible with the surrounding neighborhood; it then lists chainlink, split rail, wood fabricated as fencing material, vegetation or hedges, masonry, brick or cinder block, and ornamental iron as generally acceptable. Anything else, or any material not designed primarily for fencing, is barred from those zones unless the property owner obtains a minor exception under section 15.28.040 by getting written consent from all adjacent property owners.
Violations & Fines
An electrified fence has no exception in section 15.28.030(B) anywhere in the city and cannot be permitted as built. Barbed wire outside an approved light industrial, commercial general, or industrial security fence is likewise barred under subsection D unless the building official grants approval in advance; installing a non-listed fencing material in a residential or commercial general zone under subsection J without going through the minor exception consent process in section 15.28.040 is out of compliance as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a homeowner in Pocatello put up an electric fence?
Where is barbed wire allowed in Pocatello?
What fence materials are allowed in a Pocatello residential zone?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pocatello
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