Story County, IA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited materials
- razor wire, barbed wire, concertina wire
- Districts covered
- A-R, R-1, R-2, RMH
- Standard fence height
- 8 ft in side/rear yards
- Front-yard fence height
- 4.5 ft, or 6 ft if open design
- First-offense fine
- up to $750
- Repeat-offense fine
- up to $1,000
- Ag fence exemption
- Iowa Code Chapter 359A fences excluded
Summary
In unincorporated Story County, razor wire, barbed wire and concertina wire cannot be used as fencing material on any lot in the A-R, R-1, R-2 or RMH zoning districts. The Land Development Regulations require any fence to sit inside the property line and stay maintainable from the owner's own land.
In no case shall razor wire, barbed wire, or concertina wire be used for fencing materials in any A-R, R-1, R-2, and RMH District. Fences shall be located within the boundaries of the property and shall be able to be maintained from the same property upon which it is located. ... No regulation contained in this section shall apply for fences as governed by Chapter 359A of the Code of Iowa, as amended.
Full Breakdown
07(4), part of the Land Development Regulations (Chapter 88, Fences and Walls), flatly forbids razor wire, barbed wire or concertina wire as fencing material in the A-R Agricultural-Residential, R-1, R-2 and RMH Residential Mobile Home Districts. The same section sets the surrounding fence framework: side and rear yard fences and walls up to eight feet are permitted on residential lots in A-1, A-2, A-R, R-1, R-2 and RMH, while a front-yard fence or wall is capped at four and one-half feet, or six feet if it is built non-view-obscuring (no more than 50 percent opacity).
Fences must be located entirely within the boundaries of the property and be maintainable from that same property, with the finished, best-looking side facing the neighboring landowner and structural framing kept to the inside face. 07's fence regulation applies to fencing governed by Chapter 359A of the Code of Iowa, the state's partition-fence law for agricultural boundary fences. Planning and Development, which administers the Land Development Regulations, enforces the wire ban alongside the rest of Chapter 88 as a zoning violation rather than a criminal matter, using the notice-and-citation procedure set out in Chapter 93.
Violations & Fines
A reported wire-fence violation goes to Planning and Development for investigation. If confirmed, the county issues a written Notice of Violation identifying the code sections violated and gives the owner 30 days to remove the prohibited fencing or submit a compliance schedule under § 93.02. Failure to comply lets the county issue a citation for a county infraction under § 93.03, carrying a civil penalty up to $750 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for each repeat offense, with every day of continued noncompliance treated as a separate offense. The Notice of Violation may be appealed to the Board of Adjustment within 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a barbed wire fence around my house in unincorporated Story County?
Does the wire ban apply to my farm's boundary fence?
What happens if I don't take down a prohibited fence?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Story County
Compare Story County to another location·View the Iowa fence regulations overview
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