Wauwatosa, WI Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

28 Fences governs every fence in the city. 010 defines a fence as a structure functioning as a horizontal boundary or barrier, made of a structural frame with a fabric of boards, wire, rails or masonry, and requires fence posts and supporting framework to face the interior of the property being enclosed. The chief inspector must approve the type of material used, and the code names the banned materials outright: barbed wire, razor wire, agricultural wire (except when used around plants and gardens), electrically charged fences, wood or plastic snow fence, old doors, sheet metal, plywood and broken concrete are prohibited in every zoning district in the city.

Chain-link style fencing gets a narrower, location-specific ban: it cannot be used in a front yard anywhere in Wauwatosa, though it remains allowed in side and rear yards. Fences built before the current ordinance took effect can stay and be repaired as-is, but any fence that is enlarged, altered or replaced must meet the current material rules, with one carve-out: an owner may replace damaged or deteriorated sections without triggering full compliance as long as no more than fifty percent of the existing fence is replaced.

The Wauwatosa police and fire departments retain authority to impose additional restrictions on a specific fence when public safety requires it. The current text traces to Ord. O-00-19 (2000) and was amended by Ord. O-05-4 Section 11 and Ord. O-05-32 Section 3, both in 2005.