Ann Arbor bans electrified and barbed or spiked fences in nonresidential districts, and residential fences face front and side opacity limits. Washtenaw County does not set material rules; your city or township does.
Ann Arbor UDC Section 5.26(B) provides that nonresidential fences shall not be charged or connected to an electrical current, and shall not contain spikes, nails, barbs (including barb wire), or other pointed instruments or sharp points on wire fences. In residential districts, materials are effectively limited by opacity: front-yard fences may be no more than 50% opaque and side-yard fences no more than 80% opaque, favoring open designs near the street. Because the county does not zone under Michigan's Zoning Enabling Act (MCL 125.3101), these prohibitions are the city's; townships and Ypsilanti adopt their own, so verify barbed-wire and electric-fence rules with your local building department.
Installing a prohibited electrified, barbed, or spiked fence is a zoning violation; the city can require removal and may assess penalties for noncompliance.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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