The McHenry County UDO requires the finished side of every fence to face away from your own lot, and posts must be placed on the inside. The whole fence must sit entirely within your property lines, not in the public right-of-way.
UDO § 16.56.050H.1 sets the neighbor-facing rules for unincorporated McHenry County. The finished (good) side of all fences must face away from the lot on which the fence stands, so neighbors see the finished face. All posts (except barbed-wire posts) must be on the inside. The fence, including posts, bases and structural parts, must be located completely within the boundaries of your lot; installing a fence in the public right-of-way is prohibited. Illinois has no general 'boundary fence' cost-sharing statute for private residential fences, so line-fence sharing is a private matter between neighbors unless a city ordinance says otherwise.
A fence with the finished side facing inward, or encroaching over the property line or into the right-of-way, is a zoning violation; the county can order it turned, relocated, or removed.
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See how McHenry County's neighbor fence rules rules stack up against other locations.
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