Mount Prospect, IL Fence Regulations: Neighbor Fence Rules (2026)

Section 14.318 of the Village Code governs fences and walls in Mount Prospect, and its first sentence sets the gate: it is unlawful to construct, erect or replace any fence without first obtaining a permit from the Community Development Department. The permit can be granted only if the proposed fence complies with the Village Code, and freestanding walls are treated as fences for the same purposes.

The rule that matters most between neighbors is subsection B.3. All fences must be entirely on private property, and a fence cannot encroach on an adjoining lot or a public right-of-way. Section 14.318 prints no cost-sharing or shared-ownership formula for a boundary fence. The printed standard is simply that the fence stays on the builder's own lot.

Owners who pull a fence back from the line take on a separate obligation under subsection B.5.a. In rear and interior side yards, a fence must sit behind the front line of the principal building, and if it is not located along a property line, sufficient access must be provided to the area between the fence and the property line to allow for proper maintenance. That keeps the leftover strip reachable instead of leaving an unmaintained gap beside the neighbor's yard.

Subsection C.1 addresses what the neighbor sees: a fence is constructed so that only a smooth finished side faces an abutting lot or road. Subsection C.4 adds that grades at property lines cannot be altered because of fence construction unless a grading plan is submitted to and approved by the Community Development Director. Under subsection B.9, a fence in a utility easement is subject to the condition of the easement.

Exterior side yards carry their own line setbacks. An open or solid fence sits behind the front line of the principal building and one foot from the exterior side property line. Where the exterior side yard abuts the front yard of an adjacent lot, an open fence keeps a one foot setback and a solid fence keeps a ten foot setback.