Lake County, IL Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

The stock IRC § R105.2 exempts several small structures from needing a building permit, and item #2 of that list reads "Fences not over 7 feet high." Lake County's 2024 IRC amendments delete that item "with no substitution," so the county has no height threshold under which a fence is permit-exempt: any fence built in unincorporated Lake County requires a permit from the Lake County Planning, Building & Development Department. The same amendment also strikes the stock exemptions for small retaining walls and small decks and adds a new item #11 covering structures the Building Official designates eligible for the county's Registration Program, but fences receive no such carve-out.

Once issued, a fence permit does not last indefinitely. Under the county's rewritten R105.5, a permit for fences (grouped with re-siding, re-roofing, decks, electrical upgrades, sheds, detached garages and screen porches) becomes void if the work is not completed, and a certificate of occupancy issued if applicable, within six months of issuance. The Building Official may grant one or more written extensions of up to 180 days each, but only on a written request showing justifiable cause.

A property owner who disagrees with the Building Official's decision on a fence permit, including a denial or an interpretation of the amended R105.2 list, can appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeals under the county's rewritten R112.1. The appeal must claim the code was misapplied, does not fully apply, or that an equivalent form of construction should be allowed, and it must be filed within 35 days of the Building Official's decision under R112.4. Hearings are open to the public, and the appellant, the Building Official, and any affected person may be heard.