Sauk County, WI Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Sauk County's land use permit rule in Section 7.153(2) requires a permit from the Zoning Administrator before a structure is erected, affixed, moved, or structurally altered, and Section 7.153(3) folds most fences out of that requirement by exempting any accessory structure of 120 square feet or less. The same subsection then draws the line that actually matters for fences: fences and walls more than six feet in height and greater than 50 percent opacity are considered a structure, and the appropriate requirements of the chapter apply to them.

A privacy fence over 6 feet tall, or a solid board fence over 6 feet that blocks more than half the view through it, is therefore a structure under the zoning code, and the owner must obtain a land use permit under Section 7.153(4) before building it, submitting a site plan showing setbacks, lot dimensions, and the distance from the fence to adjoining lot lines and roads. A shorter or more open fence avoids that permit trigger but still has to sit within the county's other applicable setback and yard standards, and a fence built within a designated shoreland must additionally meet Chapter 8's shoreland setback rules, since Section 8.004 defines structure to include accessory structures generally.

Once issued, a land use permit for a fence is void if the work is not completed within 24 months, though the Zoning Administrator can grant a one-time 24-month extension on written request submitted before the original deadline.