Fence laws in Bolingbrook, Illinois
What the Bolingbrook municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Bolingbrook sets no rule of its own, the Illinois rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Bolingbrook, Illinois, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Bolingbrook sets a different distance from the line for each yard rather than one rule for the lot, and the answer turns on which yard the fence stands in and whether it faces a street. The figure is 1 foot, for setback for a front yard fence.
- How tall
- Bolingbrook caps residential fencing at six feet generally and commercial and industrial fencing at eight, and the answer turns on the district, the yard, and what the fence is for. The figure is 3 feet, for fence in a residential front yard.
- Permits
- It is unlawful in Bolingbrook to construct, erect or replace any fence or wall on private property without first obtaining a building permit, with no height threshold and replacement named alongside new work.
- Pool barriers
- Bolingbrook sets no statewide pool barrier rule. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Spite fences
- Bolingbrook has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Bolingbrook leaves the measuring rule to the corporate authorities of each municipality.
- Corner lots
- Bolingbrook bars a fence from the vision triangle outright rather than allowing a short one inside it, so there is no reduced height to work to and no two and a half foot allowance, and the answer turns on whether the property is residential. The figure is 15 feet, for vision triangle leg on residential property.
- Retaining walls
- Bolingbrook leaves retaining walls to the municipal or county residential building code, or the International Residential Code named in the construction contract. It reaches newly built homes only.
- Materials
- Bolingbrook names the materials a permanent fence may be built from, wood, chain link at 11 gauge wire or heavier, plastic or PVC, and rules out chicken wire and snow fencing by name, and the answer turns on the material, and whether the village board has granted an exemption. The figure is 100 feet, for spacing of warning signs on an approved electric fence.
- Livestock
- Illinois calls a fence legal at four and a half feet tall and in good repair. The figure is 4.5 feet, for height of a legal fence.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Bolingbrook?
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Bolingbrook answers this, but the answer changes depending on which yard the fence stands in and whether it faces a street.
Bolingbrook sets a different distance from the line for each yard rather than one rule for the lot. An interior side yard fence has no setback at all, and neither does a rear yard fence on an interior or corner lot. A front yard fence comes back one foot from the property line, or two feet from a public sidewalk. A corner side yard fence stands ten feet back, dropping to one foot if it is three feet or less in height. A rear yard fence that abuts a street stands five feet back and has to include a gate so the rear frontage can still be reached for maintenance, and where it backs onto a primary arterial or major street, landscaping goes in the strip behind it. Each of those three rear yard rules is waived for a fence installed before 27 April 1993 and replaced in its existing post holes. Whatever the yard, the finished side faces the street or the neighbors, and no fence may inhibit or alter drainage over a public utility or drainage easement.
All fences located within a rear yard abutting a street shall be set back a minimum of five feet from the rear property line, except where an existing fence installed prior to April 27, 1993, is being replaced using the existing post holes.
The answer turns on which yard the fence stands in and whether it faces a street.
- an interior side yard, or a rear yard not facing a street
- No setback at all.
- a front yard
- One foot from the line, or two feet from a public sidewalk. 1 ft
- a corner side yard
- Ten feet, or one foot if the fence is three feet or less. 10 ft
- a rear yard abutting a street
- Five feet, with a gate to the street. 5 ft
Also on fences on the property line in Bolingbrook
- set in state lawIllinois makes both neighbors pay for a fence on the line between them, each one a fair share. Most of the section is about hedge fences. A hedge has to be cut back to four feet in the year after it turns seven, then trimmed to five feet at least every two years. An owner who has done the trimming can give the neighbor ten days written notice, do the work, and sue for the cost. Town officers called fence viewers settle the fights. 765 ILCS 130/3Illinois · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Bolingbrook?
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Bolingbrook answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district, the yard, and what the fence is for.
Bolingbrook caps residential fencing at six feet generally and commercial and industrial fencing at eight. The front yard is where it gets specific. Only decorative fencing is allowed there, it may not exceed three feet, at least eighty percent of its area has to be open, and it may run no more than half the width of the lot measured at the front property line, which is a limit on length rather than height and is rare anywhere. A pet enclosure or run sits inside the residential six feet, may only go in a rear yard, may not exceed 200 square feet, and has to stay ten feet clear of every property line. Screening around refuse receptacles is separately required to be at least six feet.
The total length of such fence shall not exceed 50 percent of the width of the lot on which it is located, as measured at the front property line.
The answer turns on the district, the yard, and what the fence is for.
- a residential front yard
- Three feet, decorative, eighty percent open, across half the lot at most. 3 ft
- the rest of a residential lot
- Six feet. 6 ft
- a commercial or industrial district
- Eight feet. 8 ft
- a pet enclosure or run
- Six feet, rear yard only, and ten feet clear of every line. 10 ft
Also on fence height in Bolingbrook
- no rule, documents checkedIllinois sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. The Fence Act names four and a half feet, but that is a floor for a farm fence that holds animals, and the same section lets a town meeting or the county board pick a different number. The state housing law sets no height either. A yard fence height comes from city zoning. 765 ILCS 130/2Illinois · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Bolingbrook?
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Bolingbrook answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
It is unlawful in Bolingbrook to construct, erect or replace any fence or wall on private property without first obtaining a building permit, with no height threshold and replacement named alongside new work. The village then does something very few codes do and makes a private agreement part of the public permit. Where the lot is subject to a declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions, no permit may issue unless the application comes with a letter from the association saying the fence complies with the declaration and has been authorized. So in a subdivision with an active association the village will not act until the association has.
It is unlawful to construct, erect or replace on private property in the village any fence or wall, as defined in this chapter, without first obtaining a building permit.
Also on permits in Bolingbrook
- set in state lawIllinois has no one statewide permit rule for work at a house. Where a town or county has no building code of its own, the Residential Building Code Act makes the builder and the buyer name a code in the building contract, and the International Residential Code applies when they name none. A separate law, in force since January 1, 2025, also requires a city or county code to be at least as strict as a recent model code on how a building is built to hold weight. Illinois Residential Building Code Act, Sec. 15Illinois · Statute
Pool fence requirements in Bolingbrook
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Bolingbrook law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Illinois writes no fence rule for a pool at a private home. The Swimming Pool Safety Act covers pools built for public swimming, and it says plainly that a pool at a private home used by the owner and guests is left out. The state Swimming Facility Code leaves the same pools out. What a home pool needs comes from the city or county and from whatever building code that place has adopted.
This one is Illinois law, not Bolingbrook law. All Illinois findings
Documents read before writing that:
- 210 ILCS 130/1Illinois General Assembly
- 77 Ill. Adm. Code 820Illinois General Assembly, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules
Spite fence laws in Bolingbrook
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Bolingbrook law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Illinois has no spite fence law. The Fence Act covers who pays, what counts as a legal fence, and how hedges get trimmed. Nothing in it turns on why a fence was built. A fence put up to annoy a neighbor is fought in Illinois as a nuisance case in court, or under a city rule.
This one is Illinois law, not Bolingbrook law. All Illinois findings
Documents read before writing that:
- 765 ILCS 130/3Illinois General Assembly
- 765 ILCS 130/2Illinois General Assembly
How fence height is measured in Bolingbrook
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Bolingbrook does not set this. It leaves it to the corporate authorities of each municipality.
Illinois never says where a fence height is measured from. The Illinois Municipal Code lets a city set the height and size of buildings, in one short line, and stops there. The Fence Act calls four and a half feet a legal fence and says nothing about the surface those feet start at. So the number and the way to measure it both come from the city.
This one is Illinois law, not Bolingbrook law. All Illinois findings
(1) to regulate and limit the height and bulk of buildings hereafter to be erected;
The code hands this to the corporate authorities of each municipality, which is not published in the code itself.
Also on how height is measured in Bolingbrook
- no rule, documents checkedThe fences and walls division sets heights of three, six and eight feet and never says what any of them is measured from. There is no mention of grade, of the ground at the base of the fence, of an average between two lots, or of what happens where the land slopes, and nothing saying whether a post cap counts. What the division does define is area rather than height: the area of a front yard fence is deemed to be the smallest rectangle that will enclose all elements of the fence, which is how the eighty percent open test is applied. It also settles one thing most codes leave open, treating compact hedges or vegetation over two and a half feet that are more than fifty percent closed as a fence, so a hedge is measured the same way a fence is. 54-252 through 54-261Bolingbrook · Zoning code
Fence rules for corner lots in Bolingbrook
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Bolingbrook answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the property is residential.
Bolingbrook bars a fence from the vision triangle outright rather than allowing a short one inside it, so there is no reduced height to work to and no two and a half foot allowance. The triangle is formed by the right of way lines of the two intersecting streets, and its legs are fifteen feet on residential property and thirty feet on everything else, which is the widest split between the two in this state. A separate rule reaches beyond the mapped triangle and prohibits any fence, wall or planting in a public right of way or a required yard that would impair public safety by obstructing the vision of people using the street, sidewalk or driveways, so a fence outside the triangle can still be refused on what it does to sight lines.
No such fence may be located within the vision triangle, the sides of which are formed by the right-of-way lines of two intersecting streets. The length of the sides of the triangle shall be 15 feet for residential property and 30 feet for nonresidential property.
The answer turns on whether the property is residential.
- residential property
- Fifteen foot legs, and no fence inside them. 15 ft
- non-residential property
- Thirty foot legs, and no fence inside them. 30 ft
Also on corner visibility in Bolingbrook
- set in state lawIllinois treats this as blocking the road. Under the Illinois Highway Code it is a petty offense to block a public highway, and running a fence onto one counts, unless the highway authority in charge gave permission. The fine runs from fifty to five hundred dollars, and more for each day the blockage stays after an order to take it out. That rule covers the road strip. A clear view triangle on private ground comes from city zoning. 605 ILCS 5/9-117Illinois · Traffic code
Retaining wall rules in Bolingbrook
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Bolingbrook does not set this. It leaves it to the municipal or county residential building code, or the International Residential Code named in the construction contract.
Illinois has no statewide building code for homes, so no state law sets a height at which a wall that holds back dirt needs a permit. Where a town or county has its own building code, that code answers it. Where there is none, the Residential Building Code Act makes the builder and the buyer name a code in the building contract, and the current International Residential Code becomes part of that contract when they name none.
This one is Illinois law, not Bolingbrook law. All Illinois findings
The home builder and the home purchaser may agree to adopt the International Residential Code or any municipal residential building code or county residential building code that is in effect on the first day of construction in any county or municipality that is within 100 miles of the location of the new home.
The code hands this to the municipal or county residential building code, or the International Residential Code named in the construction contract, which is not published in the code itself.
Fence materials allowed in Bolingbrook
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Bolingbrook answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material, and whether the village board has granted an exemption.
Bolingbrook names the materials a permanent fence may be built from, wood, chain link at 11 gauge wire or heavier, plastic or PVC, and rules out chicken wire and snow fencing by name. At least a third of the length of every fence post has to be set into the ground. Electrically charged wire, barbed wire, spikes, glass, protruding nails and anything else designed to cause injury are prohibited, as are chain link fences with barbed ends up and any chain link fence along a major street. Village owned land is exempt from the barbed wire ban. An electric fence may be allowed by the mayor and board of trustees on five conditions together: the board finds it necessary to protect private property, it serves a sales or storage facility, it stands as a second fence inside a perimeter fence, warning signs run its whole length at intervals of no more than 100 feet, and the owner signs an indemnification agreement.
All fences shall be permanent and shall be constructed and designed in a workman-like manner, using materials such as wood, chain link (minimum 11 gauge wire or heavier), plastic or PVC. Chicken wire and snow fencing shall not be an acceptable construction material for permanent fences.
The answer turns on the material, and whether the village board has granted an exemption.
- an ordinary permanent fence
- Wood, chain link at 11 gauge or heavier, plastic or PVC.
- barbed wire, spikes, glass or protruding nails
- Prohibited, except on land the village owns.
- an electric fence
- Only by board exemption, inside a perimeter fence, signposted every 100 feet. 100 ft
- a snow fence
- Only between 1 November and 31 March, and only a highway authority may put one up.
Also on materials in Bolingbrook
- set in state lawIllinois lists what a legal fence can be made of: rails, boards, stone, hedge, barbed wire, woven wire, or anything the town fence viewers judge just as good. The fence has to stand four and a half feet tall and be in good repair. 765 ILCS 130/2Illinois · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in Bolingbrook
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Illinois answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Illinois calls a fence legal at four and a half feet tall and in good repair. It can be rails, boards, stone, hedge, barbed wire, woven wire, or anything the town fence viewers judge just as good at keeping cattle, horses, sheep and hogs off the land next door. Voters at the yearly town meeting can set a different number for their own town. In a county with no townships, the county board sets it.
This one is Illinois law, not Bolingbrook law. All Illinois findings
Fences four and one-half feet high, and in good repair, consisting of rails, timber boards, stone, hedges, barb wire, woven wire or whatever the fence viewers of the town or precinct where the same shall lie shall consider equivalent thereto suitable and sufficient to prevent cattle, horses, sheep, hogs and other stock from getting on the adjoining lands of another
4.5 ftheight of a legal fence
Also on agricultural fencing in Bolingbrook
- set in state lawIllinois puts the duty on the animal owner, not on the neighbor. A separate act bans letting livestock roam loose anywhere in the state and tells owners to put up whatever it takes to hold them. The owner pays in court for the damage loose animals do. The one way out is showing the animals got out without the owner knowing, and that the owner had taken reasonable care to keep them in. 510 ILCS 55/1Illinois · Statute
Documents behind this page
10 documents, of which 1 was published by Bolingbrook itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois Compiled Statutes, Property, Fence Act
- Village of BolingbrookCode of Ordinances, Chapter 54, Zoning, Article III, Accessory Structures and Uses, Division 2, Fences and Walls
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois Compiled Statutes, Property, Fence Act, Legal and sufficient fences
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois Residential Building Code Act
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois Compiled Statutes, Health Facilities and Regulation, Swimming Pool Safety Act
- Illinois General Assembly, Joint Committee on Administrative RulesIllinois Administrative Code, Title 77, Part 820, Swimming Facility Code
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois Compiled Statutes, 65 ILCS 5, Illinois Municipal Code, Article 11, Division 13, Section 11-13-1
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois Compiled Statutes, 605 ILCS 5, Illinois Highway Code, Article 9, Section 9-117
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois Compiled Statutes, Chapter 765, Fence Act
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois Compiled Statutes, 510 ILCS 55, Domestic Animals Running at Large Act
What this page does not cover
A city ordinance is not the only rule that reaches a fence. The zoning district a parcel sits in can change the height allowed on it, and so can an overlay district, a recorded easement, a fire hazard severity zone or a coastal zone. A homeowner association can be stricter than the city and nothing in the municipal code will say so. None of those appear here.
The rules above are the ones Bolingbrook publishes, plus the Illinois rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in Illinois has the state layer in full.
This is general information drawn from published government documents. It is not legal advice, ordinances are amended, and the date beside each finding is the date the document was read. How findings are made · What the terms mean