Fence laws in Springfield, Illinois
What the Springfield municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Springfield sets no rule of its own, the Illinois rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Springfield, Illinois, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Illinois makes both neighbors pay for a fence on the line between them, each one a fair share.
- How tall
- A Springfield residential front yard fence stops at four feet and has to be at least fifty percent open, and no privacy fence may go in front of the house at all, and the answer turns on the district, the yard, how open the fence is, and whether it encloses a sports facility. The figure is 4 feet, for fence in a residential front yard.
- Permits
- Springfield requires a fence permit above four feet in every residential, commercial and industrial district, and it puts the duty on an unusual party: the individual or agency actually constructing the fence is responsible for obtaining it, rather than the owner. The figure is 12 months, for life of a fence permit before it becomes void.
- Pool barriers
- The Springfield zoning code deals with a pool fence by getting out of the way.
- Spite fences
- Springfield has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Springfield measures from ground level and then writes in an allowance most codes leave to argument. The figure is 3 inches, for clearance under a fence excluded from its height.
- Corner lots
- Springfield handles the corner in two ways, and neither is a height limit inside a triangle. The figure is 20 feet, for clearance from a lot corner for a tall recreational fence.
- Retaining walls
- Springfield 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
- Springfield bans barbed wire, metal spikes and any other sharp pointed material from residential districts, and no fence anywhere may be electrified, and the answer turns on the district and how high off the ground the sharp material sits. The figure is 6 feet, for lowest point of sharp material in the business districts.
- 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 Springfield?
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Illinois answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Illinois 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.
This one is Illinois law, not Springfield law. All Illinois findings
When 2 or more persons have lands adjoining, each of them shall make and maintain a just proportion of the division fence between them
How tall can a fence be in Springfield?
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Springfield answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district, the yard, how open the fence is, and whether it encloses a sports facility.
A Springfield residential front yard fence stops at four feet and has to be at least fifty percent open, and no privacy fence may go in front of the house at all. Everywhere else on a residential lot the ceiling is six feet. Commercial and industrial districts get eight feet, with the same fifty percent openness rule in a required front yard. A fence that is less than half open on the side street of a corner lot is pushed back to the same setback a building would need. Recreational fencing escapes the height limits entirely on three conditions, that the facility is not within twenty feet of the corner formed by two street lines, that the fence is at least seventy five percent open, and that a permit is obtained, and the table then runs from eight feet for a public pool or a school to ten for a basketball court, twelve for a tennis court and sixteen for a baseball backstop.
Any fence erected in a required front yard shall be at least 50% open, and no fence erected in a required front yard may exceed four feet in height measured from ground level.
The answer turns on the district, the yard, how open the fence is, and whether it encloses a sports facility.
- a residential front yard
- Four feet, at least half open, and never a privacy fence. 4 ft
- anywhere else on a residential lot
- Six feet. 6 ft
- a commercial or industrial district
- Eight feet. 8 ft
- a baseball diamond backstop, at least seventy five percent open
- Sixteen feet. 16 ft
Also on fence height in Springfield
- 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 Springfield?
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Springfield answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Springfield requires a fence permit above four feet in every residential, commercial and industrial district, and it puts the duty on an unusual party: the individual or agency actually constructing the fence is responsible for obtaining it, rather than the owner. No work may start before the permit issues, and starting early draws the same fine as building any other structure without a permit, in addition to anything else the chapter provides. The permit itself goes stale, becoming null and void one year from issuance if the fence is not finished.
The individual or agency actually constructing the fence shall be responsible for obtaining the permit. No work shall start until the permit has been obtained.
12 monthslife of a fence permit before it becomes void
Also on permits in Springfield
- 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 Springfield
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Springfield answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
The Springfield zoning code deals with a pool fence by getting out of the way. The last subsection of the fence section states that the section does not apply to swimming pool fences regulated by section 170.11.15 of the Code, so the barrier height, the gate and the latch come from the building title rather than from zoning. The one pool figure the zoning section does carry is in the recreational table, where a fence around a public swimming pool may reach eight feet.
The provisions of this section shall not apply to swimming pool fences regulated by section 170.11.15 of this Code.
Also on pool barriers in Springfield
- no rule, documents checkedIllinois 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. 210 ILCS 130/1Illinois · Statute
Spite fence laws in Springfield
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Springfield 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 Springfield 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 Springfield
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Springfield answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Springfield measures from ground level and then writes in an allowance most codes leave to argument. Three inches of clearance is allowed for installation purposes and does not count in determining the height of a fence, so a six foot panel hung three inches off the ground is still a six foot fence rather than a violation. The same three inch allowance is repeated for the commercial and industrial districts. Nothing in the section deals with a difference in grade between two lots or with a fence standing on a retaining wall.
A clearance of three inches shall be allowed for installation purposes and shall not count in determining the height of a fence.
3 inclearance under a fence excluded from its height
Also on how height is measured in Springfield
- left to the townIllinois 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. 65 ILCS 5/11-13-1Illinois · Zoning code
Fence rules for corner lots in Springfield
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Springfield answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Springfield handles the corner in two ways, and neither is a height limit inside a triangle. A fence less than half open on the side street of a corner lot is pushed back to the same setback a building would have to meet, so the solution is distance rather than a lower fence. Separately, the relief that lets a recreational fence ignore the height limits is withheld where the facility sits within twenty feet of the lot corner formed by two intersecting street lines. The section states no sight triangle of general application and gives no reduced height for an ordinary corner lot fence.
Any fence less than 50% open, erected on the side street of a corner lot shall be restricted to the same setback requirements as a building or structure.
20 ftclearance from a lot corner for a tall recreational fence
Also on corner visibility in Springfield
- 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 Springfield
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Springfield 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 Springfield 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 Springfield
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Springfield answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district and how high off the ground the sharp material sits.
Springfield bans barbed wire, metal spikes and any other sharp pointed material from residential districts, and no fence anywhere may be electrified. It then settles a detail most codes ignore by specifying which way up a chain link fence goes: the knuckled edge at the top and the barbed cut edge at or near the ground, so the cut wire ends are not left at head height. In the B-1, B-2, I-1 and I-2 districts sharp pointed material is allowed after all, provided it sits at least six feet above the ground and no higher than eight, and chain link there may have the barbed edge up only if it is at least six feet above ground level.
No fence may be constructed with barbed wire, metal spikes, or any other sharp pointed materials. All chain link fences shall be installed with the knuckle portion of the fence up and with the barb portion of the fence at or near the ground. No fence may be electrified.
155.069(a)(4), (b)(4) and (b)(5)
The answer turns on the district and how high off the ground the sharp material sits.
- a residential district
- No barbed wire, spikes or sharp points, and chain link knuckle up.
- the B-1, B-2, I-1 and I-2 districts
- Sharp pointed material between six and eight feet above the ground. 6 ft
- anywhere in the city
- No electrified fence.
Also on materials in Springfield
- 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 Springfield
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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 Springfield 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 Springfield
- 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 Springfield itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois Compiled Statutes, Property, Fence Act
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois Compiled Statutes, Property, Fence Act, Legal and sufficient fences
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois Residential Building Code Act
- City of SpringfieldCode of Ordinances, Title XV, Chapter 155, Article IV, Section 155.069, Fences
- 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 Springfield 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