Fence laws in Tinley Park, Illinois
What the Tinley Park municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Tinley Park sets no rule of its own, the Illinois rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Tinley Park, Illinois, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Tinley Park prints a table of lot types and yard types and answers the setback question for each cell.
- How tall
- Tinley Park gives the post and the panel separate ceilings rather than one number with an allowance bolted on, and the answer turns on whether the measurement is to a post or a panel, and which yard the fence stands in. The figure is 78 inches, for height allowed to the top of a fence post.
- Permits
- A building permit covers all work associated with constructing, altering or relocating a fence in Tinley Park, with two exemptions: repairing no more than one eight foot section of a legally permitted fence in a year, and a fence two feet high or less. The figure is 2 feet, for height at or below which no permit is needed.
- Pool barriers
- Tinley Park sets no statewide pool barrier rule. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Spite fences
- Tinley Park has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Every Tinley Park fence figure is read from grade, and the ordinance applies that datum twice over, once to the top of the panel and once to the top of the post. The figure is 6 inches, for largest gap allowed between grade and the bottom of a panel.
- Corner lots
- Tinley Park requires a clear vision triangle to be maintained and states the standard as an outcome: a fence may not obstruct sight lines or cause a negative impact to the safety of pedestrians or vehicles.
- Retaining walls
- Tinley Park 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
- Tinley Park runs a durability test first and a list second, and the answer turns on the material and which yard the fence stands in.
- 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 Tinley Park?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Tinley Park answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Tinley Park prints a table of lot types and yard types and answers the setback question for each cell. In every lot type, interior, interior key, corner, reversed corner, through, corner through and flag, a side yard fence and a rear yard fence are permitted at a zero foot setback from the property line, so the boundary fence is the normal case. A front or primary front yard fence sits at or behind the required setback line, and a residential corner lot secondary front yard fence comes in at least ten feet. No private fence may go in a public street, highway or alley right of way. A fence may go on a drainage or utility easement by permit and written approval provided it does not interfere with drainage or utilities, a gate or moveable section may be required for access, and neither the village nor the utility is liable for repairing or replacing a fence they lawfully move or damage.
When a fence has a finished or decorative side, it shall be oriented to face outward toward adjacent parcels or street rights-of-way (away from the interior of the lot upon which the fence is erected).
Also on fences on the property line in Tinley Park
- 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 Tinley Park?
Compare fence height across all 50 states
Tinley Park answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the measurement is to a post or a panel, and which yard the fence stands in.
Tinley Park gives the post and the panel separate ceilings rather than one number with an allowance bolted on. A post may reach six feet six inches from grade and a panel six feet flat, so a decorative post cap has six inches of room built into the rule. Those two figures apply across the village, in residential and non-residential districts alike, and the ordinance does not raise them next to industry or a railroad. What changes by district is where a fence may stand rather than how tall it is: a front or primary front yard fence sits at or behind the required setback line, a side or rear yard fence may sit on the property line, and on a residential corner lot a fence in the secondary front yard has to come in at least ten feet from that property line.
Top of Posts: six feet, six inches (6’6”) when measured from grade.
The answer turns on whether the measurement is to a post or a panel, and which yard the fence stands in.
- the top of a post
- Six feet six inches. 78 in
- the top of a panel
- Six feet. 6 ft
- a residential corner lot secondary front yard
- Ten feet in from the property line. 10 ft
- a front or primary front yard
- At or behind the required setback line.
Also on fence height in Tinley Park
- 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 Tinley Park?
Compare permits across all 50 states
Tinley Park answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
A building permit covers all work associated with constructing, altering or relocating a fence in Tinley Park, with two exemptions: repairing no more than one eight foot section of a legally permitted fence in a year, and a fence two feet high or less. The permit then decides the status of every older fence in the village. A fence that predates the rules and has a permit on file is a legal nonconforming fence and may take minor repairs at the same one section a year, but may not be changed in any way that increases its nonconformity or structurally altered to prolong its life. A fence built without a permit is an illegal nonconforming fence and has to be removed immediately by the owner unless a variation is obtained. A denial may be appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
A building permit is required for all work performed in association with the construction, alteration, or relocation of a fence except as outlined in Section III.J.1.b.
2 ftheight at or below which no permit is needed
Also on permits in Tinley Park
- 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 Tinley Park
Compare pool barriers across all 50 states
Tinley Park 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 Tinley Park 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 Tinley Park
Compare spite fences across all 50 states
Tinley Park 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 Tinley Park 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 Tinley Park
Compare how height is measured across all 50 states
Tinley Park answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Every Tinley Park fence figure is read from grade, and the ordinance applies that datum twice over, once to the top of the panel and once to the top of the post. It then controls the other end as well, allowing at most six inches between grade and the bottom of the panel, so the gap underneath a fence is a regulated dimension rather than a builder choice. Taken together the three numbers describe the whole vertical section of a fence: no more than six inches of air at the bottom, six feet to the top of the panel, and six feet six inches to the top of the post.
Top of Panel: six feet (6’) when measured from grade.
6 inlargest gap allowed between grade and the bottom of a panel
Also on how height is measured in Tinley Park
- 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 Tinley Park
Compare corner visibility across all 50 states
Tinley Park answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Tinley Park requires a clear vision triangle to be maintained and states the standard as an outcome: a fence may not obstruct sight lines or cause a negative impact to the safety of pedestrians or vehicles. The fence section gives no leg length for that triangle, no reduced height inside it and no band above grade, so the dimension comes from elsewhere in the ordinance while the duty sits here. The same sight line test is then attached to both administrative approvals the Zoning Administrator can grant. A fence may encroach into a required front yard setback to line up with a nonconforming house, and a through lot line abutting a right of way may be treated as a side or rear line, but each is conditional on the fence not obstructing sight lines in a way that would harm pedestrian or vehicle safety.
Fences shall not obstruct sight lines and/or cause a negative impact to safety of pedestrians or vehicles. A clear vision triangle must be maintained.
Also on corner visibility in Tinley Park
- 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 Tinley Park
Compare retaining walls across all 50 states
Tinley Park 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 Tinley Park 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 Tinley Park
Compare materials across all 50 states
Tinley Park answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material and which yard the fence stands in.
Tinley Park runs a durability test first and a list second. Materials have to be found by the Zoning Administrator to be durable and weather resistant, and the fence has to be painted, rust proofed or otherwise protected so it presents an orderly appearance. The allowed list then names PVC and vinyl, wood, wrought iron, aluminum, galvanized steel for open style fencing only, masonry, chain link without slats whether coated or not, stone or concrete perimeter fencing, and similar materials the Zoning Administrator approves. Four things are prohibited: chain link with slats, glass and other reflective materials, barbed wire, and chain link anywhere in a required secondary front yard. No fencing may have sharp edges, and all fencing has to be uniform in color.
Fences shall consist of materials that are found by the Zoning Administrator or their designee to be durable and weather resistant.
The answer turns on the material and which yard the fence stands in.
- an ordinary fence
- PVC, wood, wrought iron, aluminum, masonry, stone or unslatted chain link.
- galvanized steel
- Open style fencing only.
- chain link with slats, glass, or barbed wire
- Prohibited.
- chain link in a required secondary front yard
- Prohibited there specifically.
Also on materials in Tinley Park
- 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 Tinley Park
Compare agricultural fencing across all 50 states
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 Tinley Park 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 Tinley Park
- 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 Tinley Park itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Illinois General AssemblyIllinois Compiled Statutes, Property, Fence Act
- Village of Tinley ParkZoning Ordinance, Section III.J, Fence Regulations
- 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 Tinley Park 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