Fence laws in Bloomington, Indiana
What the Bloomington municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Bloomington sets no rule of its own, the Indiana rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Bloomington, Indiana, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Fences and walls are permitted up to the property line in Bloomington, with no consent from the adjoining owner required, and the answer turns on whether an easement runs along the line. The figure is 6 feet, for shortest a required screening fence may be.
- How tall
- Bloomington draws its line at the front building wall of the primary structure rather than at a setback, and the answer turns on which side of the front building wall the fence is on. The figure is 8 feet, for fence behind the front wall of the house.
- Permits
- Indiana has one building and fire safety code for the whole state, written by the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission.
- Pool barriers
- Indiana puts this on the store, not on the pool owner, which no other state in this record does. The figure is 48 inches, for wall height at which an above ground pool must be sold with a removable or locking ladder. It reaches the store selling an above ground pool for a home, not the owner of a pool already put up only.
- Spite fences
- Indiana has a spite fence law with a chapter to itself. The figure is 6 feet, for height above which a maliciously built fence is considered a nuisance.
- Measured from what
- Decorative features such as post tops are exempt from the height requirements, and the exemption carries two conditions that work together, and the answer turns on how tall the decorative feature is and how far apart the features sit. The figure is 12 inches, for decorative feature above the fence.
- Corner lots
- The fence section states the obligation in one line and sends the dimensions to Section 20.04.050(c)(5), the vision clearance triangle standards, so a fence that satisfies every figure in the fence section still has to clear that triangle, and the answer turns on the triangle dimensions in Section 20.04.050(c)(5). The figure is 10 feet, for setback for a tall fence on an arterial.
- Retaining walls
- A retaining wall in Bloomington is exempt from the height standards altogether, and the ordinance puts a different obligation in their place: it has to be built in accordance with the manufacturer specifications or generally accepted engineering standards, and the answer turns on whether the wall is retaining or the use is exempted. The figure is 5 feet, for shortest a pool fence may be.
- Materials
- Five things are prohibited as a component of a fence or wall everywhere except the EM zoning district: barbed wire, security wire, sharpened top spikes, electrified wires, and other similar elements or materials, and the answer turns on the district and where on the lot the fence stands. The figure is 5 feet, for height above which open construction is required.
- Livestock
- Indiana puts no number on a lawful fence at all.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Bloomington?
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Bloomington answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether an easement runs along the line.
Fences and walls are permitted up to the property line in Bloomington, with no consent from the adjoining owner required. The orientation rule reaches two directions at once: the nonstructural face has to point outward toward adjacent parcels and toward any adjacent public right-of-way, so a corner lot fence shows its finished side to the neighbor and to the street. Easements are the one place position is restricted, and the restriction covers private easements as well as public ones: no fence or wall may sit inside either without written permission from the easement holder. Screening fences around trash receptacles, mechanical equipment and similar areas are exempt from the height limits but have a floor rather than a ceiling, at no less than six feet.
Fences and walls shall present the nonstructural face outward towards adjacent parcels and any adjacent public right-of-way.
The answer turns on whether an easement runs along the line.
- the property line
- A fence is permitted up to it.
- a public or private easement
- Written permission from the easement holder.
- a screening fence
- No less than six feet, and no ceiling. 6 ft
Also on fences on the property line in Bloomington
- set in state lawIndiana splits a fence on the line by length, not in half. Each owner pays for the stretch of fence that runs along their own part of the line, and that holds whether the owner owns the land outright or holds it for life. Since 2003 the rule reaches only fences where at least one of the two properties is farm land. An owner who will not pay gets twenty days notice, and after that the township trustee can build it and charge for it. IC 32-26-9-3Indiana · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Bloomington?
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Bloomington answers this, but the answer changes depending on which side of the front building wall the fence is on.
Bloomington draws its line at the front building wall of the primary structure rather than at a setback. Behind that wall a fence or wall may reach a combined height of eight feet. Forward of it the limit is four. On a corner lot, where the house has two front building walls, one frontage is designated the secondary front building wall, and along that one the four foot limit applies only forward of the build to line or building setback line, with eight feet allowed behind it. Anything over five feet in the stretch between the build to line and the secondary front building wall has to be of open construction, made with voids and solids in latticework or a similar technique. A through lot works the same way with distances instead: a fence over four feet along the secondary frontage has to meet the building setback on a local or secondary collector street, and stand ten feet back on a primary collector or arterial. Where no primary structure exists on the parcel, nothing may exceed four feet.
Behind the front building wall of the primary structure, fences and walls shall not exceed a combined height of eight feet, except as provided in subsection (1)(G) above.
The answer turns on which side of the front building wall the fence is on.
- behind the front building wall
- Eight feet combined. 8 ft
- forward of it
- Four feet. 4 ft
- a food garden fence against animals
- Twelve feet, open above five. 12 ft
- a lot with no primary structure
- Four feet.
Also on fence height in Bloomington
- no rule, documents checkedIndiana sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. The six foot figure in state law is what turns a spite fence into a nuisance case, not a cap on height. The fences article covers fencing groups, fences on the line and spite fences, and the statewide building code does not reach fences at all. Height comes from local zoning. IC 32-26Indiana · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Bloomington?
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Indiana answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Indiana has one building and fire safety code for the whole state, written by the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission. The commission made the 2018 International Residential Code the Indiana Residential Code. Indiana cut out the part of that model code listing work that needs no permit and put a section on additions and repairs there instead, so the familiar fence exemption is not part of Indiana law. A fence permit is a city or county matter.
This one is Indiana law, not Bloomington law. All Indiana findings
Except as provided in section 3.5 of this chapter, the commission shall adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 to adopt a statewide code of fire safety laws and building laws.
Pool fence requirements in Bloomington
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Indiana answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Indiana puts this on the store, not on the pool owner, which no other state in this record does. A store selling an above ground pool with walls at least forty eight inches high has to sell it with a ladder or steps that either come off or lock. The pool wall is the barrier and the ladder is the gate. The rule covers the sale, so it says nothing about a pool already standing in a yard, and nothing else in Indiana law sets a fence height around one.
This one is Indiana law, not Bloomington law. All Indiana findings
A pool retailer who sells an above ground swimming pool that has walls that are at least forty-eight (48) inches high shall ensure that the above ground swimming pool is sold with an access ladder or steps that may be: (1) removed; or (2) secured and locked; when the above ground swimming pool is not in use.
48 inwall height at which an above ground pool must be sold with a removable or locking ladder
Spite fence laws in Bloomington
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Indiana answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Indiana has a spite fence law with a chapter to itself. A fence, or anything built like one, that goes over six feet for no reason and was put up or kept up to annoy a neighbor counts as a nuisance. The neighbor can sue for money, ask a court to have it taken down, and use the other remedies a court has for a nuisance.
This one is Indiana law, not Bloomington law. All Indiana findings
A structure in the nature of a fence unnecessarily exceeding six (6) feet in height, maliciously: (1) erected; or (2) maintained; for the purpose of annoying the owners or occupants of adjoining property, is considered a nuisance.
6 ftheight above which a maliciously built fence is considered a nuisance
How fence height is measured in Bloomington
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Bloomington answers this, but the answer changes depending on how tall the decorative feature is and how far apart the features sit.
Decorative features such as post tops are exempt from the height requirements, and the exemption carries two conditions that work together. The feature may extend no more than twelve inches above the top of the fence, and the features have to be spaced at least eight feet apart. The spacing condition is the important one, because a row of closely set caps would otherwise become a continuous extension of the fence by another name, and eight feet is a wide spacing that rules that out. The heights themselves are stated as a combined height behind the front building wall, which reaches a fence sitting on a wall rather than treating the two separately. The ordinance does not otherwise define grade or say which side of a sloping boundary the reading is taken from.
Decorative features of fences such as post tops are exempt from height requirements provided, they extend no more than twelve inches from the top of the fence and are spaced at least eight feet apart.
20.04.080(n)(1)(F), with (n)(3)(A)
The answer turns on how tall the decorative feature is and how far apart the features sit.
- a post top under twelve inches
- Exempt, if the caps are eight feet apart. 12 in
- closely spaced features
- The exemption is lost. 8 ft
- a fence on a wall
- Measured as a combined height.
Also on how height is measured in Bloomington
- left to the townIndiana never says where a fence height starts. The zoning law lets the local council set the place, height, area and size of a structure, and leaves the details to that council. State law does print fence heights: four feet for a picket fence on the line, four and a half feet for a straight rail fence, five feet for a worm rail fence, and anything over six feet for a spite fence. Not one of them says whether those feet are read from bare dirt or from a finished yard. IC 36-7-4-601Indiana · Zoning code
Fence rules for corner lots in Bloomington
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Bloomington answers this, but the answer changes depending on the triangle dimensions in Section 20.04.050(c)(5).
The fence section states the obligation in one line and sends the dimensions to Section 20.04.050(c)(5), the vision clearance triangle standards, so a fence that satisfies every figure in the fence section still has to clear that triangle. What the fence section does carry on its own is a set of rules that push a tall fence back from a second street. On a corner lot the four foot limit applies forward of the build to line along the secondary frontage, and anything over five feet between that line and the secondary front building wall has to be open construction. On a through lot a fence over four feet along the secondary frontage has to meet the building setback on a local or secondary collector street, or stand ten feet back from the property line on a primary collector or arterial.
Fences and walls shall meet all vision clearance standards in Section 20.04.050(c)(5) (Vision Clearance Triangle).
20.04.080(n)(4)(C), with (n)(3)(B) and (C)
The answer turns on the triangle dimensions in Section 20.04.050(c)(5).
- any fence or wall
- The vision clearance triangle standards apply.
- a through lot on an arterial
- Ten feet back from the property line above four feet. 10 ft
- which frontage is secondary
- The city planning and transportation department decides.
Also on corner visibility in Bloomington
- set in state lawIndiana really does set a corner visibility rule in state law, and it sits in the property title rather than a zoning one. A hedge or live fence along a highway has to be cut to five feet once a year. Where one meets a highway crossing, a bend where the view may be blocked, or railroad land, it has to be held at five feet all year. That reaches one hundred feet from the crossing, or fifty feet for other growth. The chapter skips crossings inside a city or town, skips a solid building on a corner, and for hedges reaches only where a state highway crosses another state, county or township road. IC 32-26-4-1Indiana · Statute
Retaining wall rules in Bloomington
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Bloomington answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the wall is retaining or the use is exempted.
A retaining wall in Bloomington is exempt from the height standards altogether, and the ordinance puts a different obligation in their place: it has to be built in accordance with the manufacturer specifications or generally accepted engineering standards. So the constraint on a retaining wall is structural rather than visual, with no terracing requirement, no facing materials list and no rail on top. The same applicability subsection exempts several other things from the height limits: utility substation and transmission facilities, quarry and stone processing, jails, detention facilities, kennels and prisons, and any fence or wall in the PO and MI zoning districts. A fence screening a swimming pool is bounded at both ends instead, at no less than five feet and no more than eight.
Retaining walls are exempt from the height standards but shall be constructed in accordance with manufacturer's specifications or generally accepted engineering standards.
20.04.080(n)(1)(C), with (B), (D) and (E)
The answer turns on whether the wall is retaining or the use is exempted.
- a retaining wall
- No height limit, but built to the engineering standard.
- a pool fence
- Between five feet and eight. 5 ft
- a substation, jail, kennel or the PO and MI districts
- Exempt from the height standards.
Also on retaining walls in Bloomington
- left to the townIndiana law prints no rule about a wall that holds back dirt. It tells the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission to write one building and fire safety code for the whole state instead, and the commission did. The 2020 Indiana Residential Code adopts the 2018 International Residential Code, so the rules for such a wall come from that model code. IC 22-13-2-2Indiana · Statute
Fence materials allowed in Bloomington
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Bloomington answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district and where on the lot the fence stands.
Five things are prohibited as a component of a fence or wall everywhere except the EM zoning district: barbed wire, security wire, sharpened top spikes, electrified wires, and other similar elements or materials. Naming security wire separately from barbed wire is unusual and closes the gap a modern razor product might otherwise sit in. Beyond the prohibitions the ordinance regulates construction rather than substance, and it does so where a fence is tall and near a street. Any part of a fence over five feet in the stretch between the build to line and the secondary front building wall has to be of open construction using voids and solids, and built of materials widely accepted in the fence industry for permanent open-topped fencing. A food garden fence over five feet carries the same requirement, with the material judged against what the industry accepts for garden protection.
Except in the EM zoning district, the following shall be prohibited from use as a component of a fence or wall:
20.04.080(n)(4)(A), with (n)(1)(G) and (n)(3)(B)
The answer turns on the district and where on the lot the fence stands.
- barbed wire, security wire, spikes or an electric wire
- Prohibited outside the EM district.
- a tall fence near a secondary frontage
- Open construction above five feet. 5 ft
- a garden fence
- Material the industry accepts for garden protection.
Also on materials in Bloomington
- set in state lawIndiana describes a lawful fence on the line by type instead of banning any material. It has to be tight and strong enough to hold cattle, hogs, horses, mules and sheep. The list that follows is board and wire, plain wire, board, picket, rail and worm rail fences, each at its own height. IC 32-26-9-3Indiana · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in Bloomington
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Indiana answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Indiana puts no number on a lawful fence at all. No height, no wire count, no post spacing. The statute says a lawful fence is whatever farmers normally use to close in land, and it names a cattle guard, a hedge and a ditch as examples. It also counts anything else that people who know fences will testify is enough. With no number written down, a court decides it case by case.
This one is Indiana law, not Bloomington law. All Indiana findings
As used in this chapter, "lawful fence" means any structure typically used by husbandmen for the enclosure of property.
Also on agricultural fencing in Bloomington
- depends, see the pageIndiana lets each county flip the rule township by township. Where the county commissioners have passed an order letting animals roam loose in unfenced public areas, the landowner has to have had a lawful fence to collect for damage. Where there is no such order, the landowner collects without proving any fence. Section 32-26-2-14 cuts the other way: if a court finds the broken fence was not a lawful fence, the animal goes back to its owner and the landowner pays that owner costs and damages. IC 32-26-2-2Indiana · Statute
Documents behind this page
6 documents, of which 1 was published by Bloomington itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Indiana General AssemblyIndiana Code, Title 32, Article 26, Chapter 9, Partition Fences, Section 3
- City of BloomingtonBloomington Municipal Code, Title 20, Unified Development Ordinance, Section 20.04.080(n), Fences and Walls
- Indiana General AssemblyIndiana Code, Title 22, Article 13, Chapter 2, Section 2
- Indiana General AssemblyIndiana Code, Title 22, Article 12, Chapter 10, Above Ground Swimming Pools at Class 2 Structures
- Indiana General AssemblyIndiana Code, Title 36, Article 7, Chapter 4, Section 601, Zoning ordinance; powers and duties of legislative body
- Indiana General AssemblyIndiana Code 2025, Title 32, Article 26, Chapter 9, Partition Fences
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 Bloomington publishes, plus the Indiana rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in Indiana 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