Fence laws in Greenwood, Indiana
What the Greenwood municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Greenwood sets no rule of its own, the Indiana rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Greenwood, Indiana, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Walls and fences in Greenwood are built with the structural elements, meaning the posts and beams, facing inward away from the property line, so the finished face goes to the neighbor, and the answer turns on whether the neighbors share the expense. The figure is 2 feet, for clearance from a public sidewalk.
- How tall
- Greenwood limits any portion of a fence that runs along the front lot line, or between the house and the street the house faces, to four feet on a residential building, and the answer turns on the zone, and whether the fence is across the front of the house. The figure is 4 feet, for fence across the front of a house.
- Permits
- Greenwood puts the easement risk squarely on the property owner and says so in a single sentence.
- 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
- Greenwood states the datum in one sentence at the head of the height subsection: fence height is measured from the topmost point of the fence to the grade of the ground adjacent to the wall or fence.
- Corner lots
- Section 10-03-09 has a subsection headed Visibility Triangle and it carries an illustration and no text at all, so every dimension for a corner in Greenwood is in the drawing rather than in words, and the answer turns on what the illustration in the Visibility Triangle subsection shows.
- Retaining walls
- Greenwood leaves retaining walls to the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, whose 2020 Indiana Residential Code at 675 IAC 14-4.4 adopts the 2018 International Residential Code by reference. It reaches one and two family homes only.
- Materials
- No fence in Greenwood may have metal prongs, spikes or barbed wire as part of its design or construction, with one exception: barbed wire on the top of a chain link fence in the IM and IL zones, and the answer turns on the zone and how close the fence is to a public way. The figure is 3 feet, for clearance from a street, sidewalk or alley.
- Livestock
- Indiana puts no number on a lawful fence at all.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Greenwood?
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Greenwood answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the neighbors share the expense.
Walls and fences in Greenwood are built with the structural elements, meaning the posts and beams, facing inward away from the property line, so the finished face goes to the neighbor. The rule then carries an exemption that is rare outside Indiana: where a wall or fence sits on a property line and two or more owners share in its expense, the orientation requirement does not apply at all. Fishers writes the same exemption in almost the same words. Alongside it, no fence may be located within two feet of a public sidewalk, fences may not encroach into a public right-of-way, and a privacy fence gate may not swing outward across pedestrian or cycling infrastructure.
Walls and fences shall be constructed with structural elements (e.g., posts, beams) facing inward (e.g., away from the property line). Walls or fences on a property line in which two (2) or more property owners share in the expense of the wall or fence, shall not be subject to this provision
The answer turns on whether the neighbors share the expense.
- a fence one owner pays for
- Structural elements face in.
- a fence two or more owners pay for
- The orientation rule does not apply.
- a public sidewalk
- Two feet clear of it. 2 ft
Also on fences on the property line in Greenwood
- 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 Greenwood?
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Greenwood answers this, but the answer changes depending on the zone, and whether the fence is across the front of the house.
Greenwood limits any portion of a fence that runs along the front lot line, or between the house and the street the house faces, to four feet on a residential building. Above that the ordinance sets a flat ceiling rather than a yard by yard table: no fence may exceed six feet anywhere, except in the IM and IL industrial zones where ten feet is allowed. Schools, parks and recreation complexes may go above six feet to meet specific safety and operational needs, as the Planning Director determines. Fencing in any front yard, commercial or residential, may not have less than fifty percent transparency, so the four foot front fence has to be half open as well as short.
Any portion of a fence that extends along the front lot line, or between the primary structure and the front street which runs parallel to and faces the front of the building, may not exceed four feet (4') in height for residential buildings.
The answer turns on the zone, and whether the fence is across the front of the house.
- across the front of a house
- Four feet, and half transparent. 4 ft
- anywhere else in the city
- Six feet. 6 ft
- the IM and IL industrial zones
- Ten feet. 10 ft
- a school, park or recreation complex
- Above six feet, as the Planning Director determines.
Also on fence height in Greenwood
- 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 Greenwood?
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Greenwood answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Greenwood puts the easement risk squarely on the property owner and says so in a single sentence. It is the sole responsibility of the owner to avoid erecting a fence over or within an easement, and the city has no responsibility or liability either for determining where an easement is or for having permitted a fence inside one. So a permit issued by the city is no defense if the fence turns out to sit on an easement, and the cost of finding the easements before building falls on the applicant. The same subsection adds that fences may not encroach into a public right-of-way at all, which is the one line that is not about allocating responsibility.
It shall be the sole responsibility of the property owner to avoid erection of a fence over or within an easement and the City shall have no responsibility or liability for determining the location of an easement or for permitting the erection of a fence within an easement.
Also on permits in Greenwood
- set in state lawIndiana 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. IC 22-13-2-2Indiana · Statute
Pool fence requirements in Greenwood
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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 Greenwood 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 Greenwood
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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 Greenwood 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 Greenwood
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Greenwood answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Greenwood states the datum in one sentence at the head of the height subsection: fence height is measured from the topmost point of the fence to the grade of the ground adjacent to the wall or fence. Topmost point means nothing is excluded, so a post cap or finial counts toward the figure, which is stricter than the several cities that exempt decorative tops. Ground adjacent leaves open which side of a sloping boundary the reading is taken on, and the section does not resolve it, set a post depth or say what happens where a fence stands on a berm or a retaining wall. What it does require is that fences be securely fastened to the ground.
Fence height is measured from the topmost point of the fence to the grade of the ground adjacent to the wall or fence.
Also on how height is measured in Greenwood
- 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 Greenwood
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Greenwood answers this, but the answer changes depending on what the illustration in the Visibility Triangle subsection shows.
Section 10-03-09 has a subsection headed Visibility Triangle and it carries an illustration and no text at all, so every dimension for a corner in Greenwood is in the drawing rather than in words. What the section does say in words is nearby and about the footway rather than the junction: no fence may be located within two feet of a public sidewalk, and a privacy fence gate may not swing outward across pedestrian or cycling infrastructure. The four foot limit across the front of a house, together with the requirement that a front yard fence be at least fifty percent transparent, is what keeps a corner open in practice.
No fence shall be located within two feet (2') of a public sidewalk.
The answer turns on what the illustration in the Visibility Triangle subsection shows.
- the visibility triangle
- Shown in a drawing, with no text.
- a public sidewalk
- Two feet clear.
- a privacy fence gate
- It may not swing across a path or cycleway.
Also on corner visibility in Greenwood
- 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 Greenwood
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Greenwood does not set this. It leaves it to the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, whose 2020 Indiana Residential Code at 675 IAC 14-4.4 adopts the 2018 International Residential Code by reference.
Indiana 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.
This one is Indiana law, not Greenwood 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.
The code hands this to the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, whose 2020 Indiana Residential Code at 675 IAC 14-4.4 adopts the 2018 International Residential Code by reference, which is not published in the code itself.
Fence materials allowed in Greenwood
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Greenwood answers this, but the answer changes depending on the zone and how close the fence is to a public way.
No fence in Greenwood may have metal prongs, spikes or barbed wire as part of its design or construction, with one exception: barbed wire on the top of a chain link fence in the IM and IL zones. A second sentence works from the other direction and protects the public way rather than the district, barring any fence composed in whole or in part of barbed wire or similar material designed to cause injury, or any wire carrying electric current, within three feet of any street, sidewalk, alley or other public way or place. Electric charge is otherwise prohibited except in the AG zone or on a lot with a commercial agricultural use. Non-coated chain link is permitted only in the IM and IL zones and only in rear and side yards, with no slats. For a residential front yard the list is short: decorative in design, or wood, brick, iron, stone, coated chain link, or an approved synthetic.
No fence shall have as part of its design or construction metal prongs or spikes, or barbed wire; provided, however barbed wire may be permitted on the top of chain link fences only in the IM and IL zones
The answer turns on the zone and how close the fence is to a public way.
- spikes, prongs or barbed wire
- Prohibited outside the two industrial zones.
- within three feet of a public way
- Nothing designed to injure and nothing charged. 3 ft
- a residential front yard
- Decorative, or from the six material list.
Also on materials in Greenwood
- 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 Greenwood
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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 Greenwood 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 Greenwood
- 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 Greenwood itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Indiana General AssemblyIndiana Code, Title 32, Article 26, Chapter 9, Partition Fences, Section 3
- City of GreenwoodGreenwood Code of Ordinances, Section 10-03-09, Fences and Screens
- 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 Greenwood 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