Fence laws in Novi, Michigan
What the Novi municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Novi sets no rule of its own, the Michigan rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Novi, Michigan, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Novi gives the shared boundary three rules and none of them is about consent, and the answer turns on the length of the property line and whether the fence has a better side. The figure is 150 feet, for line length the uniformity rule applies to.
- How tall
- A residential fence in Novi that encloses property or stands in a required side yard is held to six feet, and may not run nearer the front of the lot than the minimum front yard setback unless an existing house already reaches into that setback, in which case the fence may come forward to the front of the house, and the answer turns on the district, the size of the lot, and whether wire sits on top. The figure is 6 feet, for residential fence.
- Permits
- A fence in Michigan seven feet tall or shorter needs no building permit. The figure is 7 feet, for residential fence height at or below which no building permit is required.
- Pool barriers
- Michigan puts no pool fence height in its own statute.
- Spite fences
- Novi has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Novi answers the question most codes leave open about a hedge, and the answer turns on whether the thing measured is planted or built. The figure is 8 feet, for fence enclosing a public park.
- Corner lots
- The Novi clear view zone is the strictest in this set, and the answer turns on whether the obstruction is built, planted, or a tree. The figure is 2 feet, for height limit in the clear view zone.
- Retaining walls
- A retaining wall in Michigan needs no building permit if it is four feet tall or less, measured from the bottom of the footing up to the top of the wall. The figure is 4 feet, for height at or below which a retaining wall needs no building permit. It reaches one and two family homes and townhouses under the Michigan residential code only.
- Materials
- Novi names eight things a fence may not be made of and the list reads like a survey of what people actually try: scrap material, tires, canvas, cardboard, asphalt style shingles, chicken wire or similar fine wire mesh, corrugated metal and sheet metal, and the answer turns on the material and what the fence is holding in.
- Livestock
- Michigan sets no height, wire count, board count or post spacing for a farm fence.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Novi?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Novi answers this, but the answer changes depending on the length of the property line and whether the fence has a better side.
Novi gives the shared boundary three rules and none of them is about consent. A residential fence has to be built of comparable materials on both its front and back sides, which is stronger than the usual good side rule because it governs what the fence is made of rather than only which way it faces. On top of that, where a fence does have a finished and an unfinished side, the finished or more decorative side faces outward toward the adjoining property or street. All fences have to be of uniform material, finish and color along a property line on any parcel totaling less than a hundred and fifty feet, so a patchwork of runs is barred on a normal sized lot. And apart from materials the code permits, anything attached to the inward facing side may not be visible from any adjoining property or street.
Where a fence has a finished and an unfinished side, the finished or more decorative side shall face outward toward the adjoining property or street.
The answer turns on the length of the property line and whether the fence has a better side.
- a residential fence
- Comparable materials on both faces.
- a property line under a hundred and fifty feet
- Uniform material, finish and color along the whole line. 150 ft
- a pool barrier or a neighborhood entry feature
- Exempt from the general regulations.
Also on fences on the property line in Novi
- set in state lawIn Michigan the owner who builds a fence on the line pays for it and for keeping it up, and the neighbor owes nothing. Most states split that cost. The neighbor starts owing a share of what the fence is worth now only when that neighbor or their renter begins using it to hold animals, and even then the neighbor can build a separate fence instead. The whole act covers only fences that hold animals, because section 43.51 defines a fence that way. MCL 43.53(1)Michigan · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Novi?
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Novi answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district, the size of the lot, and whether wire sits on top.
A residential fence in Novi that encloses property or stands in a required side yard is held to six feet, and may not run nearer the front of the lot than the minimum front yard setback unless an existing house already reaches into that setback, in which case the fence may come forward to the front of the house. Two kinds of lot escape that forward limit entirely: a lot over two acres inside a recorded plat, and a lot with at least two hundred feet of frontage inside a recorded plat. Decorative fencing such as split rail is also outside it where it is no more than twenty feet long or four feet high and forms part of an approved landscaping plan. Nonresidential fences take eight feet and may not extend into a front or exterior side yard at all, with barbed wire allowed to project above that figure so long as the whole thing, wire included, stops at eleven feet.
No fence shall exceed eight (8) feet in height, except barbed wire placed along the top of a fence may project beyond the maximum height limitation of the fence, but no fence, including barbed wire, shall exceed an overall height of eleven (11) feet.
The answer turns on the district, the size of the lot, and whether wire sits on top.
- a residential lot
- Six feet, and no further forward than the front setback. 6 ft
- a nonresidential lot
- Eight feet, and nothing in a front or exterior side yard. 8 ft
- barbed wire on top
- Eleven feet overall. 11 ft
- split rail in an approved landscaping plan
- Four feet, up to twenty feet long, anywhere. 4 ft
Also on fence height in Novi
- no rule, documents checkedMichigan sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. The state fence act defines a fence by what it holds in, not by height, and names no number. The seven feet in the residential code rules is the point where a permit starts being needed, not a cap. The city, village or township sets the limit. MCL 43.51Michigan · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Novi?
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Michigan answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
A fence in Michigan seven feet tall or shorter needs no building permit. The state writes that number into its own rule rather than taking the model code as it comes. Rule 505 replaces section R105.2 of the residential code. The same no permit list also covers a separate shed up to 200 square feet, a retaining wall under four feet with no extra weight on the soil behind it, and a store bought pool less than 24 inches deep. Skipping the permit does not make legal any work that breaks the code or a city rule.
This one is Michigan law, not Novi law. All Michigan findings
A fence that is not more than 7 feet (2 134 mm) high.
7 ftresidential fence height at or below which no building permit is required
Pool fence requirements in Novi
Compare pool barriers across all 50 states
Michigan answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Michigan puts no pool fence height in its own statute. The state construction code act builds the Michigan code out of the national model codes, including the International Residential Code, plus whatever changes the director makes. So the fence rule for a pool at a house comes from that model code. The same act says a Michigan version of a code has to be free to the public before anyone can enforce it.
This one is Michigan law, not Novi law. All Michigan findings
The code shall consist of the international residential code, the international building code, the international mechanical code, the international plumbing code, the international existing building code, and the international energy conservation code published by the international code council and the national electrical code published by the national fire prevention association, with amendments, additions, or deletions as the director determines appropriate.
Spite fence laws in Novi
Compare spite fences across all 50 states
Novi law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Michigan has no spite fence law. The state fence act covers who pays, who the fence viewer is, and what a fence viewer can decide, and section 43.55 says plainly that a fence viewer does not settle boundary arguments. Nothing in the act turns on why a fence went up or how tall it is. A claim about a fence built to annoy rests on ordinary nuisance law made by judges, and on city zoning.
This one is Michigan law, not Novi law. All Michigan findings
Documents read before writing that:
How fence height is measured in Novi
Compare how height is measured across all 50 states
Novi answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the thing measured is planted or built.
Novi answers the question most codes leave open about a hedge. Height of shrubs, perennials or ornamental grasses is the mature height for the species of plant material, so a newly planted row that sits below the limit today is judged on what it will become, and a planting that will outgrow the clear view zone is barred at the moment it goes in rather than years later. For built things the datum changes with the rule. Inside the corner clearance zone the reading is taken from the established street grades, and the fence around a public park is measured from the surface of the ground. The fence section itself never defines grade for an ordinary residential fence, and says nothing about a slope, a berm or a retaining wall, so the six foot figure rests on the ordinary meaning of the word.
Height of shrubs, perennials or ornamental grasses is the mature height for the species of plant material.
The answer turns on whether the thing measured is planted or built.
- a shrub, perennial or grass
- Measured at the mature height for the species.
- anything in the corner zone
- From the established street grades.
- a fence around a public park
- From the surface of the ground. 8 ft
Also on how height is measured in Novi
- left to the townMichigan never says where a fence height is measured from. Section 125.3201 of the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act lets a local government limit the height of buildings and other structures, and stops there. The state fence law says even less. Section 43.51 calls a fence anything good enough to hold an animal, with no number and no starting point. So the county, township or city writes both the limit and the way it is measured. MCL 125.3201(4)Michigan · Zoning code
Fence rules for corner lots in Novi
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Novi answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the obstruction is built, planted, or a tree.
The Novi clear view zone is the strictest in this set. Nothing that obstructs vision may stand above two feet from the established street grades inside the triangle, and the rule names fences, walls, plant material and signs together so a hedge is treated the same as a fence. The triangle runs twenty-five feet along each street right-of-way line from their point of intersection, and medians are included in the measurement. Trees are handled separately and specifically: canopy and sub-canopy trees may be located at the outside edge of the triangle, and no evergreen trees are allowed within it or at its edge at all, which reflects the fact that an evergreen keeps its screen all winter. A driveway gets its own ten foot clear view zone measured from the back of the curb and the edge of the drive, and a private road meets the same twenty-five foot standard as a public one.
no fence, wall, plant material, sign or other obstruction to vision above a height of two (2) feet from the established street grades shall be permitted within the clear view zone
The answer turns on whether the obstruction is built, planted, or a tree.
- anything inside the zone
- Two feet above the established street grade. 2 ft
- the size of the zone
- Twenty-five feet along each right-of-way line. 25 ft
- a driveway
- A ten foot zone from the back of the curb. 10 ft
- an evergreen tree
- Not allowed in the zone or at its edge.
Also on corner visibility in Novi
- set in state lawMichigan has a 1925 law about fences that sit in the road. Act 368 of 1925, in Chapter 247 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, lets the commissioner in charge of a road order an owner to pull back any fence, building or other thing that crosses into a public highway, and gives the owner thirty days. The order has to state how wide the road is and where the fence sits compared to the center line. An owner who ignores it owes a dollar a day. The law covers the road itself and nothing else. A clear view triangle at a corner comes from a city rule written under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act. MCL 247.171Michigan · Traffic code
Retaining wall rules in Novi
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Michigan answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
A retaining wall in Michigan needs no building permit if it is four feet tall or less, measured from the bottom of the footing up to the top of the wall. The footing sits below the ground, so the four feet starts lower than the yard does. Michigan writes this itself. Rule 505 replaces section R105.2 of the residential code. A wall holding up a surcharge needs a permit at any height. A surcharge means extra weight pressing on the soil behind the wall, such as a driveway or a building. Skipping the permit does not make legal any work that breaks the code or a city rule.
This one is Michigan law, not Novi law. All Michigan findings
A retaining wall that is not more than 4 feet (1 219 mm) in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge.
4 ftheight at or below which a retaining wall needs no building permit
Fence materials allowed in Novi
Compare materials across all 50 states
Novi answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material and what the fence is holding in.
Novi names eight things a fence may not be made of and the list reads like a survey of what people actually try: scrap material, tires, canvas, cardboard, asphalt style shingles, chicken wire or similar fine wire mesh, corrugated metal and sheet metal. It then writes fine wire back in under conditions, allowing it to be attached to the interior of, or made part of, a wooden, stone, brick, wrought iron or other non-wire fence where that fence alone would not hold pets or animals. Used that way the wire has to be vinyl coated or painted a standard dark brown, dark green or black, and the section says expressly that it is then not considered a wire fence. On a residential lot of record barbed wire, electric current and any charge of electricity are prohibited, and a nonresidential fence may not carry current either.
No fence shall be composed of scrap material, tires, canvas, cardboard, asphalt style shingles, chicken wire or similar fine wire mesh, corrugated metal or sheet metal.
5.11.3.A, with 5.11.1.D and 5.11.2.C
The answer turns on the material and what the fence is holding in.
- scrap, tires, canvas or sheet metal
- Prohibited.
- fine wire inside a solid fence to hold an animal
- Allowed, coated dark brown, dark green or black.
- a residential lot of record
- No barbed wire and no electric charge.
Also on materials in Novi
- set in state lawMichigan says in its construction code act what a low voltage electric fence is. It counts as one only if it stands on land zoned for something other than homes and runs off a battery of 12 volts or less. It also has to sit inside a fence or wall that carries no current and stands at least 5 feet tall. It stops at 10 feet and carries shock warning signs no more than 60 feet apart, written in English and Spanish. A fence that meets the whole list needs no permit when a registered alarm company installs it. MCL 125.1528aMichigan · Building code
Livestock and boundary fence law in Novi
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Michigan answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Michigan sets no height, wire count, board count or post spacing for a farm fence. The fence viewers act defines a fence by what it does rather than what it is made of, so anything that holds an animal counts, and so does a natural barrier such as a river or a thick hedge. The animals it has to hold are the ones named in the running at large act: cattle, horses, sheep, swine, mules, burros or goats.
This one is Michigan law, not Novi law. All Michigan findings
means a structure or natural barrier which is sufficient to confine an animal as defined in section 1 of Act No. 328 of the Public Acts of 1976
Also on agricultural fencing in Novi
- set in state lawMichigan puts the duty on the animal owner across the whole state. An animal may not run loose anywhere in Michigan. The owner may not let it happen, and neither may anybody else who knows what they are doing. Running at large means the animal is off the owner's land and out of the owner's control. A person whose property gets damaged can ask the owner to pay, and nothing in the act asks that person to have built a fence first. MCL 433.12Michigan · Statute
Documents behind this page
10 documents, of which 1 was published by Novi itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Michigan LegislatureMichigan Compiled Laws, Chapter 43, Fences and Fence Viewers, Act 34 of 1978
- City of NoviCity of Novi Zoning Ordinance, Section 5.11, Fences (Residential and Nonresidential)
- Michigan LegislatureMichigan Compiled Laws, Chapter 43, Fences and Fence Viewers, Act 34 of 1978
- Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction CodesMichigan Administrative Code, Construction Code, Part 5, Residential Code, R 408.30500 to R 408.30547g
- Michigan LegislatureMichigan Compiled Laws, Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act, Act 230 of 1972
- Michigan LegislatureMichigan Compiled Laws, Chapter 43, Fences and Fence Viewers, Act 34 of 1978
- Michigan LegislatureMichigan Compiled Laws, Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, Section 125.3201
- Michigan LegislatureMichigan Compiled Laws, Act 368 of 1925, Highway Obstructions and Encroachments, Section 247.171, Encroachments; removal order, service; temporary permit
- Michigan LegislatureMichigan Compiled Laws, Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act, Act 230 of 1972, Section 28a
- Michigan LegislatureMichigan Compiled Laws, Animals Running at Large, Act 328 of 1976
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 Novi publishes, plus the Michigan rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in Michigan 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