Fence laws in Wyoming, Michigan
What the Wyoming municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Wyoming sets no rule of its own, the Michigan rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Wyoming, Michigan, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- In Michigan the owner who builds a fence on the line pays for it and for keeping it up, and the neighbor owes nothing.
- How tall
- Wyoming states two heights and nothing else, and the answer turns on which yard the fence stands in. The figure is 6 feet, for fence in a required yard.
- Permits
- The first paragraph of the section does two jobs in two sentences.
- Pool barriers
- Michigan puts no pool fence height in its own statute.
- Spite fences
- Wyoming has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- The two Wyoming heights are anchored to the ground in two different phrasings, one sentence apart, and the answer turns on which of the two limits is being measured.
- Corner lots
- Wyoming scales its corner triangle to the road rather than using one figure everywhere, and the answer turns on how wide the abutting streets are. The figure is 13 feet, for leg of the corner triangle.
- 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
- Wyoming regulates fence materials with a standard rather than a list, requiring all fences to be of an ornamental nature, which leaves the building inspector to decide what qualifies since the section defines the term nowhere, and the answer turns on the material and the zone.
- Livestock
- Michigan sets no height, wire count, board count or post spacing for a farm fence.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Wyoming?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Michigan answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
In 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.
This one is Michigan law, not Wyoming law. All Michigan findings
The owner of real property who constructs a fence shall pay for the construction and maintenance of that fence.
Also on fences on the property line in Wyoming
- no rule, documents checkedSection 90-312 never addresses the boundary itself. It does not say a fence may sit on the lot line, does not require the adjoining owner to consent in writing or otherwise, does not set a distance the fence has to stay back from the line, does not say who is responsible for the strip between a fence and the line where one is left, and does not allocate the cost of a shared fence. The only provision touching the neighbor at all is the orientation sentence, which turns the finished side outward toward abutting lots and rights-of-way, and that is about appearance rather than position. The vision clearance section refers to street lot lines for drawing its triangle but says nothing about a side or rear boundary between two private lots. 90-312, the whole sectionWyoming · Zoning code
How tall can a fence be in Wyoming?
Compare fence height across all 50 states
Wyoming answers this, but the answer changes depending on which yard the fence stands in.
Wyoming states two heights and nothing else. No fence may be erected in any required yard space in excess of six feet above the grade of the surrounding land, and no fence in a front yard, or within the first ten feet of a secondary front yard in a residential district, may exceed thirty-six inches above ground level. The second figure is the one that catches a corner lot, and the ten foot reach is short by Michigan standards, so a corner fence in Wyoming can come much closer to the side street than it could in most of the cities nearby. There is no separate figure for a commercial or industrial lot, no allowance bought by making the fence see through, and no taller option available from a board or an administrator. The section says nothing about a fence outside a required yard, which leaves the six foot figure tied to the required yard space rather than to residential land generally.
No fence shall hereafter be erected in any required yard space in excess of six feet in height above the grade of the surrounding land.
The answer turns on which yard the fence stands in.
- a required yard space
- Six feet. 6 ft
- a front yard
- Thirty-six inches. 36 in
- a secondary front yard in a residential district
- Thirty-six inches for the first ten feet. 10 ft
Also on fence height in Wyoming
- 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 Wyoming?
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Wyoming answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
The first paragraph of the section does two jobs in two sentences. Erecting, constructing or altering any fence has to be approved by the building inspector for compliance with the zoning chapter, with no height threshold and no exemption, so even a low fence goes past that office. There is no application form described, no fee named, no plot plan required and no appeal body mentioned, which makes this one of the shortest permit provisions of any Michigan city this size. The second sentence settles orientation: the finished side of a fence faces outward toward abutting lots and rights-of-way, which reaches the street as well as the neighbor and so governs both faces of a corner lot fence at once.
The erection, construction or alteration of any fence shall be approved by the building inspector for compliance with the provisions of this chapter. The finished side of a fence shall face outward toward abutting lots and rights-of-way.
Also on permits in Wyoming
- set in state lawA 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. R 408.30505Michigan · Building code
Pool fence requirements in Wyoming
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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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming
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Wyoming 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 Wyoming law. All Michigan findings
Documents read before writing that:
How fence height is measured in Wyoming
Compare how height is measured across all 50 states
Wyoming answers this, but the answer changes depending on which of the two limits is being measured.
The two Wyoming heights are anchored to the ground in two different phrasings, one sentence apart. The six foot limit is read above the grade of the surrounding land, which looks past the strip the fence stands on to the land around it, so raising a berm under a fence does not buy height. The thirty-six inch front yard limit is read above the ground level, which is the narrower reading taken directly beneath. The vision clearance section uses ground level as well for anything inside the triangle, and switches to adjoining street level for the two clearances it states for things overhead. Nothing in either section says what happens where a lot slopes, where two neighboring lots sit at different levels, or where a fence stands on top of a retaining wall.
No fence located in the front yard, or within the first ten feet of the secondary front yard in residential districts, shall exceed 36 inches in height above the ground level.
The answer turns on which of the two limits is being measured.
- the six foot limit
- Above the grade of the surrounding land.
- the thirty-six inch limit
- Above the ground level.
- a slope or a retaining wall
- Neither section says.
Also on how height is measured in Wyoming
- 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 Wyoming
Compare corner visibility across all 50 states
Wyoming answers this, but the answer changes depending on how wide the abutting streets are.
Wyoming scales its corner triangle to the road rather than using one figure everywhere. The triangle is drawn along the two street lot lines to points thirteen feet from their intersection, with the third side joining those points, and if either abutting street is more than sixty-six feet wide the leg becomes twenty-five feet instead. Sixty-six feet is the width of a standard platted right-of-way, so the wider figure is aimed at the bigger roads. Where the street lot lines do not actually meet, the measurement runs along their tangents as extended, which answers the rounded corner most codes ignore. Inside the triangle, any shrubbery, structure, wall, fence, sign or other device stops at thirty-six inches above ground level. Two things are allowed to pass through overhead: a sign on a post no more than a foot across where no part of it is lower than ten feet above the adjoining street, and tree branches at a minimum of ten feet.
The corner shall be a triangle, two sides of which shall be the street lot lines measured from the intersection of the street lot lines to points 13 feet away and the third side connecting such points. If either abutting street is more than 66 feet wide, 25 feet shall be used instead of 13 feet.
The answer turns on how wide the abutting streets are.
- an ordinary intersection
- Thirteen feet along each street line. 13 ft
- a street over sixty-six feet wide
- Twenty-five feet along each street line. 25 ft
- anything inside the triangle
- Thirty-six inches above ground level. 36 in
- tree branches overhead
- Ten feet above the adjoining street level. 10 ft
Also on corner visibility in Wyoming
- 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 Wyoming
Compare retaining walls across all 50 states
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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming
Compare materials across all 50 states
Wyoming answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material and the zone.
Wyoming regulates fence materials with a standard rather than a list, requiring all fences to be of an ornamental nature, which leaves the building inspector to decide what qualifies since the section defines the term nowhere. What follows is specific: spikes, nails and any sharp instruments of any kind are prohibited on top of or on the sides of any fence, with one exception for barbed wire on the top of fences in industrial zones. The exception is written without the usual conditions that go with it elsewhere in Michigan, so there is no stated setback from a road or from housing and no minimum height the strands have to sit above. Electric fences are not mentioned at all, in either direction, and neither are chain link, razor wire or scrap materials.
All fences shall be of an ornamental nature. Spikes, nails or any sharp instruments of any kind are prohibited on top of or on the sides of any fence, except that barbed wire is allowed on the top of fences in industrial zones.
The answer turns on the material and the zone.
- any fence
- Ornamental in nature.
- spikes, nails or sharp instruments
- Prohibited on the top or the sides.
- barbed wire in an industrial zone
- Allowed on the top of the fence.
Also on materials in Wyoming
- 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 Wyoming
Compare agricultural fencing across all 50 states
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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming
- 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 Wyoming itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Michigan LegislatureMichigan Compiled Laws, Chapter 43, Fences and Fence Viewers, Act 34 of 1978
- City of WyomingWyoming Code of Ordinances, Chapter 90, Zoning, Section 90-312, Fences, walls and other protective barriers
- 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 Wyoming 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