Fence laws in Midwest City, Oklahoma
What the Midwest City municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Midwest City sets no rule of its own, the Oklahoma rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Midwest City, Oklahoma, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Midwest City states no setback from a neighbor, and the answer turns on which line it is and what the fence does to drainage. The figure is 0 feet, for setback stated from a side or rear property line.
- How tall
- Midwest City splits the lot at the building line and adds a second test in front that most codes leave out, and the answer turns on the yard, the district and how open the fence is. The figure is 4 feet, for ornamental fence past the front or side building line.
- Permits
- The fencing section opens with the permit rather than burying it: residential fences and walls may be erected under the provisions that follow, and a permit has to be obtained from the city first.
- Pool barriers
- An outdoor pool in Oklahoma that is open to the public gets a barrier equal to a 6 foot high woven wire fence. The figure is 6 feet, for barrier height around an outdoor public bathing place open to the general public.
- Spite fences
- Midwest City has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Midwest City names its datum, which many codes in this project do not, and the answer turns on whether the fence stands on the lot or at a corner.
- Corner lots
- Almost every code in this project holds a corner fence to about three feet, and the answer turns on what is in the triangle and which street it fronts. The figure is 10 feet, for height above ground cleared of walls, fences, signs and structures.
- Retaining walls
- Midwest City leaves retaining walls to the International Residential Code, 2018 edition, as amended and modified by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission in OAC 748:20-6.
- Materials
- The approved list for a one or two family district is wood, vinyl and metal slats at least five eighths of an inch deep, wrought iron or aluminum made to look like it, brick or stone, chain link, and ribbed steel panel, and the answer turns on the material and the district.
- Livestock
- Oklahoma writes out what a lawful fence for livestock is. The figure is 54 inches, for height of a lawful fence for restraining livestock.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Midwest City?
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Midwest City answers this, but the answer changes depending on which line it is and what the fence does to drainage.
Midwest City states no setback from a neighbor. The ornamental fence rule places a four foot fence at the front and side property lines of the residence, and nothing in the section holds a rear or interior side fence back from the boundary, so a fence may sit on the line at the heights the section allows. Three limits sit on top of that and none of them is a distance. Fencing and screening, hedges included, may not extend into the street right-of-way at all, in residential districts and in commercial and industrial ones alike. No fence or wall may be built in a way that blocks the normal flow of surface drainage. And where a fence goes up on a property before it is occupied, no use or change of use may be made until the owner or occupant has met the requirements of the code, which ties the fence to the occupancy rather than to the boundary.
Fencing and screening, including hedges, are prohibited from extending into the street right-of-way.
Section 5.2.3(B)(1) and (B)(6)
The answer turns on which line it is and what the fence does to drainage.
- a side or rear line
- No setback stated. 0 ft
- the street right-of-way
- Nothing extends into it.
- surface drainage
- It may not be impeded.
- a fence built before occupancy
- No use of the property until it complies.
Also on fences on the property line in Midwest City
- set in state lawNeighbors in Oklahoma share the job of keeping up the fence and the boundary markers between them, in equal parts. One neighbor can step out of that by leaving the land open, with no fence around it, as a public common. If that neighbor later encloses the land, a fair share of what the other one's fence is worth at that time has to be paid back. 60 O.S. § 70Oklahoma · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Midwest City?
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Midwest City answers this, but the answer changes depending on the yard, the district and how open the fence is.
Midwest City splits the lot at the building line and adds a second test in front that most codes leave out. Past the front or side building line a single-family or two-family property may have an ornamental fence up to four feet measured from the ground level, and at least half of the total fence area has to be open so somebody can see into the yard, which the code illustrates with chain link or a picket fence. Anything in front of that line taller than four feet needs approval from the Board of Adjustment before it goes in. In the rear yard the limit is eight feet from ground level. Multifamily property in the medium and high density districts is the exception and may fence to the front property line, but only in wrought iron or something that looks like it, so the view into the complex stays open.
Maximum of four (4) feet in height as measured from the ground level; b. A minimum of fifty (50) percent of the total fence area must be open to allow visibility into the front or side yard (i.e. chain-link or picket fence);
The answer turns on the yard, the district and how open the fence is.
- past the front or side building line
- Four feet, and half of it open. 4 ft
- a rear yard
- Eight feet from ground level. 8 ft
- taller than four feet in front
- The Board of Adjustment decides.
- multifamily in R-MD or R-HD
- To the front line, in wrought iron.
Also on fence height in Midwest City
- no rule, documents checkedOklahoma sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. The property title on boundary fences deals with shared upkeep and not with size. The building code statute hands the choice of a code to a state commission and lets cities and counties go stricter, and it names no fence height. The one height in Oklahoma fence law is the 54 inch lawful fence, which describes a fence built to hold stock rather than a cap on a yard fence. Cities and counties set the limit at a house. 60 O.S. § 70Oklahoma · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Midwest City?
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Midwest City answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
The fencing section opens with the permit rather than burying it: residential fences and walls may be erected under the provisions that follow, and a permit has to be obtained from the city first. There is no height threshold, no length threshold and no exemption for a repair. The application carries more than a location, because the owner has to provide the material and dimension information as part of it, and anyone using ribbed steel panel has to present the panel standards with the application. A fence in front of the front or side building line taller than four feet takes a separate approval from the Board of Adjustment before installation. The fee is not printed in the zoning appendix and is set in the fee table at Section 9-47 of the code instead.
Residential fences and walls may be erected in residential districts under the following provisions and regulations. A permit must first be obtained from the City before any residential fence is constructed.
Also on permits in Midwest City
- set in state lawOne state body picks the building code for all of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission reviews and adopts the codes for homes and commercial buildings, and what it adopts is the least a build has to meet anywhere in the state. Cities, counties and state agencies work from those minimums and may write stricter rules of their own. The statute itself names no fence and no permit exemption. 59 O.S. § 1000.23Oklahoma · Statute
Pool fence requirements in Midwest City
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Oklahoma answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
An outdoor pool in Oklahoma that is open to the public gets a barrier equal to a 6 foot high woven wire fence. An outdoor pool that is not open to the general public gets a barrier at least 4 feet tall, entered only through gates that close and latch on their own, and it cannot block a clear view of the water. A decorative barrier can have no opening wider than 4 inches, and no barrier may be built in a way that turns it into a ladder. The rules come from the State Department of Health and cover public bathing places.
This one is Oklahoma law, not Midwest City law. All Oklahoma findings
Outdoor pools open to general public such as municipal pools and pools used by organizations (YWCA, YMCA, etc.), shall be enclosed by a suitable barrier equal to a six (6) foot high woven wire fence.
6 ftbarrier height around an outdoor public bathing place open to the general public
Spite fence laws in Midwest City
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Midwest City law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Oklahoma has no spite fence law. The property title that covers boundary fences says nothing about a fence built to annoy a neighbor and sets no height at all. The nuisance title has no fence rule either. A claim about a spite fence in Oklahoma runs on the general nuisance law and on court rulings.
This one is Oklahoma law, not Midwest City law. All Oklahoma findings
Documents read before writing that:
- 60 O.S. §§ 69 to 78Oklahoma Legislature
- 50 O.S. §§ 1 to 44Oklahoma Legislature
How fence height is measured in Midwest City
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Midwest City answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the fence stands on the lot or at a corner.
Midwest City names its datum, which many codes in this project do not. The four foot ornamental fence in front is measured from the ground level, and the rear yard limit is eight feet from ground level, so both numbers are tied to the dirt the fence stands on rather than to a curb or a crown. At a corner the reference changes and gets a tie-breaker: height there is based on the elevation of the adjacent public street or private driveway, whichever is greater, so the higher of the two governs. The sight distance area itself is measured from ground elevation up to ten feet. What the section does not address is a fence on top of something, since a berm is not mentioned and a retaining wall is not mentioned, and it does not say how to measure a fence that steps down a slope. The one shape rule nearby is on steel panel, which has to be capped level following the lay of the land.
Rear yard heigh limitation. In rear yards the height limitation shall be eight (8) feet from ground level.
Section 5.2.3(B)(2) and (B)(4)
The answer turns on whether the fence stands on the lot or at a corner.
- a fence on the lot
- From ground level.
- a corner
- From the higher of street or driveway.
- a berm or retaining wall
- Not addressed.
- a slope
- Steel panel caps follow the land.
Also on how height is measured in Midwest City
- set in state lawOklahoma names the ground in its fence statute, and only for the bottom of the fence. Section 154 puts the lowest rail, wire or board between sixteen and twenty inches from the ground, then sets the whole fence at fifty four inches in height without saying fifty four inches from what. That rule describes a lawful fence built to hold stock. For a fence at a house, the city ordinance written under title 11 sets both the height and the point it is counted from. 4 O.S. 4-154Oklahoma · Statute
Fence rules for corner lots in Midwest City
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Midwest City answers this, but the answer changes depending on what is in the triangle and which street it fronts.
Almost every code in this project holds a corner fence to about three feet. Midwest City does not set a height there at all, because it clears the whole column. No parking wall, fence, sign or structure may be placed or maintained in the sight distance area from ground elevation to a height of ten feet, with an exception only for traffic directional signs up to thirty inches, and plant growth is held to a mature height of thirty inches. A fence in that triangle is therefore not short, it is absent. The triangle is twenty five feet along the front and side lot lines at two public streets, with the hypotenuse extended to the curb, and the same twenty five feet at a driveway serving a parking lot of six or more vehicles. Height is judged off the adjacent street or driveway, whichever is higher. On a one-way street or one with a median the rule applies only on the side oncoming traffic comes from.
No parking wall, fence, sign, or structure shall be placed or maintained within the remaining sight distance area, herein defined from ground elevation to a height of ten (10) feet, except for traffic directional signs not to exceed thirty (30) inches.
The answer turns on what is in the triangle and which street it fronts.
- a fence in the triangle
- Cleared to ten feet, so none. 10 ft
- the triangle itself
- Twenty five feet each way. 25 ft
- plant growth
- Thirty inches at maturity. 30 in
- a one-way street or a median
- Only the oncoming side.
Also on corner visibility in Midwest City
- left to the townOklahoma has no state rule for the clear view at a corner. Title 11 lets a city government control the height and size of buildings and other structures and the size of yards and open spaces, so a corner triangle can only come from a city ordinance written under that power. Title 69, the roads and bridges title, uses the words sight distance only in the part describing how a turnpike is designed, which is about the road and not about what stands on a corner lot. 11 O.S. 43-101Oklahoma · Zoning code
Retaining wall rules in Midwest City
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Midwest City does not set this. It leaves it to the International Residential Code, 2018 edition, as amended and modified by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission in OAC 748:20-6.
Oklahoma writes no retaining wall rule of its own. The Uniform Building Code Commission adopted the 2018 International Residential Code as the statewide minimum for one and two family homes and townhouses, and took in chapter 1 of that book, which holds the list of work that needs no permit. So the test for a wall that holds back earth comes from the adopted book, and a city or county may set a stricter rule on top of it.
This one is Oklahoma law, not Midwest City law. All Oklahoma findings
the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission (the "OUBCC") hereby adopts the International Residential Code®, 2018 Edition (IRC® 2018) as amended and modified in this subchapter to be the statewide minimum code for residential construction within the State of Oklahoma for one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses
The code hands this to the International Residential Code, 2018 edition, as amended and modified by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission in OAC 748:20-6, which is not published in the code itself.
Fence materials allowed in Midwest City
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Midwest City answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material and the district.
The approved list for a one or two family district is wood, vinyl and metal slats at least five eighths of an inch deep, wrought iron or aluminum made to look like it, brick or stone, chain link, and ribbed steel panel. Sheet metal, plastic, corrugated metal panels and plywood are prohibited, and so are stockade wood posts, with only the caps of posts allowed to rise above the fence line. All metal fencing needs a factory applied coating, named as powder coat, PVDF, a thermal set silicone polyester base finish, or another factory coating staff will accept. The ribbed steel panel allowance is the unusual part, because the code writes the panel itself: a rib one to one and a half inches deep by two and a half to three and a half inches wide with six to twelve inches between rib centers, in twenty two or twenty four gauge steel, capped on top and following the lay of the land, with the poles not standing past the panels.
Ribbed sheet panels shall have the following dimensions: Rib depth of one (1) to one and one-half (1½) inches by a width of two and one-half (2½) to three and one-half (3½) inches with six (6) to twelve (12) inches between rib centers. b) Ribbed steel panels must be twenty-two (22) or twenty-four (24) gauge steel.
The answer turns on the material and the district.
- wood, vinyl, iron, masonry or chain link
- Approved.
- sheet metal, plastic or plywood
- Prohibited.
- ribbed steel panel
- Allowed to a written spec.
- any metal fence
- A factory applied coating.
Also on materials in Midwest City
- set in state lawBarb wire is a legal way to build a fence in Oklahoma, and the statute says how. A barb wire lawful fence takes three barb wires, or four wires with two of them barbed. Posts go no more than two rods apart when two stays are used between them, or one rod apart with no stays, and a rod is sixteen and a half feet. The top wire sits fifty four to fifty eight inches up and the bottom wire sixteen to twenty inches off the ground. The same section sets a separate standard for a rail or board fence. 4 O.S. 154Oklahoma · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in Midwest City
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Oklahoma answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Oklahoma writes out what a lawful fence for livestock is. A rail or board fence stands 54 inches tall, with the bottom rail no more than 20 and no less than 16 inches off the ground. A barbed wire fence may run three barbed wires, or four wires with two of them barbed, and the top wire sits 54 to 58 inches up. Fence viewers may accept any other fence they judge equal to that. An owner who leaves land open as a common does not pay toward a fence on the line until the land is enclosed or put to some other use.
This one is Oklahoma law, not Midwest City law. All Oklahoma findings
Provided, that the lowest or bottom rail, wire or board shall not be more than twenty (20) or less than sixteen (16) inches from the ground, and that such fence shall be fifty-four (54) inches in height, except that a barb wire fence may consist of three barb wires, or four wires, two of which shall be barbed
54 inheight of a lawful fence for restraining livestock
Documents behind this page
9 documents, of which 2 were published by Midwest City itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Statutes, Title 60, Property, Section 70
- City of Midwest CityMidwest City Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Zoning Regulations, Section 5.2, Screening and Landscaping
- Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Statutes, Title 59, Professions and Occupations, Sections 1000.20 to 1000.29, Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission Act
- Oklahoma State Department of HealthOklahoma Administrative Code Title 310, Chapter 315, Public Bathing Place Facility Standards, permanent final adoption
- Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Statutes, Title 50, Nuisances, Sections 1 to 44
- Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Statutes, Title 4, Animals
- Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Statutes, Title 11, Cities and Towns, Article 43, Municipal Planning and Zoning
- City of Midwest CityMidwest City Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Zoning Regulations, Section 5, Supplementary Regulations
- Oklahoma Uniform Building Code CommissionOklahoma Administrative Code, Title 748, Chapter 20, Subchapter 6, IRC 2018, Permanent Rule effective September 14, 2022
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 Midwest City publishes, plus the Oklahoma rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in Oklahoma 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