All 50 states and DC
Fence materials allowed by state
Material rules are rarer at state level than people assume, and the ones that exist are worth knowing because they are absolute rather than discretionary. Two states in this set restrict barbed wire outright. Several regulate electric and battery-charged fences separately from ordinary ones. Everywhere else the question belongs to the town, and the widely repeated claim that chain link is banned in residential areas turns out not to be a state rule anywhere.
Fence materials allowed by state, state by state
47 set a rule in state law, 4 were checked and say nothing. Every row links the state page and the document behind it.
| State | What the record says | Restriction | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | set in state lawbattery charged fences on land not set aside only for homes, and not fences used for farming or holding animals | 10 ft | Ala. Code 11-80-17 |
| Alaska | set in state lawAlaska names one fence material in its fence chapter, barbed wire, and the rule is about upkeep rather than... | none stated | AS 03.30.020 |
| Arizona | set in state lawlawful fences for livestock | 4 strands | A.R.S. 3-1426 |
| Arkansas | set in state lawbattery charged security fences on land the city has not set aside for homes, and not fences used for farming or fish farming | none stated | Ark. Code Ann. 17-40-108 |
| California | set in state lawlawful fences in grazing counties | 3 strands | Cal. Food & Agric. Code 17121 |
| Colorado | set in state lawlawful fences under the livestock trespass article | 3 strands | C.R.S. 35-46-101 |
| Connecticut | set in state lawfences on the line between two properties | none stated | Conn. Gen. Stat. 47-47 |
| Delaware | set in state lawresidential districts | none stated | 25 Del. C. 1301 |
| District of Columbia | set in state lawfences along a public way inside the fire limits | none stated | D.C. Code 9-1213.01 |
| Florida | set in state lawlegal fences for livestock | 3 strands | Fla. Stat. 588.011 |
| Georgia | set in state lawfence detection systems, meaning an electric security fence tied to a monitored alarm | none stated | O.C.G.A. 36-60-12.1 |
| Hawaii | set in state lawa battery charged security fence used for something other than farming | none stated | HRS 142-61 |
| Idaho | set in state lawIdaho gives barbed wire its own chapter inside the fence title, and what it controls is loose wire rather t... | none stated | Idaho Code 35-301 |
| Illinois | set in state lawfences meant to keep farm animals off the land next door | none stated | 765 ILCS 130/2 |
| Indiana | set in state lawfences on the line between two owners | none stated | IC 32-26-9-3 |
| Iowa | set in state lawlawful fences under the partition fence chapter | 3 strands | Iowa Code 359A.18 |
| Kansas | set in state lawfences holding farm animals, which leaves out cats and dogs | none stated | K.S.A. 29-101 |
| Kentucky | set in state lawlawful fences under the fence chapter | 4 ft | KRS 256.010 |
| Louisiana | set in state lawbattery charged security fences on land that is not zoned for homes only | 5 ft | La. R.S. 33:1376 |
| Maine | set in state lawa fence on the line between two pieces of land | 4 ft | 30-A M.R.S. 2951 |
| Maryland | set in state lawbattery charged fence security systems on land that is not zoned for homes only | 5 ft | Md. Code, Bus. Reg. 19-902 |
| Massachusetts | set in state lawfences along a sidewalk on a public road | 6 ft | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 86, 6 |
| Michigan | set in state lawlow voltage electric fences on land zoned for something other than homes | 60 ft | MCL 125.1528a |
| Minnesota | set in state lawa fence on the line between two pieces of land | 4 strands | Minn. Stat. 344.02 |
| Mississippi | set in state lawbattery charged security fences tied to a monitored alarm system | 5 ft | Miss. Code Ann. 73-69-5 |
| Missouri | set in state lawbattery charged fences on land not set aside for homes | 5 ft | Mo. Rev. Stat. 67.301 |
| Montana | set in state lawfences that hold livestock | 3 strands | MCA 81-4-101 |
| Nebraska | set in state lawfences built to hold livestock in or out | 5 in | Neb. Rev. Stat. 34-115 |
| Nevada | set in state lawa battery charged fence in the parts of a county outside any city | 5 ft | NRS 244.3677 |
| New Hampshire | set in state lawa fence on the line between two neighbors | none stated | RSA 473:5 |
| New Jersey | set in state lawan electric security fence on land a town has not set aside for homes only | 5 ft | N.J.S.A. 45:5A-54 |
| New Mexico | no rule, documents checkedfences in New Mexico | none stated | 14.5.2 NMAC |
| New York | set in state lawa fence on the line between two neighbors in a town | 4 strands | N.Y. Town Law 309 |
| North Carolina | set in state lawbattery charged security fences on land that is not zoned for homes only | 5 ft | N.C.G.S. 160A-194.1 |
| North Dakota | set in state lawNorth Dakota bans no fence material. | 3 strands | N.D.C.C. 47-26-01 |
| Ohio | set in state lawOhio says what a fence on the line is made of through one defined term, the preferred partition fence. | none stated | Ohio Rev. Code 971.01(F) |
| Oklahoma | set in state lawBarb wire is a legal way to build a fence in Oklahoma, and the statute says how. | 3 strands | 4 O.S. 154 |
| Oregon | no rule, documents checkedOregon never says what a fence may be built from. | none stated | ORS 96.010 to 96.060 |
| Pennsylvania | set in state lawA wire fence is lawful in Pennsylvania, with or without barbs, and an act of 1899 says so in two short sect... | none stated | 1899 Act 111, Section 1 |
| Rhode Island | set in state lawBarbed wire on a fence between neighbors in Rhode Island takes their written consent. | none stated | R.I. Gen. Laws 34-10-2 |
| South Carolina | no rule, documents checkedSouth Carolina never says what a fence may be built from. | none stated | S.C. Code 47-7-10 to 47-7-170 |
| South Dakota | set in state lawSouth Dakota assumes barbed wire. | 4 strands | SDCL 43-23-4 |
| Tennessee | set in state lawfencing that holds farm animals | none stated | Tenn. Code Ann. 44-8-102(b) |
| Texas | set in state lawcounties or areas that have voted to stop animals running at large | 3 strands | Tex. Agric. Code 143.028 |
| Utah | set in state lawan outside fence meant to hold bison | 8 ft | Utah Code 4-26-104 |
| Vermont | no rule, documents checkedVermont never says what a fence is made of. | none stated | 24 V.S.A. 3801 to 3817 |
| Virginia | set in state lawland used for farming | none stated | Va. Code 55.1-2801 |
| Washington | set in state lawWashington writes a lawful fence as a barbed wire fence and prints the build. | 4 strands | RCW 16.60.010 |
| West Virginia | set in state lawWest Virginia lists seven builds that count as a lawful fence, running from a rail worm fence through stone... | none stated | W. Va. Code 19-17-1(g) |
| Wisconsin | set in state lawWisconsin prints a closed list of legal fences and says the builds on it and no others count. | 2 strands | Wis. Stat. 90.02(1m)(i) |
| Wyoming | set in state lawWyoming names three builds that are lawful fences and puts barbed wire first. | 3 strands | W.S. 11-28-102(a)(i) |
The other nine questions
A fence rule usually turns on more than one of these, and the answer to one does not settle another.
What this page does not cover
Everything above is state law. Fence height, setback, corner visibility and materials are set by city and county ordinance in almost every state, and a local rule can be far stricter than the statewide default. A parcel can also carry an easement, an overlay district, a fire hazard zone or a recorded HOA restriction, none of which appear in a statute.
This is general information drawn from published government documents. It is not legal advice, statutes are amended, and each state page carries the date its documents were read. How findings are made · What the terms mean · Browse by state