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 stated, 4 silent. Every row links the state page and the document behind it.
| State | What the record says | Restriction | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Statedbattery 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 | StatedAlaska's fence chapter names one material, barbed wire, and what it controls is upkeep rather than use. | none stated | AS 03.30.020 |
| Arizona | Statedlawful fences for livestock | 4 strands | A.R.S. 3-1426 |
| Arkansas | Statedbattery charged security fences on land not designated for residential use, and not fences used for farming or fish farming | none stated | Ark. Code Ann. 17-40-108 |
| California | Statedlawful fences in grazing counties | 3 strands | Cal. Food & Agric. Code 17121 |
| Colorado | Statedlawful fences under the livestock trespass article | 3 strands | C.R.S. 35-46-101 |
| Connecticut | Statedfences on the line between two properties | none stated | Conn. Gen. Stat. 47-47 |
| Delaware | Statedresidential districts | none stated | 25 Del. C. 1301 |
| District of Columbia | Statedfences along a public way inside the fire limits | none stated | D.C. Code 9-1213.01 |
| Florida | Statedlegal fences for livestock | 3 strands | Fla. Stat. 588.011 |
| Georgia | Statedfence detection systems, meaning an electric security fence tied to a monitored alarm | none stated | O.C.G.A. 36-60-12.1 |
| Hawaii | Statedbattery charged security fences used for non-agricultural purposes | none stated | HRS 142-61 |
| Idaho | StatedIdaho gives barbed wire its own chapter inside the fence title, and what that chapter controls is loose wir... | none stated | Idaho Code 35-301 |
| Illinois | Statedlegal fences for keeping stock off a neighbor | none stated | 765 ILCS 130/2 |
| Indiana | Statedpartition fences between two property owners | none stated | IC 32-26-9-3 |
| Iowa | Statedlawful fences under the partition fence chapter | 3 strands | Iowa Code 359A.18 |
| Kansas | Statedfences enclosing domestic animals other than cats and dogs | none stated | K.S.A. 29-101 |
| Kentucky | Statedlawful fences under the fence chapter | 4 ft | KRS 256.010 |
| Louisiana | Statedbattery-charged security fences on property not zoned only for homes | 5 ft | La. R.S. 33:1376 |
| Maine | Statedpartition fences between adjoining lands | 4 ft | 30-A M.R.S. 2951 |
| Maryland | Statedbattery-charged fence security systems on land not zoned for residential use only | 5 ft | Md. Code, Bus. Reg. 19-902 |
| Massachusetts | Statedfences along a sidewalk on a public way | 6 ft | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 86, 6 |
| Michigan | Statedlow-voltage electric fences in areas zoned for nonresidential use | 60 ft | MCL 125.1528a |
| Minnesota | Statedpartition fences between adjoining lands | 4 strands | Minn. Stat. 344.02 |
| Mississippi | Statedbattery-charged security fences tied to a monitored alarm system | 5 ft | Miss. Code Ann. 73-69-5 |
| Missouri | Statedbattery-charged fences on property not designated for residential use | 5 ft | Mo. Rev. Stat. 67.301 |
| Montana | Statedfences that enclose livestock | 3 strands | MCA 81-4-101 |
| Nebraska | Statedfences that enclose land against livestock | 5 in | Neb. Rev. Stat. 34-115 |
| Nevada | Statedbattery-charged fences in the unincorporated parts of a county | 5 ft | NRS 244.3677 |
| New Hampshire | Stateddivision fences between adjoining lands | none stated | RSA 473:5 |
| New Jersey | Statedelectric perimeter security fences on property not designated for residential use only | 5 ft | N.J.S.A. 45:5A-54 |
| New Mexico | Silentfences in New Mexico | none stated | 14.5.2 NMAC |
| New York | Stateddivision fences between adjoining lands in a town | 4 strands | N.Y. Town Law 309 |
| North Carolina | Statedbattery-charged security fences on property not designated for residential use only | 5 ft | N.C.G.S. 160A-194.1 |
| North Dakota | StatedNorth Dakota's partition fence chapter lists the builds that count as a legal fence, and two of them are wire. | 3 strands | N.D.C.C. 47-26-01 |
| Ohio | StatedOhio's line fence chapter builds its whole cost sharing system around a preferred partition fence, and the... | none stated | Ohio Rev. Code 971.01(F) |
| Oklahoma | StatedOklahoma's lawful fence section sets one standard for a rail or board fence and a separate one for barb wire. | 3 strands | 4 O.S. 154 |
| Oregon | SilentOregon does not say what a fence may be built from. | none stated | ORS 96.010 to 96.060 |
| Pennsylvania | StatedPennsylvania settled the wire question in a short act of two sections that is still on the books. | none stated | 1899 Act 111, Section 1 |
| Rhode Island | StatedBarbed wire on a line fence in Rhode Island takes written consent from the adjoining owners. | none stated | R.I. Gen. Laws 34-10-2 |
| South Carolina | SilentSouth Carolina has no fence chapter and no definition of a lawful fence. | none stated | S.C. Code 47-7-10 to 47-7-170 |
| South Dakota | StatedSouth Dakota sets a default build for a partition fence when the two owners have not agreed on something el... | 4 strands | SDCL 43-23-4 |
| Tennessee | Statedfencing that confines or restricts farm animals | none stated | Tenn. Code Ann. 44-8-102(b) |
| Texas | Statedcounties or areas that have voted to stop animals running at large | 3 strands | Tex. Agric. Code 143.028 |
| Utah | Statedperimeter fencing intended to hold bison | 8 ft | Utah Code 4-26-104 |
| Vermont | SilentVermont never says what a fence is made of. | none stated | 24 V.S.A. 3801 to 3817 |
| Virginia | Statedland used for agricultural purposes | none stated | Va. Code 55.1-2801 |
| Washington | StatedWashington defines a lawful fence as a barbed wire fence and prints the build. | 4 strands | RCW 16.60.010 |
| West Virginia | StatedWest 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 | StatedWisconsin prints a closed list of legal fences and says the listed builds and no others qualify. | 2 strands | Wis. Stat. 90.02(1m)(i) |
| Wyoming | StatedWyoming 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