Fence Height and Permit Rules in Chicago, Skokie, Evanston and the North Shore

Six feet is the usual ceiling for a rear or interior side yard fence across Chicago and the North Shore, and front and corner-side yards are held lower — four to five feet in most towns, and 54 inches in a Chicago front setback for anything more than 20 percent solid. Chicago requires no building permit at all for a fence no more than 5 feet above the ground that conforms to the Zoning Ordinance, while Skokie, Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Northbrook each require an approval before the first post goes in.

The catch is that no two of those towns use the same numbers, and the differences are large enough to change a design. A six-and-a-half-foot fence is legal in Winnetka and in a Wilmette rear yard, but not in Chicago. A five-foot front fence is fine in Northbrook's R-1 and R-2 districts and too tall for a Wilmette front yard. Every figure below was read on that town's own code or permit page, and where a number could not be confirmed this post says so instead of guessing. Bring it to your fence contractor before the design is final, not after.

Fence Height Limits by Town

Two measurement details decide whether a compliant-looking fence actually is. Chicago measures permitted height from the lowest surface within 12 inches horizontally on either side of the fence to its highest point, excluding posts, and lets posts exceed the permitted height by up to 6 inches. Northbrook measures from grade and counts any gap between fence and ground toward the total. Same fence, two different numbers.

Front, Side and Rear Yards Are Three Separate Rules

Almost every code here splits a lot into zones and gives each one its own limit, so "how tall can my fence be" has no single answer even within one property.

• Rear and interior side yards get the tallest allowance, because they face your neighbor rather than the street. Six feet is the common figure — Evanston, Wilmette (as a solid fence to 6.5 feet), and Northbrook all land there.
• Front yards are held low and usually required to be see-through. Wilmette caps front-yard fences at 4 feet, requires a minimum of 50 percent open, and prohibits chain link outright. Evanston caps the same zone at 4 feet and limits front-yard wood, wrought iron and PVC fences to 70 percent opacity. Chicago's front-setback rule reaches the same place from the other direction: 54 inches if the fence is more than 20 percent opaque or solid.
• The street-facing side yard on a corner lot is usually treated as a second front yard. Northbrook's table lists corner side at the same height as front, and adds that if the corner side faces the front yard of residential lots across the street, front yard standards apply.

The practical consequence is that one property often needs two fence specifications: a tall solid run across the back, and a shorter, more open run where the lot meets a street.

Corner Lots and Visibility Triangles

Corner lots carry a second layer of rules aimed at drivers rather than neighbors, and these are the ones homeowners most often discover late.

Evanston publishes a sight-distance table in its Zoning Ordinance. Where two streets intersect, a 20-foot by 20-foot triangle measured from the edge of curbs allows nothing above 2.5 feet; two alleys get a 3-foot by 3-foot triangle at the same height cap; a street-and-alley intersection uses 20 feet by 20 feet. Where a property line meets a driveway leading to a street, the triangle is 8 feet by 8 feet with a 4-foot cap and a maximum of 70 percent opacity.

Winnetka states the same idea as distances: a fence or wall may not be located within 10 feet of a driveway or alley intersection with a public sidewalk, or within 25 feet of the street line of two intersecting public or private streets, measured from the property line. If your lot is on a corner, map those triangles before you decide where the fence goes. They frequently push a run several feet inside the property line.

Fence Permits, Drawings and What You Submit

Every one of these towns wants paperwork, and a current plat of survey shows up on nearly every list.

Two Winnetka requirements are worth flagging because they change the sequence of work. A front-yard fence there must sit at least 18 inches from the public sidewalk, and the property corners must be staked, a string line run between them, and the post holes inspected and approved before the fence is installed. That is an approval in the middle of the job, not just at the start.

Northbrook adds a step of its own: the owner or contractor must contact J.U.L.I.E. at least 48 hours before construction so buried utilities get marked.

Shared Fences, Property Lines and Which Side Faces Out

Three towns here put the finished-side rule in writing, and they do not phrase it identically.

• Northbrook: the finished side of the fence must face your neighbor under all circumstances, even where you abut a street, alley or railroad.
• Wilmette: the finished side must face the street, alley or abutting property, and the code defines the finished side as the smooth side, the side not containing structural supports. Where structural elements are integral to the design, they must be centered on the line of the fence.
• Evanston: fences must have their finished face directed toward residential property or streets where a residential property is adjacent, though the unfinished face may be oriented toward an alley.

On the line itself, Northbrook is unusually direct: fencing can be constructed up to and on the property line, fences may abut one another, and it is the homeowner's responsibility to see that the fence is not installed on the neighbor's property. Winnetka's checklist warns owners not to rely on sidewalks, driveways, alleys, streets or a neighbor's fence to assume where a line runs, and suggests a professional land surveyor. That is the argument for a current plat of survey — Skokie, Winnetka and Northbrook all require one with the application anyway, and it settles the argument before the posts go in rather than after.

Easements, Hydrants and Drainage

Utility and drainage easements usually run exactly where a rear-yard fence wants to go, and Northbrook spells out the consequences more clearly than most. If you install a fence in an easement shown on your plat of survey, you take full responsibility for it if work is ever needed there; neither the Village nor the utility companies will pay for damage to fences or other structures located in an easement. Access to a manhole or utility box may not be blocked under any circumstances.

Northbrook also sets two physical clearances worth designing around: a minimum of 3 feet between a fence and an existing fire hydrant, and, for solid wood fences installed perpendicularly in drainage easements, a gap of at least 4 inches from the ground so surface drainage can flow. Because Northbrook measures fence height from grade, that 4-inch gap counts toward the total height.

Wilmette handles it structurally: fences requiring a footing must be set back 3 feet from the property line, and gates may not overhang any public way. In Winnetka, the fence must sit within the property lines and may not encroach on any public right-of-way or on a private roadway or easement for ingress and egress.

HOAs, Historic Districts and Landmark Property

Municipal code is not always the last word. In Chicago, the permit exceptions for small fences may not apply on a property that is a proposed or designated Chicago Landmark or part of a landmark district; that work goes through the Historic Preservation Division. Winnetka routes multi-family, institutional and commercial fences through its Design Review Board rather than approving them over the counter. Homeowner associations sit on top of all of it — HomeGuide's fencing guidance tells owners to check zoning laws and association rules for anything above a standard height, and an association's approval is separate from the village's, not a substitute for it.

Pool Barriers

A pool turns the fence from a preference into a safety requirement, and the rules are specific.

Skokie's Village Code requires all private residential belowground and aboveground permanent pools, and all aboveground portable pools, to be completely enclosed by a 4-foot fence along the periphery of the pool walks, unless that part of the yard is enclosed by a complying fence. Every opening or point of entry must have a gate. Fence and gates must stand 4 feet above the grade walk level, in number 9 gauge woven wire mesh corrosion-resistant material or a material and design approved for safety by the Village Manager. Gates need self-closing and self-latching devices at the top of the gate, made inaccessible to small children, and fence posts must be decay- or corrosion-resistant.

Winnetka requires a permit for any swimming pool or similar water feature deeper than 18 inches at any point, and for all spas and hot tubs, and requires them to be enclosed by a fence or wall that restricts unauthorized access, meeting the enclosure requirements of Section 15.08.110 of the Village Code. Trampolines fall under a separate enclosure section there as well.

If your pool is anywhere else in the area, get the barrier height, gate hardware and mesh requirements from your own village in writing before ordering material. The numbers vary, and the gate hardware is what gets missed.

How Long Approval Takes

Only one of these towns publishes a turnaround: Skokie states that it typically takes six working days to issue a fence permit once an application is received. The others do not post a timeline, so ask when you submit. Wilmette adds a deadline on the other end — a fence permit there expires and becomes invalid six months from the date of issuance, so a permit pulled in the fall does not carry through an entire following season.

The planning rule: submit before you order material. Where staked corners and an inspected post-hole line come first, the approval calendar sets your start date, not the crew calendar.

Fence Height and Permit FAQ

How tall can a backyard fence be in the Chicago area?

Six feet is the common maximum for a rear or interior side yard. Evanston and Northbrook both cap residential rear and interior side yards at 6 feet, Wilmette allows a solid fence up to 6.5 feet in those yards, Winnetka allows 6 feet 6 inches from natural grade to the top of finished posts, and Chicago limits residential fences generally to 6 feet. Front and corner-side yards are lower everywhere.

Do I need a permit to build a fence in Chicago?

Not for a small one. Chicago does not require a building permit to install a fence no more than 5 feet above the ground, measured on both sides, that conforms to the Chicago Zoning Ordinance. Removing such a fence, and painting or replacing limited damaged elements, are also exempt. Exempt work must still comply with the Chicago Construction Codes, and the exceptions may not apply on landmark property.

How much is a fence permit in Skokie?

The Village of Skokie states that the fence permit fee is $50 and covers the permit review and all inspections. A permit is required whenever a fence is installed or replaced. You submit the length and height, a recent plat of survey, two copies of the site plan showing the proposed fence location, and a signed Application for Accessory Structure Permit.

How much is a fence permit in Northbrook?

Northbrook's building construction and inspection fee for a fence is $60, or $30 if you are installing less than 40 linear feet, due at the time of permit issuance. Applications are required for all new installations and for replacement of existing fencing exceeding 25 percent per side. You submit the fence application and one copy of the plat of survey with the fence location indicated. No inspections are required for fences.

Which side of the fence faces my neighbor?

The finished side, in every town here that addresses it. Northbrook requires it to face your neighbor under all circumstances, even where you abut a street, alley or railroad. Wilmette requires the finished side — the smooth side, without structural supports — to face the street, alley or abutting property. Evanston requires the finished face toward residential property or streets, and allows the unfinished face toward an alley.

Can I put a fence on a corner lot?

Yes, with two extra constraints. The street-facing side yard is usually held to front-yard height, and a visibility triangle at the intersection limits what can stand there at all. Evanston allows nothing over 2.5 feet inside a 20-foot by 20-foot triangle measured from the edge of curbs where two streets meet. Winnetka prohibits a fence within 25 feet of the street line of two intersecting streets and within 10 feet of a driveway or alley intersection with a public sidewalk.

Do I need a survey to build a fence?

Practically, yes. Skokie, Winnetka and Northbrook all require a plat of survey with the application, and Winnetka wants a current copy to scale without markings. Northbrook states that the Village has no surveyor on staff and cannot get involved in property line disputes, which makes the survey your protection if a neighbor later disagrees about the line.

Can I build a fence in an easement?

Sometimes, at your own risk. Northbrook allows it but states that you take full responsibility if work becomes necessary in the easement, and that neither the Village nor the utility companies will pay for damage to structures located there. Access to a manhole or utility box can never be blocked. In Winnetka, a fence may not encroach on an easement for ingress and egress at all.

Build It Right the First Time

Height, setback and visibility rules decide the fence before material or price ever enters the conversation, and a fence built to the wrong number comes back out at the owner's expense. If you are still choosing what to build, it is worth reading cedar, vinyl and aluminum compared for a Chicago yard first. And where a code holds your fence to four feet along a street or a corner, privacy screening with plants is the way to get the screening back without breaking the height limit.

R & G Almanza Landscape Inc is a family-owned, insured crew that has been building fences across Skokie, Evanston, Chicago and the North Shore since 1999, which means reading a plat of survey and a village fence handout is routine work here. Contact us to request an estimate, and call R & G Almanza Landscape at (847) 869-8584 to talk through what your town allows on your lot.