Fence Installation in Madison, WI
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How tall a fence can be in Madison
In Madison, a screening fence or hedge in the front yard setback can be no more than 4 feet tall. An ornamental fence there can reach 5 feet if it is less than 50% opaque, or 6 feet if it is less than 20% opaque. (City of Madison Development Services Center, Fence or Hedge, checked October 2026)
On a Madison corner lot, a screening fence in the street side yard is limited to 4 feet. It can be 6 feet if it sits 4 feet from the street side lot line, or behind the rear of the main building. (City of Madison Development Services Center, Fence or Hedge, checked October 2026)
Madison allows a 6 foot screening fence or hedge in rear and interior side yards. If your yard is next to a commercial district, it can be 8 feet along that property line. (City of Madison Development Services Center, Fence or Hedge, checked October 2026)
Madison measures fence height from the natural or approved grade. Where a retaining wall divides two properties, height is measured from the average point between the highest and lowest grade, unless the fence sits at least 4 feet back from the wall, in which case it is measured from the base of the fence. The city does not allow berms or retaining walls to be used to increase the grade relative to screening height. (City of Madison Development Services Center, Fence or Hedge, checked October 2026)
Permits in Madison
Madison does not require a building permit to put up a fence, but the fence still has to follow the city's height and placement rules. The city also tells owners to check their deed restrictions or covenants, which might restrict fencing. (City of Madison Development Services Center, Fence or Hedge, checked October 2026)
Where the fence can go
A Madison fence can go right up to the lot line, but no part of it, posts included, may cross over. The city does not locate lot lines for owners, and no law makes you face the good side of the fence toward your neighbor. (City of Madison Development Services Center, Fence or Hedge, checked October 2026)
At a Madison street corner, fences and hedges within 25 feet of the corner of the lot, on either side, can be no taller than 30 inches, so drivers and people walking can see traffic. (City of Madison Development Services Center, Fence or Hedge, checked October 2026)
Within 10 feet of where a Madison driveway meets the street side lot line, fences and plantings can be no more than 2 feet high. The rule also covers your fence if a neighbor's driveway is closer than 10 feet to the lot line. (City of Madison Development Services Center, Fence or Hedge, checked October 2026)
In Madison's front and street side yard setbacks, a fence has to be made of a material such as wood, ornamental metal, brick, vinyl-coated chain link or stone. Uncoated chain link can be used in interior side or rear yards. (City of Madison Development Services Center, Fence or Hedge, checked October 2026)
Pool fences in Madison
Madison requires an in-ground pool to be enclosed by a fence at least 4 feet high, with a gate that has a lock. (City of Madison Development Services Center, Fence or Hedge, checked October 2026)
Before you dig in Wisconsin
Madison's fence page says to call Diggers Hotline to avoid rupturing underground utilities you may not know are there. A utility company employee will come out and mark the underground electric, sewer, telephone and cable lines in your yard, and you may need to change where the fence goes if it is over one of those lines. (City of Madison Development Services Center, Fence or Hedge, checked October 2026)
What it costs
A wood fence usually runs $15 to $35 a linear foot installed, by Fixr fence installation costs (January 2025). The cost calculator prices your length, material and gates.
Comparing companies?
We ranked 12 Madison fence companies on their Google ratings, years in business, insurance and emergency or storm repair work: best fence companies in Madison.
Areas served
Madison and nearby Middleton, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, Verona, Monona, Waunakee.