Cross the state line from Toledo and the fence rules change twice: once for Michigan, and again for your city or township, each of which issues its own permit.
Statewide: MISS DIG 811 needs 3 business days notice, sales tax is 6 percent and the installer pays it, and the state code exempts a fence up to 7 feet from a building permit. The zoning permit is local, and that is what this page is about. The Michigan rules page has the rest.
City of Monroe
Monroe rewrote its zoning ordinance, Chapter 720, in 2025. Council approved it on July 7 and it took effect on August 1, 2025.
- A permit is required. The ordinance says no fence goes up without a city-issued permit; the city FAQ says the same.
- The fee is $100 on the schedule dated August 26, 2025, which notes a fence over 6.5 feet also needs a building permit.
- Rear and side yards: 6.5 feet in the R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts.
- Front yard: no number is printed. Approval rests on location, architectural fit, neighborhood context, photos or historic evidence, and materials must suit the house and street.
- Corner lots: along the second street, 4-foot transparent fencing from the midpoint of the side of the house to the right-of-way, and 6.5 feet behind the rear building line.
- Clear vision zone at corners: nothing over 3 feet.
- Finished side faces out. No barbed wire or electric current. Chain link needs a smooth top edge.
One thing to watch: the city’s fence sample site plans still say 84 inches side and rear and 48 inches front, citing the old section 720-144. They predate the 2025 code. Go by the new table.
Building Department, 120 East First Street, Monroe. 734-384-9186, Monday to Friday 8:30 to 4:30.
Bedford Township: Temperance and Lambertville
Temperance and Lambertville are in Bedford Township, whose zoning ordinance, Section 400.1912, carries the fence rules. Here we have to be straight with you: we could not read the township’s own copy. Its online code library blocked us. What follows is a third-party zoning database’s copy of the section, last amended in 2001. Confirm it by phone.
- A fence does not need a building permit, the section says. Whether the township wants a zoning review first is the thing to ask.
- Front yard: 3.5 feet, decorative. Corner side yard: 3.5 feet, decorative.
- Side and rear yards: 6 feet, and the fence may not run past the front of the house or the required front setback, whichever is greater.
- Fences may sit on the property line but not in the road right-of-way.
- Clear vision: 2 feet in a 35-foot triangle at street corners, 30 inches in a 10-foot triangle at driveways.
- Wood, metal, masonry or molded synthetic. No barbed or razor wire. Posts and braces stay inside the face, so the finished side is out.
- Height is measured from established grade; no mounding soil to gain it.
The township’s planning and zoning fee list has no fence line, so we cannot tell you what a fence costs to permit in Bedford, or whether it costs anything.
Bedford Township, 8100 Jackman Road, Temperance. Building Official 734-224-7330, Planning and Zoning Administrator 734-224-7335, main office 734-847-6791. Monday to Friday 8 to 5.
Frenchtown Charter Township
Frenchtown adopted a new zoning ordinance effective June 2, 2023. Section 5.04 is the fence section.
- No fence over 7 feet, anywhere.
- In a required roadside yard, 4 feet and at least 75 percent see-through. On a corner lot every yard that touches a street counts as a roadside yard.
- Anything under 3 feet is landscaping, not a fence.
- Clear corner vision must be kept at road and driveway intersections.
- Barbed wire and electrified fences only in the AG, I-1 and PS districts, not residential. Invisible pet fences are fine.
- Lake Erie lots: no fence in the 50-foot lakeside yard, and lakeside fences must be 75 percent transparent.
A zoning compliance permit is required for fences under 7 feet, $60 on the fee schedule. The application asks for the contractor’s builder’s license number.
Building Department, 2744 Vivian Road, Monroe. 734-242-5900, Monday to Friday 8:30 to 4:30.
Erie Township
Erie’s zoning ordinance, Section 20.15, amended through September 2025, is the clearest of the four.
- Zoning permit required, no building permit, the township’s own page says.
- Fee $50, one inspection included.
- Rear and side yards: 6 feet. Front yard: 4 feet. On a waterfront lot, 4 feet within 100 feet of the water.
- Side and rear fences are not subject to setbacks.
- Finished side faces the neighbor.
- A fence on a shared line needs the neighbor’s signed agreement or a certified boundary survey.
- Height is measured from the average natural grade. No berms.
- No barbs, spikes or electric current.
Michael Demski, Building/Zoning Official, 734-848-5915 ext. 5, 2065 Erie Road. Office Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8 to 3.
What to ask when you call
- Is a zoning permit needed for my fence, and what is the fee this year
- Maximum height in the front, side and rear yards, and on the street side of a corner lot
- Can the fence sit on the property line, and do you want a survey or a neighbor’s signature
- Which way does the finished side face
- Is there an inspection, and does the permit need a site plan
Before anyone digs
MISS DIG 811 needs notice at least 3 business days before digging, for any size of job, free. Dial 811 or file online. The utilities mark their own lines; the run to your shed, a gas line to the grill, sprinklers and an invisible dog fence are not marked. If a contractor digs, the contractor calls.
What a fence costs on the Michigan side
Michigan sales tax is 6 percent with no local add-on. You will not see it on the invoice: the contractor pays it on the materials and builds it into his price. The estimator’s range is your starting point. Get a firm quote.
See your price range
Put your fence runs into the estimator, see the installed range, and request a quote. Then ring the township before anything is ordered.
Questions people ask
Do I need a permit for a fence in the City of Monroe, Michigan?
Yes. The zoning ordinance says no fence may go up without a city-issued permit, and the fee schedule dated August 26, 2025 lists a fence permit at $100. A fence over 6.5 feet also needs a building permit, but 6.5 feet is the limit in the residential districts anyway. Building Department, 734-384-9186.
How tall can a fence be in Temperance or Lambertville?
Both are in Bedford Township. A copy of the township’s fence section (400.1912) says 6 feet in side and rear yards and 3.5 feet, decorative only, in a front yard or a corner side yard. We could not read the township’s own code library, so confirm with the Planning and Zoning Administrator on 734-224-7335 before you order.
What are Frenchtown Township's fence rules?
No fence over 7 feet. In a required roadside yard, 4 feet at most and at least 75 percent see-through. Anything under 3 feet counts as landscaping, not a fence. A zoning compliance permit is required for fences under 7 feet and costs $60. Building Department, 734-242-5900.
Does Erie Township need a permit for a fence?
A zoning permit, yes, at $50 with one inspection included. No building permit. Side and rear fences can be 6 feet, front yard fences 4 feet, and the finished side faces the neighbor. A fence on a shared line needs the neighbor’s signed agreement or a boundary survey. Call 734-848-5915 ext. 5.
Do I have to call 811 in Michigan before the post holes?
Yes. MISS DIG 811 wants notice at least 3 business days before digging, for any size of job. It is free. Dial 811 or file online. The utilities mark their own lines; private lines such as a run to a shed or an invisible dog fence are not marked. If a contractor does the work, the contractor makes the call.
Is there sales tax on a fence in Michigan?
Michigan sales tax is 6 percent with no county or city add-on. Under Treasury’s rules the fence contractor is the consumer of the materials, pays the tax when he buys them, and may not put it on your invoice as a separate line. It is built into his price.