Short answer: yes, most likely. If you are putting up a new fence in Ann Arbor, the city wants you to pull a zoning compliance permit first. It sounds like a hassle, but it is mostly there to keep fences at sane heights and out of the way of drivers at intersections. Here is what you actually need to know before you start digging post holes.
Ann Arbor regulates fences under its Unified Development Code. For nearly every residential fence, you need a zoning compliance permit from the city before you build. This is a quick review by Planning staff to confirm your fence fits the height and placement rules for your lot. It is not the same as a building permit, and for a standard backyard fence it is usually a straightforward approval.
Taller fences are where a second permit can come into play. Once a fence climbs past a certain height, the city may also want a building permit on top of the zoning permit. That is the exception, not the rule, for a typical privacy fence, but it is worth knowing if you have your heart set on something tall.
Ann Arbor sets height limits based on where the fence sits on your lot, and this trips up a lot of homeowners. The rules go roughly like this:
In the front yard, fences are kept low, around 4 feet, and they need to stay mostly open so you can see through them. A solid 6-foot wall across your front lawn is not going to fly.
Move toward the side and rear of the property and you get more room. Side areas generally allow up to 6 feet, and rear yards allow the tallest fences, which is why most privacy fences land back there. Anything unusually tall is where that extra building permit can kick in.
The takeaway: where you put the fence matters as much as how tall it is. If you want full privacy, plan it for the back of the lot.
Run it through our estimator for a quick price, or book a call and we will walk through your project together.
If you live on a corner, there is one more rule to respect. Cities including Ann Arbor enforce a visibility triangle near intersections. That is a zone close to the corner where fences have to stay low so drivers and pedestrians can see each other. Build a tall fence right up to the corner and the city will make you take it down, so it is better to plan around it from the start. We deal with this on corner lots all the time, and it is easy to design around once you know it is there.
Ann Arbor has several historic districts, including the Old West Side and Burns Park. If your home sits in one, your fence design may need an additional review to make sure it fits the character of the neighborhood. Natural materials like wood and metal tend to be favored in these areas, and some materials face restrictions. If you are not sure whether your street is in a historic district, that is worth confirming before you settle on a style.
A permit confirms your fence meets city rules. It does not confirm where your property line actually is. Before you build, you want to know your real boundary, not where you think the line runs or where the old fence sat. A current survey is the cleanest way to avoid a dispute with a neighbor later. Building a few inches over the line is a headache nobody wants, and it is far cheaper to get it right the first time.
For most Ann Arbor homeowners, a new fence means pulling a zoning compliance permit, keeping front-yard fences low and open, saving the tall privacy fence for the back, and watching the corner if you are on one. Rules and fees do change, so confirm the current details with the City of Ann Arbor Planning Services before you build.
If you would rather not chase all of this down yourself, that is part of what we handle. We have built fences across Ann Arbor and Southeast Michigan, and we know the local rules well enough to keep your project on the right side of them.
Want a real number for your yard? Run it through our Fence Estimator for a quick price, or Book a Call and we will walk through your project together. Thinking about a shed too? Start with the Shed Configurator.
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