ZoningVerdict

Fences in Shelby Township, MI

What the Shelby Township zoning ordinance says about fences, district by district. Section numbers link to the official ordinance.

All districts

Fence rules live in the Fence Ordinance (Code of Ordinances, Chapter 10, Article VIII), not the Zoning Ordinance. A permit is required for any fence (Sec. 10-318). On interior lots, fences between 3 and 6 feet tall may be built in side and rear yards and along the front building line, but never in the front yard (Sec. 10-324.a). On corner lots, fences are also barred from the required side yard abutting a street, except that where two corner-lot rear yards are adjacent, a fence may stand in the street-side yard at least 10 feet from the lot line (Sec. 10-324.b).

On lakefront lots, sight-obscuring privacy fences must stay within the building envelope set by the side and rear setbacks (Sec. 10-324.d; Zoning Ordinance Section 5.5). Barbed wire, electrified fences, and sharp or pointed toppers are prohibited (Sec. 10-326; Sec. 10-327). Supporting posts and hardware must face the interior of the fence owner's lot unless the neighbor consents in writing (Sec. 10-322.d).

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