How tall can my fence be in Novi?

For a house, the cap is 6 feet. Residential fences that enclose your property or stand in a required side yard may not exceed 6 feet in height (Section 5.11.1.A.i).

Placement matters more than height in Novi. The fence may not extend toward the street past your minimum front yard setback line; if your house already sits closer to the street than that line, the fence may come up to the front of the house but no farther (Section 5.11.1.A.ii). Decorative split-rail fencing up to 20 feet long or 4 feet high may stand in the front yard as part of an approved landscaping plan (Section 5.11.1.A.ii). Lots in excess of 2 acres, or with at least 200 feet of frontage, within a recorded plat are exempt from the front-placement rule (Section 5.11.1.B). On a corner lot, nothing over 2 feet tall may stand in the 25 foot corner clearance triangle at the intersection (Section 5.9).

On waterfront lots the front fence rule flips: a fence along the front lot lines may be up to 4 feet if it does not block the lake view, and hedge rows between the house and the lake are prohibited (Section 5.11.1.A.ii). Nonresidential properties get 8 feet, plus barbed wire to an overall 11 feet, but nothing in the front or exterior side yard (Section 5.11.2). Barbed wire and electrified fences are banned on residential lots of record (Section 5.11.1.D).