Canton Township fence permits and rules

Yes, Canton Township requires a fence permit. You need one for a new fence and for replacing even one section of an existing fence. The application needs a survey sealed by a registered surveyor, product details, and notarized letters from any neighbor whose shared property line the fence will sit on. Rear-yard fences can reach six feet, and front-yard fences are limited to four. We call MISS DIG before we dig and can advise you on the Canton fence permit, which the property owner obtains.

Picture of a chain link fence in front of a commercial building.
Metal fence post set in a fresh concrete footing

Canton fence permit rules and process

Canton’s zoning ordinance says no one may build a fence or wall without first getting a fence permit.

When Canton needs a fence permit

The township’s checklist adds that replacing even one panel of an existing fence counts. Small repairs to a post or a panel do not need a permit. If you are not sure which one your project is, call the township before you start.

Who issues Canton fence permits

Permits go through Canton’s Building and Inspection Services at 1150 S. Canton Center Road. The office takes questions at (734) 394-5200 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Steel slide gate across a commercial driveway

What goes with a Canton permit application

Canton asks for more paperwork than many nearby communities. Plan for these items:

  • A completed fence permit application.

  • A survey sealed by a registered surveyor. It must show where the fence goes in relation to lot lines, drives, walks, other fences, streets, and buildings.

  • Notarized permission letters from adjacent owners, if the fence will sit on a shared property line.

  • The manufacturer’s specifications for the fence.

The survey is the item that slows most jobs. The township may already have a qualifying survey for your lot on file. Call the township to ask before you order a new one. If none exists, you will need a new survey from a licensed surveyor.

HOAs, inspections, and fees in Canton

Canton Township does not need HOA approval before it issues a residential fence permit. Your association can still enforce its own covenants, and that is your job to check. The township does not refund a permit that is canceled because of HOA rules, so get the association’s answer first.

After the fence is built, Canton requires a final inspection. Your property corners must be marked before the inspector comes out. Inspections are scheduled through the township’s online BS&A system.

Ask the township for the full amount for your project.

White vinyl picket fence in front of a suburban home

Height, placement, and material limits

Height rules in Canton depend on which yard the fence is in. These are the residential limits in Section 2.20:

  • Rear yard: up to six feet.

  • Side yard: up to four feet, or six feet if the fence stays at least 15 feet behind the front corner of the house.

  • Front yard: up to four feet, and the fence may reach the required front setback line but not enter it.

Corner lots and cul-de-sac lots in subdivisions and condominiums have separate rules for their secondary front yards. Fences near streets and driveways must also meet the township’s sight distance rules, so drivers can see at intersections. Ask the township, or ask us, to check your lot before you pick a height.

The whole fence, including posts and footings, must be on your side of the line, as shown on the survey. You also have to keep up the strip of yard between the fence and the lot line.

Materials, posts, and finish rules

Canton’s ordinance also controls what a fence is made of and how it faces. Three rules surprise people most:

  • No mesh, vinyl slats, or similar material attached to a fence. That rules out privacy slats in chain link.

  • Barbed wire and electric fences are not allowed on homes, with narrow exceptions for farm and livestock lots.

  • The fence must look finished from both sides. If one side is more finished, it faces out toward the neighbor or street.

The township’s checklist also sets a post depth. Fence posts must go at least 36 inches below grade. Anchor Fence typically sets posts in 42-inch concrete footings, the same depth Michigan’s building code sets for house footings. That meets the township minimum with room to spare in our frost climate.

Low decorative borders in a front yard follow their own rule. They can be no taller than 36 inches and no longer than 25 feet in total, and they cannot be chain link or wire.

How Anchor Fence can help with your permit

Anchor Fence takes the permit work off your plate. During the free estimate, we look at your lot, ask about your HOA, and check whether the township already has a survey for you. If the fence will sit on a shared line, we tell you right away so you can get the neighbor’s notarized letter. The property owner obtains the permit, and Anchor Fence can advise you on the rules and give you the layout and material details for the application.

Before any digging, we call MISS DIG, Michigan’s 811 system, at least three business days ahead. MISS DIG does not mark private lines such as sprinklers or wires to a garage, so tell us where yours run. After the install, we line up the final inspection.

Canton fence permit questions

Yes. Canton Township’s checklist requires a fence permit when you install a new fence or replace a section, even one panel, of an existing fence. Repairs to a single post or panel do not need a permit. A full replacement also has to meet current rules, because the township will not let an older fence that breaks today’s rules be changed unless the change brings it into line.

Yes. Canton asks for a survey sealed by a registered surveyor that shows the fence location, lot lines, drives, walks, streets, and buildings. The township may already have a qualifying survey for your lot, so call (734) 394-5200 to check. If there is none on file, you need a new survey before the permit can be issued.

Only when the fence will sit on the shared property line. In that case, Canton requires the neighbor’s written consent, and the permit checklist asks for notarized permission letters. If the fence sits fully inside your lot, as shown on the survey, a neighbor letter is not part of the township’s list.

Canton Township’s fence checklist requires fence posts at least 36 inches below grade. Anchor Fence typically goes deeper, setting posts in 42-inch concrete footings, the same depth Michigan’s building code sets for house footings. Deeper footings help keep posts from heaving in winter frost.

A rear-yard fence in Canton Township can be up to six feet tall. Side-yard fences are limited to four feet unless they sit at least 15 feet behind the front corner of the house, where six feet is allowed. Front-yard fences are capped at four feet and cannot extend into the required front setback.

Get your Canton fence plan ready

Canton’s rules are clear once you see them, but the survey, letters, permit, and inspection still take time. Want to see the styles first? Browse our Residential Fencing or Privacy Fences pages. Call (313) 937-0101, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Canton Building Department Address & Phone Number:

Canton Fence Ordinances: