Dearborn fence permits and rules: what the city allows

Yes, Dearborn requires a permit for a new fence. You apply to the city’s Permit Services Division with a survey or site plan, signatures from the owners next door, and a notarized application. Home fences can be up to 6 feet tall, cannot go in the front yard, and must have the finished side facing out. Dearborn also bans vinyl slats in chain link and dog runs. We call MISS DIG before we dig and can advise you on the Dearborn fence permit, which the property owner obtains.

Picture of a chain link fence in front of a commercial building.
White vinyl picket fence in front of a suburban home

Dearborn fence permit rules and process

Dearborn’s code sets how tall a home fence can be, where it can sit, which styles are banned, and how it is built.

What goes into the fence application

The Permit Services Division reviews every fence before it is built. The city’s form asks for four things.

  • Two copies of a land survey or site plan. It must show your property lines, easements, the house and other buildings, any side door, and where the old and new fence sit.

  • A photo or picture of the style, if the fence is semi-private or private.

  • Signatures from you and from the owners of each adjacent property, agreeing to the location and style.

  • Your signature, notarized.

Homes in the Ford Homes Historic District or in the Springwells Park, Dearborn Hills, or West Lane civic associations also need proof of that group’s review. Plan for it early, because the city will not finish its review without it.

Height and where a fence can go

Dearborn’s residential fence rules are in Section 5-128 of the city code. They keep most fences behind the house.

Six feet is the limit

A line fence on a home lot can be up to 6 feet tall. You may add a decorative top up to 1 foot, but it needs a solid top rail, must be at least half open, and the whole fence still cannot pass 6 feet.

Rear yard and side door

Fences may not go into the front yard. They enclose the rear yard and can come forward into the side yard only to reach a side door, stopping no more than 3 feet past the door opening. The code exempts decorative fences from these location rules, so ask before you plan one.

Corner lots, sidewalks, and sight lines

On a corner lot, a fence along the side street between the house line and the front lot line must step down. It either tapers from 4 feet at the house line to 2 feet at the front, or stays at 2 feet the whole way. Every fence must sit 12 inches back from a public sidewalk. The city also keeps a clear view 10 feet back at driveways and 25 feet back at intersections.

Metal fence post set in a fresh concrete footing

Styles Dearborn does not allow

Some fences that are common in nearby towns are not allowed in Dearborn. The city code lists these as prohibited:

  • Vinyl privacy slats woven into chain link fences

  • Masonry fences

  • Dog runs, kennels, and pens

  • Decorative fences along side and rear property lines

  • Electric fences and razor wire

  • Spikes or sharp points on top (pickets need a top angle of at least 90 degrees, a blunt or ball top, or a top rail)

If you want privacy, vinyl fences or wood privacy fences meet the code where slatted chain link does not.

Posts, finished sides, and neighbors

The city code says the finished side of a fence must face out, away from your lot. Posts must go at least 3 feet deep and sit in concrete. Anchor Fence typically sets posts in 42-inch concrete footings, the same depth Michigan’s building code sets for house footings, so we go past the city’s minimum.

Only one fence is allowed on a shared property line. If a neighbor will not sign, the city has a set process. You send a certified letter with the application, wait 15 days, and resubmit with proof. The city then gives neighbors 15 days to raise a valid reason. Disputes that do not settle go to the Building Board of Appeals.

Steel slide gate across a commercial driveway

Pools and retaining walls

A swimming pool in Dearborn must have a fence at least 4 feet tall with a self-closing, self-latching gate. A retaining wall needs its own building permit, separate from the fence permit.

How Anchor Fence can help with your permit

Our crew does not dig until MISS DIG, Michigan’s 811 system, has had at least three business days’ notice to mark buried lines. Then we build to the approved plan. 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.

Dearborn fence permit questions

Yes. The City of Dearborn requires a permit for a new fence. The application goes to the Permit Services Division at 16901 Michigan Avenue, Suite 7, with two copies of a survey or site plan, adjacent owners’ signatures, and a notarized signature. Rules here are for the City of Dearborn only, not Dearborn Heights. 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.

A residential fence in Dearborn can be up to 6 feet tall. A decorative top of up to 1 foot is allowed if it has a solid top rail and is at least half open, but the total height still cannot go over 6 feet. Commercial fences also top out at 6 feet, and industrial fences at 8 feet.

No, not a regular line fence. Dearborn’s code says fences may not extend into the owner’s front yard. A fence can enclose the rear yard and reach forward to a side door, stopping within 3 feet of it. Decorative fences are exempt from the location rules, so call the city or Anchor Fence before you buy one for the front.

No. Dearborn’s fence code lists vinyl slats inserted in chain-link or cyclone fences as a prohibited style. If you want privacy along a Dearborn lot line, a solid vinyl or wood privacy fence up to 6 feet is allowed, with the finished side facing your neighbor.

Yes. Dearborn’s application asks for signatures from the owners of each adjacent property, agreeing to the fence’s location and style. If a neighbor does not answer or says no, you can send a certified letter, wait 15 days, and resubmit. The city then decides, and unresolved disputes go to the Building Board of Appeals.

Get your Dearborn fence plan ready

Fixing a fence after the city flags it costs more than planning it right. Tell us what you want to fence and we will check it against Dearborn’s rules, then quote it. Live across the line?

Dearborn Building Department Address & Phone Number:

Dearborn Fence Ordinances:

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