Livonia fence permits and rules: what the city allows

Yes, you need a permit. Livonia requires a zoning permit from its Inspection Department to build, replace, move, or make a major repair to a fence. Regular fences can be up to 4 feet tall and must stay open. A privacy fence can reach 6 feet 4 inches, but it needs your neighbor’s written consent and cannot come closer to the street than the back of your house. No fence may go in a front yard. We call MISS DIG before we dig and can advise you on the Livonia fence permit, which the property owner obtains.

Residential white fence

Livonia fence rules, permits and process

Every rule here comes from the city’s own fence guide.

Heights and placement

Livonia sorts home fences by type, and each type has its own height and place on the lot.

Partition fences, up to 4 feet

A partition fence is the everyday fence between yards. In Livonia it cannot be taller than 4 feet, and you must be able to see through it. Chain link, aluminum, and open picket styles fit this rule. It can run along the side and rear yards, but it cannot go past the front building line of the house.

Privacy fences, up to 6 feet 4 inches

A privacy fence blocks the view. Livonia allows one up to 6 feet 4 inches tall, with the panels 2 inches off the ground. It must sit on the lot line and be the only fence between the two yards, so an old fence there has to come out. It cannot extend toward the street past the back of the house. The one exception lets it reach the middle of the house to enclose a side door. Solid vinyl privacy fences and wood fences are the usual choices.

Privacy screens and dog runs

A privacy screen is a short solid section near a patio. It goes in the rear yard, at least 10 feet from the rear lot line, up to 6 feet 6 inches tall. A dog run also stays in the rear yard, 10 feet from the side and rear lines, up to 6 feet tall and 200 square feet.

Corner lots and driveways

On a corner lot, nothing over 30 inches tall may sit in the 25-foot triangle where two streets meet. A fence in the street-facing side yard needs extra approval: it cannot block drivers’ view, must line up with any matching fence next door, and cannot top 6 feet. If your side yard is next to a neighbor’s driveway, you need that owner’s written consent first.

Fences the city bans

  • Barbed wire between or next to homes, and coils of barbed, razor, or concertina wire in any district, with narrow exceptions.

  • Electric fences above ground. Buried pet fences are fine.

  • Sharp or pointed tops, spikes, broken glass, or nails that stick out.

  • Plastic or other strips woven into chain link fencing.

  • Opaque fiberglass panels.

  • Used materials, unless the Inspection Department approves them.

The slat rule surprises people, so plan privacy with a solid fence instead.

White vinyl picket fence in front of a suburban home
Metal fence post set in a fresh concrete footing

What the application needs

The city will not issue a permit until the file is complete.

1. Plans and details of the fence: type, height, and material.

2. A plot plan that shows the lot lines, the house, the driveway, and every post.

3. A survey or a written lot-line agreement with your neighbor.

4. For a privacy fence, the city’s neighbor authorization form, signed in the original. Your neighbor also picks which way the finished side faces: toward them, toward you, or good on both sides.

5. A letter from your civic association, if your neighborhood has one that reviews fences.

Posts go inside your lot or centered, unless the neighbor agrees otherwise in writing. A replacement fence must meet today’s rules.

Inspections, MISS DIG, and timing

After the fence is built, the city does a final inspection, and that closes the permit. Inspections are booked at least one business day ahead, before 3:30 p.m. A permit is cancelled if no inspection is requested and done within six months.

Before anyone digs, MISS DIG, Michigan’s 811 system, must get notice at least three business days ahead. Public lines get marked; private lines, like sprinkler pipes, do not.

Livonia’s guide does not set a post depth. Anchor Fence typically sets posts in 42-inch concrete footings, the same depth Michigan’s building code sets for house footings.

Picture of a chain link fence in front of a commercial building.

How Anchor Fence can help with your permit

We ask about your civic association early, because their approval can take time. 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.

Your part is talking with your neighbor and finding your survey or mortgage plot plan.

Inspection Department, City of Livonia: 33000 Civic Center Drive, City Hall Annex, Livonia, MI 48154. Phone (734) 466-2580. Office hours Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Livonia fence permit questions

Yes. Livonia requires a zoning permit from the city’s Inspection Department to build, rebuild, move, or make a major repair to a fence or privacy screen. Replacing an old fence also needs a permit. Painting or staining an existing fence does not.

A regular partition fence in a Livonia side or rear yard can be up to 4 feet tall and must not block the view. A privacy fence can be up to 6 feet 4 inches with neighbor consent. Privacy screens near a patio can reach 6 feet 6 inches. No fence is allowed in a front yard.

Only behind the back of the house. Livonia does not let a privacy fence come closer to the street than the back of the home, except to reach the middle of the house to enclose a side door. The fence must sit on the lot line, with your neighbor’s signed consent.

For a privacy fence, yes. Livonia requires the adjoining owner to sign the city’s neighbor authorization form, and the original must be filed with the permit. Your neighbor also chooses which way the finished side faces. A regular 4-foot partition fence does not need this form, but you still need a survey or lot-line agreement.

No. Livonia’s fence guide bans plastic or other strips woven into chain link or other woven wire fences. If you want privacy, a solid vinyl or wood privacy fence is the usual answer, within Livonia’s 6-foot 4-inch limit and with your neighbor’s consent.

It might. Some Livonia neighborhoods have a civic association that reviews fences, and the city’s permit form asks whether one must approve your fence. If so, attach the association’s approval letter. The city does not settle disputes between associations and homeowners, so check your neighborhood’s rules before you order materials.

Get your Livonia fence plan ready

Ask for a free quote, and we will plan a fence that fits Livonia’s rules and your yard.

Livonia Building Department Address & Phone Number:

Livonia Fence Ordinances:

  • City Permit Cost: $88.00
  • Anchor cost to pull: $35.00

For Mortgage Survey Visit:

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