Fence Permits and Property Lines in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Permit office

Allen County DPS

County phone

260-449-7607

Our phone

260-253-3262

2026 schedule

$50 residential (A and R districts) and $200 commercial (B, C, and I districts) on the January 1, 2026 DPS fee schedule. Confirm before you pay.

When a Fort Wayne fence needs a permit

The county sheet Does my residential project need a permit? says new fence construction, repair, and replacement need a Fence Permit. A pool fence needs one too.

The current fence application says an agricultural fence for growing crops or raising livestock does not need an application. A temporary construction fence does not need an application either, and it has to come down when that project is done.

That application says the fence permit is not a building permit. The applicant signs it. The Zoning Administrator issues it. The form names Indiana Code Title 36-7-4, Allen County Code 3 in the county, City of Fort Wayne Code §157 in the city, and town code §154 in Grabill, Monroeville, Huntertown, and Woodburn.

The jurisdiction boxes on the form are Allen County, Fort Wayne, Grabill, Monroeville, Huntertown, and Woodburn. Use the one that matches the parcel. A Fort Wayne address and a Huntertown address are not the same box.

DPS lists its phone as 260-449-7607 and its office as 200 East Berry Street, Suite 150, Citizens Square, Fort Wayne, on the permitting page. That is the county office. It is not a Fort Wayne Fence Help address. We do not publish a street address.

How to apply, and the fee the county posts

Apply in the Citizen Access Portal, or file the paper form with DPS. Applications and fees lists the Fence Permit with the other improvement location permits. That page lists office hours as Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm.

The fence application asks for a completed, signed form, the application fee, a site plan that shows the fence and the setbacks from the property lines, and a photo of the fence type and style.

The DPS fee schedule effective January 1, 2026 lists a residential fence in A and R districts at $50 and a commercial fence in B, C, and I districts at $200. The fence application lists the same $50 residential and $200 commercial amounts, payable to the Allen County Treasurer. Confirm the current schedule before you pay. The county can replace it. That fee is not our installation price.

The acknowledgement on the application says construction must begin within 90 days of issuance or the permit expires. It also says a Certificate of Compliance from the Zoning Administrator is required before the project is used. Those words are on the form. We do not set the county's clock.

Height and materials printed on the application

These notes are printed on the current fence application. The zoning of the parcel still controls. Confirm them with DPS for the address before anyone builds.

• In permitted areas, a fence may go up to 8 feet, measured from finished grade on the highest side to the top. That note does not cover front-yard fencing or a fence that passes a build line.
• An ornamental fence not over 3 feet may sit in the required front yard with no minimum setback, subject to corner visibility. The form says chain link is not an ornamental fence material.
• On a vacant lot, the form allows an ornamental fence up to 3 feet, or an open fence up to 4 feet that meets the front and corner setbacks.
• An open fence is less than 50 percent opaque. A solid fence is meant to block the view. The form accepts wood or vinyl panels as solid fencing and says chain link with privacy slats is not solid fencing.
• Customary materials on the form include chain link, split rail, masonry, wrought iron, wood, and PVC. For a permanent fence, the form prohibits corrugated or sheet metal, chicken wire, woven wire, welded wire mesh as the primary material, and snow fencing.
• In residential districts, the form says a fence may not be built to cause pain or injury. That includes spikes, broken glass, barbed wire, razor wire, nails, and an electric charge.

Property lines, covenants, and utility locates

The application asks for a site plan with setbacks from the property lines. We do not decide where the line is. You confirm it. If the line is unclear, get a survey before posts go in. We build on the line you approve.

The form says DPS reviews the permit for zoning rules. It does not enforce a neighborhood covenant, a plat restriction, or a private agreement. Check the association yourself.

Call Indiana 811 before anyone digs. A fence permit is not a utility locate.

A pool fence needs a permit on the county sheet. The fence application points at the state pool-barrier rule and prints height notes for that case. Read the form for the pool you have. For the fence itself, start with fence installation, repair, or replacement.

What we do, and what we do not

We install, repair, and replace the fence, including gates, in wood, vinyl, aluminum, and chain-link. The permit stays with the property owner and DPS.

Our estimate is for the fence work, not the county fee. We quote Fort Wayne, New Haven, Huntertown, and Leo-Cedarville. See the service area. Call 260-253-3262 for the fence. Call DPS at 260-449-7607 for the permit.

County sources

Rules and fees change. Read the current county document for the parcel before you build or pay.

• Allen County Department of Planning Services
• DPS permitting
• Applications and fees
• Fence permit application (FEN)
• Does my residential project need a permit?
• DPS fee schedule effective January 1, 2026
• Citizen Access Portal
• Indiana 811

Related fence work

Questions