Town of Union fence rules

How to build within the rules in the Town of Union

Steps based on burnettcountywi.gov — Chapter 30 and 45 FINAL APPROVED BY COUNTY BOARD 10 21 2021 PDF

1. Check your fence height: 10 ft or less means no county land use permit is needed.
2. Stay on or inside your own lot; the county sets a 0 ft lot-line and road right-of-way setback, a 5 ft wetland setback, and lake setbacks still apply near water.
3. Fence over 10 ft or near a lake/wetland? Call Burnett County Land Services at 715-349-2109 (7410 County Rd. K, #120, Siren) before building to ask about a Land Use Permit Application.
4. Call Diggers Hotline (811) at least 3 business days before digging.

What to submit

Official application form or packet

Other rules to know

• The Town of Union follows the Burnett County zoning ordinance, so fence permits come from the county zoning office, not the town.
• Burnett County Sec. 30-490: any open or solid fence ten feet or less in height may be placed on the side, front or rear lot line or on the road right-of-way line; 'No county land use permit will be required for open or solid fences if they comply with the above criteria.'
• Any open or solid fence over ten feet in height is treated as an accessory structure: it must meet accessory-structure setbacks and needs a county land use permit.
• Solid fence = wood, metal or glass panels or similar; open fence = chain link, wood rail or wire. Height is measured from the lowest original grade at the fence location.
• Open agricultural/livestock fences are allowed only in districts that permit livestock (or by conditional use permit elsewhere).
• Chapter 30 states all towns are subject to county shoreland and floodplain zoning; the county-zoning list here is every town except the four the county ordinance calls unzoned (Blaine, La Follette, Sand Lake, Wood River). The Town of Oakland's own page says it has adopted Burnett County zoning.
• The ordinance sets no fence height cap other than the 10 ft permit trigger; a covenant or town rule could still apply.

Before you dig

Call Diggers Hotline at 811 (or file online at diggershotline.com) at least 3 business days before digging post holes. Find your lot corner markers and keep the fence on your side of the line. County parcel maps can be off by several feet; if you're not sure where the line is, a licensed land surveyor can stake it.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Summarized from the Town of Union's own ordinances, forms and permit pages. Each link opens the original.

Ordinance: Burnett County Code Sec. 30-490 Fences

1. burnettcountywi.gov — Chapter 30 and 45 FINAL APPROVED BY COUNTY BOARD 10 21 2021 PDF
2. burnettcountywi.gov — TXT 25 01 PDF
3. energyzoning.org — Zoning ordinance (archived copy)
4. burnettcountywi.gov — Application Forms and Information
5. burnettcountywi.gov — Directory with cover 2025 NEWEST single view revised 060425
6. townofoaklandwi.com — forms permits
7. burnettcountywi.gov — Chapter 9 Implementation