Forest County, Wisconsin

Town of Wabeno fence permit

Do you need a fence permit in the Town of Wabeno? Not confirmed. Contact the Town of Wabeno before you build; the rules below are what we found in the ordinance.

buildit.dog can turn a fence drawn on an aerial photo of your lot into a complete permit application package for the Town of Wabeno (site plan, aerial photo and filled-in details) in a few minutes. Start with your address.

Quick facts

Permit required: Not confirmed source
Side and rear yards: 6 ft. and 6 inches source
Front (street) yard: 4 ft, open type (50% or less opaque) source
Corner lots: Within the intersection visual clearance triangle no object over 2 1/2 ft is allowed, but posts or open fences are excluded from this rule source
Distance from lot line: Fences are permitted on the property line provided it is maintenance free. All other types of fences have a setback of 1 ft. No fence may be closer than 2 ft. to any right of way. source
How to apply: In person source

Still being confirmed with Wabeno: Does a residential fence need a Forest County land use permit (and what is the fee), is the Town of Nashville under Forest County general zoning, and what is the Town of Crandon clerk's phone?

Plan your fence and build the applicationLook up your address, draw the fence on an aerial photo of your lot, and get a site plan and filled-in application.

How to file for a fence permit in the Town of Wabeno

Steps based on energyzoning.org — Zoning ordinance (archived copy)

Call the Forest County Zoning Department (715-478-3893) to ask whether your fence needs a land use permit, especially near a lake or stream.
If a permit is needed, get the land use permit application from the Zoning office and draw a site plan showing the fence and its distances to lot lines and the road.
Mark the fence line on the ground so County staff can find it for the onsite inspection.
Submit the application and fee to the Zoning office, 200 E. Madison St., Crandon, before you start; post the permit placard near the property entrance.
Call Diggers Hotline (811) at least 3 business days before digging.

Paying: Fee from the Zoning Office's Master List of Fees, if a permit is required; a late fee applies when work starts before applying
Review time: Decided on the paper application, an onsite inspection and the ordinance; the Administrator may refer it to the Committee
Inspections: Onsite inspection as part of the review
Permit good for: 12 months if no substantial work has started

Who to contact

Jean Fannin
Zoning Department head, Forest County

Phone: 715-478-3893
Email: [email protected]
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Address: Forest County Zoning Department, 200 E. Madison St., Rooms 103 & 105, Crandon, WI 54520

Contact from co.forest.wi.gov — zoning land use depart

What to submit

Land use permit application (from the Zoning office)
Site plan (any legible scale) showing the lot's location, dimensions and area, the project's location and dimensions, distances to lot lines and road/easement edges, and the septic system and well locations
Mark the project footprint on the ground so County staff can easily identify it

Other rules to know

The Town of Wabeno follows the Forest County zoning ordinance, so fence permits come from the county zoning office, not the town.
Fence rules are in Section 5.14 (Fences) of the Forest County General Zoning Ordinance, quoted from the energyzoning.org archive (dated 2023-05-15). The County's Zoning page lists the 'General Zoning Ordinance (rev. 2023)' as a SharePoint file that the research tool could not open, so check that the current version still matches.
Permit unclear: Section 9 says a land use permit 'shall be obtained from the zoning office before any new development' (development = 'any man made change to improved or unimproved real estate') unless another provision exempts it, but the fence section itself does not mention a permit and the ordinance's definition of 'structure' does not list fences. Ask the Zoning Department whether a residential fence needs a land use permit.
If a permit is needed: permits are granted or denied based on the paper application, an onsite inspection and the ordinance; an 8 1/2 x 11 placard must be posted conspicuously near the property entrance before work begins; land use permits expire 12 months from issuance if no substantial work has started (one extension of up to 12 months, with another fee); applying after construction has started adds a late fee. Fees are on the Zoning Office's Master List of Fees (the County posts a '2026 Fee Schedule' the research tool could not open).
The County Zoning page says online permitting exists but the phone-number login is not working and the Register link is broken; for a paper or emailed form, contact the Zoning Department.
Coverage: energyzoning.org lists County as the zoning jurisdiction for the Towns of Argonne and Crandon. The Town of Lincoln's own Building & Zoning page says the Town 'is under Forest County Zoning & Land Conservation' and that building permits are issued by Forest County Zoning, and Lincoln's Feb. 12, 2024 board minutes record the County Zoning Department saying 'the County took over zoning for the Town'. The Town of Wabeno's 2021 plan says the Town 'has agreed to have Forest County administer the zoning within the Town.' Nashville is kept in this list from the earlier (now removed) draft County Comprehensive Plan; no live source confirming it was found. NCWRPC posts a final Forest County Comprehensive Plan 2024 that the research tool could not open.
Town of Lincoln: its older town zoning ordinance (energyzoning.org archive, last revised 2018) required a zoning permit for any fence or wall, limited fences, walls and hedges to 5 ft (3 ft within 20 ft of an intersection) and banned barbed wire and solid board fences except for livestock, crops, junkyards or utility/municipal property. Ask the County whether any of these Town rules still apply.
Near lakes, rivers and streams the Forest County Shoreland Zoning Ordinance applies (not reviewed here; the County posts it only as a SharePoint file the research tool could not open). Ask the Forest County Zoning Department (715-478-3893, [email protected]) before fencing shoreland property.
Town clerk contacts: Argonne - Town Hall answering machine 715-649-3550 (Town website; Treasurer Christie Schmidt 715-889-2074); Lincoln - Town Hall 715-478-2985, 5376 County W, Crandon (Town website; clerk/treasurer Diane Dubey per May 2026 minutes); Nashville - Sandy Frank, 715-478-2524, [email protected], 4265 State Hwy 55, Crandon (Wisconsin Elections Commission clerk directory); Wabeno - Town Hall (715) 850-1127, 4473 North Branch St, Wabeno, open Tuesday-Thursday, hours may vary, call to confirm (Town website); Crandon (town) - no official clerk contact was found online.

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

Do I need a permit to build a fence in the Town of Wabeno, WI?

Not confirmed. Contact the Town of Wabeno before you build; the rules below are what we found in the ordinance. If a permit is needed: permits are granted or denied based on the paper application, an onsite inspection and the ordinance; an 8 1/2 x 11 placard must be posted conspicuously near the property entrance before work begins; land use permits expire 12 months from issuance if no substantial work has started (one extension of up to 12 months, with another fee); applying after construction has started adds a late fee. Fees are on the Zoning Office's Master List of Fees (the County posts a '2026 Fee Schedule' the research tool could not open).

How tall can a fence be in the Town of Wabeno?

Side and rear yards: 6 ft. and 6 inches. Front (street) yard: 4 ft, open type (50% or less opaque). Corner lots: Within the intersection visual clearance triangle no object over 2 1/2 ft is allowed, but posts or open fences are excluded from this rule.

How close to the property line can I put a fence in the Town of Wabeno?

Fences are permitted on the property line provided it is maintenance free. All other types of fences have a setback of 1 ft. No fence may be closer than 2 ft. to any right of way.

How do I apply for a fence permit in the Town of Wabeno?

Call the Forest County Zoning Department (715-478-3893) to ask whether your fence needs a land use permit, especially near a lake or stream. If a permit is needed, get the land use permit application from the Zoning office and draw a site plan showing the fence and its distances to lot lines and the road. Mark the fence line on the ground so County staff can find it for the onsite inspection. Submit the application and fee to the Zoning office, 200 E. Madison St., Crandon, before you start; post the permit placard near the property entrance. Call Diggers Hotline (811) at least 3 business days before digging. buildit.dog can turn a fence drawn on an aerial photo of your lot into a complete permit application package for the Town of Wabeno (site plan, aerial photo and filled-in details) in a few minutes.

Who do I contact about a fence permit in the Town of Wabeno?

Jean Fannin, Zoning Department head, Forest County. Phone 715-478-3893, email [email protected].

Sources

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

Ordinance: Forest County General Zoning Ordinance §5.14 Fences

Work for the Town of Wabeno? Help us keep this right

If anything on this page is wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll fix it. Municipal staff reports are reviewed first. Please include a link to the current ordinance, form or fee schedule if you can.