Town of Wausau fence permit
Do you need a fence permit in the Town of Wausau? Not confirmed. Contact the Town of Wausau 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 Wausau (site plan, aerial photo and filled-in details) in a few minutes. Start with your address.
Quick facts
- Permit required
- Not confirmed
- Side and rear yards
- 6 ft (fences on property lines) source
- Front (street) yard
- 4 ft in any required street yard source
- Corner lots
- 4 ft in required street yards; vision clearance triangle (Sec. 17.18) keeps the area about 2.5 to 10 ft above road elevation clear source
- Distance from lot line
- Fences are permitted on the property lines; not closer than 2 ft to any public right-of-way. source
- Good side faces
- All fences shall present the non-structured face outward. source
- Not allowed
- Barbed wire and electrified fences (except on boundaries between agricultural and residential parcels); snow fences only as temporary fences between November 1 and March 31. source
- How to apply
- Call 715-574-9186 source
Still being confirmed with Wausau: Is a Town fence application/permit required for every residential fence, what is the current fee (Sept. 2025 fee ordinance), and are the fence rules in the 4-6-2026 Code unchanged?
How to file for a fence permit in the Town of Wausau
Steps based on townofwausau.com — forms permits
- Download the Fence Application from the Town of Wausau Forms & Permits page.
- Call Zoning Administrator Larry Vesely (715-574-9186; leave a message) to confirm the fee and where to send it.
- Call Diggers Hotline (811) at least 3 business days before digging.
Who to contact
Larry Vesely
Zoning Administrator
- Phone
- 715-574-9186
- Hours
- Town Hall by appointment only
- Address
- Town of Wausau Town Hall, 161484 County Rd Z, Wausau, WI 54403 (by appointment only)
Contact from townofwausau.com — forms permits
What to submit
- Town Fence Application (Forms & Permits page)
Other rules to know
- The Town has its own zoning (Chapter 17), administered by a Town Zoning Administrator; the Zoning Administrator issues all zoning permits upon Town Board approval (Sec. 17.93).
- The Town's Forms & Permits page posts a Fence Application, but the code text reviewed does not say a fence permit is required.
- Fences in agricultural zoned areas must comply with Wis. Stats. Chapter 90; fences must be kept in reasonable repair.
- Clerk: the 2025-2026 County Directory of Public Officials lists Megan Schemmel, 715-347-1513; the County's online town officials page lists Sharon Hunter, 715-212-1672.
- Fence rules are quoted from the archived Town Code of Ordinances (adopted July 6, 2015, amended through Dec. 7, 2022) at energyzoning.org. The Town's Ordinances & Resolutions page now links a newer Code of Ordinances (Final 4-6-2026) and a fee ordinance (Sept. 25, 2025 / 10-6-2025) that could not be opened, so the rules and fence fee could not be checked against them.
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 Wausau, WI?
Not confirmed. Contact the Town of Wausau before you build; the rules below are what we found in the ordinance.
How tall can a fence be in the Town of Wausau?
Side and rear yards: 6 ft (fences on property lines). Front (street) yard: 4 ft in any required street yard. Corner lots: 4 ft in required street yards; vision clearance triangle (Sec. 17.18) keeps the area about 2.5 to 10 ft above road elevation clear.
How close to the property line can I put a fence in the Town of Wausau?
Fences are permitted on the property lines; not closer than 2 ft to any public right-of-way.
Which side of the fence has to face the neighbor in the Town of Wausau?
All fences shall present the non-structured face outward.
How do I apply for a fence permit in the Town of Wausau?
Download the Fence Application from the Town of Wausau Forms & Permits page. Call Zoning Administrator Larry Vesely (715-574-9186; leave a message) to confirm the fee and where to send it. 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 Wausau (site plan, aerial photo and filled-in details) in a few minutes.
Who do I contact about a fence permit in the Town of Wausau?
Larry Vesely, Zoning Administrator. Phone 715-574-9186.
Sources
Summarized from the Town of Wausau's own ordinances, forms and permit pages. Each link opens the original.
Ordinance: Town of Wausau Code Sec. 17.15(3)(b) Yard and open space regulations (fences)
Work for the Town of Wausau? 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.