Marinette County, Wisconsin

Town of Lake fence permit

Do you need a fence permit in the Town of Lake? Not confirmed. Contact the Town of Lake 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 Lake (site plan, aerial photo and filled-in details) in a few minutes. Start with your address.

Quick facts

Permit required: Not confirmed source
How to apply: Call 715-732-7543 source

Still being confirmed with Lake: Does a residential fence need a Marinette County zoning permit (inside or outside the shoreland zone), and are there county fence height or setback rules?

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 Lake

Steps based on stephensonwisc.com — building regulations

Call Marinette County Land Information - Zoning (715-732-7543) to ask whether your fence needs a county zoning permit, especially if the lot is within 1,000 ft of a lake or 300 ft of a river.
Also call your Town Clerk (list in notes) - several towns run their own building permit programs.
Call Diggers Hotline (811) at least 3 business days before digging.

Who to contact

Ryan Parchim
Zoning & Sanitary Technician, Marinette County Land Information

Phone: 715-732-7543
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Address: Marinette County Land Information Department, Resource Center, 1925 Ella Court (second floor), Marinette, WI; mail: 1926 Hall Avenue, Marinette, WI 54143-1717

Contact from marinettecountywi.gov — zoning

Other rules to know

The Town of Lake follows the Marinette County zoning ordinance, so fence permits come from the county zoning office, not the town.
Marinette County Zoning Code Chapter 17, Sec. 17.03(1)(a), applies to the territory of 18 towns: Amberg, Athelstane, Beaver, Beecher, Dunbar, Goodman, Grover, Lake, Middle Inlet, Niagara, Pembine, Peshtigo, Porterfield, Pound, Silver Cliff, Stephenson, Wagner and Wausaukee (Forestry, Recreation and Unrestricted districts). Grover, Niagara, Peshtigo and Wagner also have their own town zoning ordinances and are listed separately.
Chapter 17 (archived copy, latest amendment cited Ord. #408-18, May 29, 2018) contains no fence rules; the word "fence" does not appear. It requires Zoning Permits from the Zoning Administrator but does not list which structures need one.
The County's shoreland Structure Setbacks page says "a permit is required before most buildings or other structures are built, enlarged, altered, or moved" and gives shoreland setbacks (75 ft from the ordinary high water mark; 10 ft from lot lines with 25 ft total side yards). It does not mention fences. The Shoreland-Wetland Zoning ordinance (Chapter 21) and the County zoning permit application could not be opened.
The Town of Stephenson's Building Regulations page says a county zoning permit is needed "if the site is within 1,000 feet of a lake or 300 feet of a river" and lists Marinette County Zoning at 715-732-7535.
Many covered towns also issue their own town building permits (none found that mention fences): Town of Amberg - a $50 Permission to Build is required for improvements over $1,000 (siding, roofing and painting exempt) and building permits/UDC inspections are handled by Baas Inspection Agency, (715) 891-0323; Town of Athelstane - Building Ordinance #5 (2016) requires a $75 building permit for any "structure" and says "Fences are exempt from the fifteen (15) foot setback from the back and side property lines"; Town of Pound - Chapter 5 says "No building or structure shall be built, enlarged, altered, moved or demolished" without a permit (minimum fee $25) and allows open fences within highway setback lines and visual clearance triangles; Town of Porterfield - building permits through Building Inspector Logan Krueger, 920-370-8472; Town of Stephenson - building permits through Nature's Edge Inspection Agency (Jane Meissner, 715-245-1708). Jane Meissner is also the Town of Athelstane Building Inspector.
Town clerks (absentee voting notice, April 7, 2026): Amberg - Patty Ducat, 715-759-5095 ([email protected]); Athelstane - Tina Barnes, 715-856-5335 (text 715-467-1547, [email protected]); Beaver - Barb Patz, 920-619-9598; Beecher - Cindy Butterfield, 715-929-0126; Dunbar - Sue Ann Rohde-Perry, 715-324-6132 ([email protected]); Goodman - Tim Strohkirch, 715-336-2107; Lake - Stacey Wilson, 715-927-7899; Middle Inlet - Tricia Schutte, 715-854-3106; Pembine - Suzanne Allen, 715-324-6314; Porterfield - Dawn Johnson, 715-789-2391 ([email protected]); Pound - Jessica Olson, 920-591-0111; Silver Cliff - Lisa Weinrich, 715-757-3163; Stephenson - Elaine Olson, 715-854-2942; Wausaukee - Cheryl Stumbris, 715-856-5281.

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 Lake, WI?

Not confirmed. Contact the Town of Lake before you build; the rules below are what we found in the ordinance. The Town of Stephenson's Building Regulations page says a county zoning permit is needed "if the site is within 1,000 feet of a lake or 300 feet of a river" and lists Marinette County Zoning at 715-732-7535.

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

Call Marinette County Land Information - Zoning (715-732-7543) to ask whether your fence needs a county zoning permit, especially if the lot is within 1,000 ft of a lake or 300 ft of a river. Also call your Town Clerk (list in notes) - several towns run their own building permit programs. 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 Lake (site plan, aerial photo and filled-in details) in a few minutes.

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

Ryan Parchim, Zoning & Sanitary Technician, Marinette County Land Information. Phone 715-732-7543.

Sources

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

Ordinance: Marinette County Zoning Code, Chapter 17 (no fence section)

Work for the Town of Lake? 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.