Pierce County, Wisconsin

Town of Salem fence permit

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

Quick facts

Permit required: Not confirmed source
Distance from lot line: County Zoning Ordinance (Ch. 240) allows fences in highway-setback areas and in front, rear and side yards 'provided they are not located within a public right-of-way' (§240-27E(4), §240-30B(2)). No fence height limit was found in the text read. source
How to apply: In person source

Still being confirmed with Salem: Does a plain residential fence (not on a public right-of-way) need a Pierce County land use permit, and is there any county height limit?

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 Salem

Steps based on co.pierce.wi.us — index

Call Pierce County Land Management / Zoning at 715-273-6746 (Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) and ask whether your fence needs a land use permit.
If yes, get the county land use permit form from the Zoning Office (Courthouse basement, 414 W. Main St., Ellsworth) and attach a plot plan.
If your town has a building inspector or town permit (Clifton, Salem, Ellsworth), ask the town clerk whether a town permit is also needed.
Call Diggers Hotline (811) at least 3 business days before digging.

Paying: Fee set by the County Board (amount not found); no application accepted until complete and fees paid
Permit good for: 12 months if no action taken (Sec. 240-73)

Who to contact

Adam Adank
Zoning Administrator (Pierce County Land Management)

Phone: 715-273-6746 ext. 6441
Email: [email protected]
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; closed legal holidays
Address: Pierce County Land Management / Zoning, Courthouse Room 10 (basement), 414 W. Main St., PO Box 647, Ellsworth, WI 54011

Contact from co.pierce.wi.us — index

Other rules to know

The Town of Salem follows the Pierce County zoning ordinance, so fence permits come from the county zoning office, not the town.
Towns under Pierce County zoning (per the County Land Management zoning brochure's list of towns): Diamond Bluff, Hartland, Isabelle, Maiden Rock, Martell, Rock Elm, Salem, Trenton, Union, El Paso, Gilman, Spring Lake, Ellsworth, Trimbelle, Clifton, Oak Grove. The brochure states the Town of River Falls did not adopt county zoning and runs its own. (The brochure lists lot sizes by town; it does not literally label each town 'county-zoned'. Town of Trenton and Town of El Paso pages on the county site say they use county zoning.)
Land use permit rule: the county Land Management page says a land use permit is generally required for structures 6 inches or more above ground, with easily moved structures under 100 sq ft exempt. The ordinance extract (Sec. 240-32A, accessory structures need a land use permit 'except' a list) appears to list fences among the exceptions, but the extracted text did not show clearly which item. The two statements point in different directions, so ask the Zoning Office whether a plain residential fence needs a land use permit.
Application goes to the Zoning Administrator on county forms with an accurate plot plan; fee set by the County Board (amount not found); permits expire 12 months after issue if no action (Sec. 240-73). The county's 'Land Use Permit Required Information' and 'Plot Plan' forms are listed on its Zoning page but could not be opened.
Some towns also require a town permit and use a building inspector: Clifton (All-Croix Inspections, 715-377-2152, [email protected]; town board reviews permit applications first Tuesday monthly), Salem and Ellsworth (Tony Feuerhelm Inspection Agency LLC, 715-386-5410, [email protected]). Town of Ellsworth land within 1.5 miles of the Village of Ellsworth is in the village's extraterritorial zone (contact Village of Ellsworth 715-273-4742).
Town clerk phones from the county 2023 Recycling Guide: Clifton 715-426-0760 ([email protected]); Diamond Bluff 612-987-1059 ([email protected]); Ellsworth town hall 715-273-5006 (clerk Russ Korpela 715-821-1021, [email protected]); Gilman 715-778-4543 ([email protected]); Hartland clerk Polly Remick 715-598-8656 ([email protected]), town hall 715-594-3770; Martell 715-684-3066 ([email protected]); Oak Grove 715-262-4005 ([email protected]); Rock Elm / El Paso 715-639-9212 ([email protected]); Salem clerk Ann Larson-Graham 715-308-4065 ([email protected]), town hall 715-647-3585; Spring Lake 715-772-4228 (clerk Amber Weber, [email protected]); Trenton clerk Steve Thoms 715-792-5218 ([email protected]), garage 715-792-2911; Trimbelle 715-273-5319. No clerk phone/email found for Town of Union or Town of Isabelle (Isabelle clerk was Julie Erickson in 2020 minutes).

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 Salem, WI?

Not confirmed. Contact the Town of Salem before you build; the rules below are what we found in the ordinance.

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

County Zoning Ordinance (Ch. 240) allows fences in highway-setback areas and in front, rear and side yards 'provided they are not located within a public right-of-way' (§240-27E(4), §240-30B(2)). No fence height limit was found in the text read.

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

Call Pierce County Land Management / Zoning at 715-273-6746 (Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) and ask whether your fence needs a land use permit. If yes, get the county land use permit form from the Zoning Office (Courthouse basement, 414 W. Main St., Ellsworth) and attach a plot plan. If your town has a building inspector or town permit (Clifton, Salem, Ellsworth), ask the town clerk whether a town permit is also needed. 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 Salem (site plan, aerial photo and filled-in details) in a few minutes.

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

Adam Adank, Zoning Administrator (Pierce County Land Management). Phone 715-273-6746 ext. 6441, email [email protected].

Sources

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

Ordinance: Pierce County Code Ch. 240 Zoning (§240-32 accessory structures; §240-73 land use permits)

Work for the Town of Salem? 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.