Grand Haven is the Ottawa County seat, a city of 11,011 people at the 2020 census at the mouth of the Grand River on Lake Michigan. It is outside Muskegon County, so whether we can match you depends on the installer. Tell us your city in the request. The city's fence permit application, updated July 2025, summarizes Section 40-327 of its code and is the basis for this page.
Permit
A fence permit costs $50 and goes through the Planning Department. You submit a site plan, and the permit is issued after the Zoning Administrator reviews the plan. Don't order materials until it's approved.
Heights
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| Side or rear yard | 6 ft |
| Required front or corner front yard | 4 ft and no more than 50% opaque |
| Hedges ("living fences") in front yards | 3 ft |
Height is measured from grade to the top of the fence, and posts may rise up to 6 inches above it. A fence on a retaining wall, berm or dune counts the base toward the height. The Zoning Administrator may allow more only where needed to stabilize a natural bank or dune.
Front yards: decorative fences only
In a front or corner front yard, in every district except the two industrial ones, only "decorative fences" are allowed. The form describes these as no more than 50 percent opaque, in a split-rail, picket or wrought-iron style. A solid wood privacy fence belongs behind the front building line.
Waterfront lots
On a waterfront lot, no fence is allowed in the rear yard, except in a residential district where the Planning Commission may approve one. If your yard runs down to the water, ask about that early, because it changes what you can build.
Placement, materials and upkeep
- Corners and sidewalks: keep clear-vision corners open under Section 40-307, and stay at least 1 foot from a public sidewalk.
- Materials: wood product, composite, rigid vinyl, wrought iron or chain link. Scrap, doors and pallets are not acceptable.
- Finished side: the finished side faces neighbors, with posts on the inside.
- Banned: electric current, broken glass and sharp wire edges.
- Maintenance: fences must be maintained to keep their original appearance, shape and design, and missing or damaged parts replaced.
Which Grand Haven rules apply to you
Grand Haven's ZIP code also covers most of Grand Haven Township and Robinson Township, according to Wikipedia, and the city is administratively separate from the township. A Grand Haven address can therefore be outside the city's rules, and those rules apply only inside the city limits. Check your tax bill or ask the Planning Department before you rely on this page. A wood privacy fence with the finished side facing neighbors and posts on the inside fits the city's materials list, but a fence built from pallets, doors or other scrap does not.
Cost context
Fixr puts a wood fence at $15 to $35 per linear foot installed, and HomeGuide at $20 to $50. Winter installs depend on frozen ground; Angi says off-season booking can save 10 to 25 percent where the ground allows digging. Our wood fence guide covers species and Michigan frost.
What to confirm
We didn't read the full code section, only the city's permit form that summarizes it, and we didn't check dune or historic-district overlays. Grand Haven Township and Robinson Township are separate and not covered here. Nearby, Spring Lake and Ferrysburg have their own rules, and all of our rule summaries are collected on one comparison page.
Sources, checked October 26, 2026: City of Grand Haven Fence Permit Application (updated July 2025); City of Grand Haven development page; Fixr wood fence cost guide; HomeGuide wood fence cost guide (Dec. 22, 2025); Angi fence installation cost guide (Oct. 13, 2026); Wikipedia, Grand Haven, Michigan (2020 census).