Location

• Ensure the fence is built within a designated area. For example, under the guidelines of the Cleveland Zoning Code Section 358.05(b(2), barbed wire fences must be built in non-residential districts and have to be at least 4 feet from a residential property line.
  
  

Limitations

• In areas where barbed wire fencing is allowed, the barbed wire itself must meet specific requirements. In Salt Lake City, for example, the barbed wire must be at least 6 feet off the ground and fences are allowed to have only as many as three strands of barbed wire.
  
  

Keeping It Legal

• Under the guidelines of the California Livestock Laws Section 17121, fences used to maintain cattle must meet the requirements of a "lawful fence." Barbed-wire fences, as long as they contain three strands of barbed wire that are 4 feet off the ground or more, are considered "lawful fences" in California.