Mo. Rev. Stat. » Chapter 272
Missouri Revised Statutes

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 272.020 (2026)

Fencing requirements

✓ current as of May 2026
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  272.020.  Fencing requirements. — 1.  Any fence consisting of posts and wire or boards at least four feet high which is mutually agreed upon by adjoining landowners or decided upon by the associate circuit court of the county is a lawful fence.

  2.  All posts shall be set firmly in the ground not more than twelve feet apart with wire or boards securely fastened to such posts and placed at proper distances apart to resist horses, cattle and other similar livestock.

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(RSMo 1939 § 14570, A.L. 2001 H.B. 219 merged with S.B. 462)

Prior revisions: 1929 § 12907; 1919 § 5512; 1909 § 6455

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1982–2025 · leading case: Paul C. Ferguson v. R. Kenneth Ewing & Dorothy A. Ewing, 437 S.W.3d 821 (Mo. Ct. App. 2014).
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Paul C. Ferguson v. R. Kenneth Ewing & Dorothy A. Ewing, 437 S.W.3d 821 (Mo. Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 7× “Ferguson had completed the construction of a lawful fence on his boundary portion, pursuant to section 272.020, 1 and demanded that they pay for the cost of constructing their portion of a new fence.”
Driver v. Germann, 637 S.W.2d 778 (Mo. Ct. App. 1982). · cites it 2× “030, RSMo 1978, provides: “If any horses, cattle or other stock shall break over or through any lawful fence, as defined in section 272.020 [see § 272.210, applicable to Daviess County which has adopted local option, for definition of a lawful fence thereunder], and by so doing…”
Ronald G. Coble, Sr., & Tamara L. Coble, appellants/respondents v. Robert Craig Taylor, & Virginia Gail Taylor, respondents/cross, 480 S.W.3d 467 (Mo. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 2× “030: If any horses, cattle or other stock shall break over or through any lawful fence, as defined in section 272.020, and by so doing obtain access to, or do trespass upon, the premises of another, the owner of such animal shall, for the first trespass, make reparation to the…”
Daniel Bros., Appellant, v. Edward James Becker, Respondent. (Mo. Ct. App. 2025). · cites it 2× “But the court excluded Ogden’s testimony that the fence’s condition did not comply with Missouri’s Fence Act, section 272.020, and excluded Ogden’s testimony regarding the photographs depicting the fence’s December 2023 condition.”
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