Fences and decks built in Utica, Illinois.
Xcel Outdoor Living builds fences, decks, and outdoor lighting in Utica, Illinois. Utica sits about 9.9 miles east of our shop in Spring Valley, a short run for our crew. Fully insured and registered, and easy to find after the job is done.
Utica at a glance
- County
- LaSalle County
- From our shop
- 9.9 miles east
- ZIP
- 61373
- What we build
- Fencing, decking, outdoor lighting
Utica permits a fence you rebuild or move, and leaves ordinary upkeep alone.
The village has a whole chapter on fences, Title 10 Chapter 16, and its permit rule is broader than most nearby towns. No fence may be constructed, erected, converted, altered, rebuilt, enlarged, remodeled, relocated or expanded until a permit has been obtained, and nothing may be installed before that permit issues. Shifting an existing run a few feet, or rebuilding a tired fence where the old one stood, sits inside that sentence. The code then draws the line in the sensible place and exempts minimal alterations to an existing fence and regular maintenance. Replacing a fence is permit work. Keeping one in good order is not.
The application goes to the village's zoning enforcement officer rather than a building inspector, and the drawing it asks for is more than a sketch. It wants the fence to scale with its height, dimensions, material and elevation, and it wants the whole lot shown with setbacks to every property line, the existing building footprint, a north arrow and a scale. Every fence is then inspected by the building inspector against the application that was filed. Two things are worth knowing before you go looking for any of this. The village is legally North Utica, so the code and the forms are filed under that name even though the post office and everyone local says Utica, and it puts fences and swimming pools on one combined application. One line in the chapter is the village's own opinion rather than ours, and it is worth reading if you are weighing materials: chain link fences are permitted but are not recommended.
The approval stays in your name. We do not pull permits and we will not tell you we did. Once you have the green light, the build is ours: materials, scheduling, installation, and cleanup.
Who to ask in Utica
- Ask at
- Village of North Utica, zoning enforcement officer
- Form
- Pool/Fence Permit Application, published by the village
- Bring
- A scaled drawing: height, dimensions, material and elevation, plus the whole lot with setbacks to all property lines
- Note
- All fences are inspected against the application after the fact
Village of North Utica Code, Title 10 Chapter 16, Fences (the village, not LaSalle County) (opens in a new tab)Read August 1, 2026. Towns change their rules without telling anyone. Confirm before you build.
What we build in Utica.
The same three things we build everywhere in the valley, with the same crew and the same standards.
Recent Xcel installs.
Real jobs, photographed on site. Each caption names the county the work is in, not the town on this page. None of these are Utica jobs, and we are not going to imply otherwise.
Close enough to come back.
Utica is about 9.9 miles east of the shop.
A short drive means we turn up when we said we would, and coming back is easy if something needs a second look.
Nearest towns we also serve
- Oglesby4.0 mi southwest
- LaSalle4.3 mi west
- Peru6.2 mi west
- Ottawa8.6 mi east
- Spring Valley9.9 mi west
Utica questions.
Do you actually work in Utica?
Yes. Utica is in LaSalle County, one of the five counties we cover from Spring Valley. It is about 9.9 miles east of the shop.
How soon can you get out to look at a Utica job?
Call 815-579-2323 and we will book a consultation. At about 9.9 miles we are close enough to come look, and close enough to come back if something needs a second visit. You get a straight answer on scope and timing, with no pitch and no pressure.
Will a fence you build in Utica hold up to an Illinois winter?
We set fence posts below the frost line. That is the part nobody sees, and it is the reason a shallow-set fence starts leaning by year three: frozen ground lifts the post and never sets it back down. It is a fair thing to ask anyone quoting you a fence in Utica.
Do I need a permit for a fence in Utica?
Yes, for anything beyond upkeep. The Village of North Utica, which most people simply call Utica, requires a permit under code chapter 10-16 before a fence is built, altered, rebuilt, relocated or expanded, and nothing may be installed before the permit issues. The code exempts minimal alterations to an existing fence and regular maintenance, so ordinary repair does not trigger it but a replacement does. The application goes to the village's zoning enforcement officer with a scaled drawing showing the fence height, dimensions, material and its position on the lot, including setbacks to all property lines. Every fence is inspected afterwards against that application, and gates have to be self closing and self latching. The approval stays in your name. We do not pull permits and we will not tell you we did. Once you have the green light, the build is ours: materials, scheduling, installation, and cleanup.
Let’s walk your yard in Utica.
The estimate is free. Jake comes out to Utica and walks the space with you. The number comes after, built on what he saw.
Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PMCall any time.We’re usually booking a few weeks out.
Limited lifetime manufacturer warranty on non-wood fence materialsCraftsmanship warranty on our deck builds and non-wood fence installsFully insured & registered