Find fence laws by state, straight from the code
Height, permits, corner visibility and pool barriers, reported from the statute or the ordinance itself. Every line names its section and links the document it came from.
- 51States in the record
- 4984Findings published
- 1634Documents checked
- 10Topics tracked
Where every fence law on this site comes from
A finding starts at the highest document that answers the question. The statute on the legislature's own site first, then the municipal code on its official host, then an official agency document. A contractor blog is never a source.
Fences not over 7 feet (2134 mm) high.
Quoted exactly, at the length it appears, with nothing added.
A regulation is not a number. Some codes state a figure. Some make it depend on lot width. Some say two different things in two sections. Some never mention it at all.
Every claim names its document
Authority, document title, section number, a link to the text, and the date it was read. A finding without all five does not go on the page.
A status, not just an answer
Six of them, covering the plain cases and the awkward ones: a rule that depends on something else, a code that contradicts itself, and a code that says nothing.
A page has to earn its URL
A place publishes once all 4 of its core topics have been read, at least 2 of them turn up a real rule, and 2 findings are specific to that place. Below that it stays a row on the state page.
Fence law terms, and what each one means
Every finding carries one. It records what the document does, which is not always the same as giving an answer.
When the code answers plainly
The code gives a plain answer, and the line it appears on is quoted.
2025 on this pageWhen the answer moves with something else
The answer moves with something else, such as lot width or how open the fence is. Every branch is listed.
2340 on this pageWhen the code contradicts itself
The code says two different things about the same question. Both are quoted and neither one is picked.
16 on this pageWhen the documents say nothing
The documents were read and none of them cover it. The list of what was read is printed with the finding.
390 on this pageWhen the code points somewhere else
The code hands the question to a department standard that is not printed in the code.
213 on this pageWhen a local rule replaces the default
A local rule replaces a higher level default, and both are shown.
None recorded yet
What fence laws cover
The ten questions a fence rule usually turns on. Findings are published for 10 of them so far.
Documents checked
The last 12 documents read for this site, newest first, out of 1634 in all. Every state page carries its own list.
- Ankeny Code of Ordinances, Chapter 191, Zoning Ordinance General Regulations, Section 191.14, Fences, Walls, and Plantings
- Ankeny Code of Ordinances, Chapter 191, Zoning Ordinance General Regulations, Section 191.16, Visibility at Intersections
- Iowa City Code of Ordinances, Title 14, Zoning Code, Chapter 4, Article C, Accessory Uses and Buildings, Section 14-4C-2, Specific Approval Criteria
- Iowa City Code of Ordinances, Title 14, Zoning Code, Chapter 8, Article B, Section 14-8B-4, Fence Permit
- West Des Moines City Code, Title 9, Zoning, Chapter 14, Section 9-14-11, Fences
- Ames Municipal Code, Chapter 29, Zoning, Article 4, Development Standards, supplement 2026-2
- Waterloo Zoning Ordinance, ordinance 5079, adopted June 20, 2022
- Unified Development Code of the City of Dubuque, Title 16, Chapter 3, Land Use General Provisions, Section 16-3-21, Fences Located on Residential Lots
- Unified Development Code of the City of Dubuque, Title 16, Chapter 3, Sections 16-3-5 and 16-3-6
- Oklahoma City Municipal Code, Chapter 59, Zoning and Planning Code, Article XII, Site Development Standards, Section 59-12200, Standards for accessory buildings, structures and uses
- Tulsa Code of Ordinances, Title 42, Zoning Code, Chapter 45, Accessory Uses and Structures, Section 45.080, Fences and walls
- Tulsa Code of Ordinances, Title 42, Zoning Code, Chapter 90, Measurements, Section 90.170, Other height measurements
What this site is, and what it is not
This is a record of what published government documents say about fences. It is general information and it is not legal advice. Ordinances are amended, statutes are renumbered, and a page here reports the text as it read on the date printed beside it.
What applies to one particular parcel is narrower than what applies to a state. Six things change the answer, and none of them appear in the fence chapter.
- Zoning district
- Lot shape, and which edge counts as the front
- Easements crossing the parcel
- Overlay districts
- Recorded HOA covenants
- Fire hazard severity zone