Fence laws in Chandler, Arizona
What the Chandler municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Chandler sets no rule of its own, the Arizona rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Chandler, Arizona, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Chandler bans the doubled boundary wall in one sentence and leaves one way out of it, a waiver from the Zoning Administrator.
- How tall
- Chandler holds the front yard to three feet on residential and non-residential land alike, and lets the back of the lot go higher on business land than at home: seven feet in a residential rear or side yard and eight in a non-residential one, and the answer turns on the district, the yard, and what the use is. The figure is 3 feet, for fence in a front yard.
- Permits
- Arizona has no statewide building code and gives the job to the counties.
- Pool barriers
- A Chandler pool has to be enclosed by a masonry or concrete wall, or by decorative fencing such as wrought iron, at least six nominal feet and no more than seven, and the answer turns on the material, and whether the lot backs onto an approved lake. The figure is 6 feet, for minimum height of a pool enclosure.
- Spite fences
- Chandler has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Chandler answers the sloping ground question by widening the search rather than picking a side. The figure is 5 feet, for distance either side the highest grade is taken from.
- Corner lots
- Arizona sets no clear view rule at a corner on a private lot. It reaches a public highway or airport, including a state highway, not a fence standing on private land only.
- Retaining walls
- Chandler leaves retaining walls to county boards of supervisors and city and town councils, each of which adopts a national model building code of its own choosing.
- Materials
- Chandler decides wood by what is visible from the street, and the answer turns on whether the fence can be seen from a street or alley, and the district. The figure is 6 feet, for height above which fence block needs reinforcement.
- Livestock
- Arizona says exactly how to build a lawful fence. The figure is 50 inches, for height of the top wire on a lawful fence.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Chandler?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Chandler answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Chandler bans the doubled boundary wall in one sentence and leaves one way out of it, a waiver from the Zoning Administrator. The rule matters more here than in most cities because a new development next to residential property is required to build a perimeter fence or wall at least six feet tall, so without the ban the required wall would routinely end up standing alongside the existing one the neighbors already have. The code sets no setback of its own from a side or rear line, so a wall may sit on the boundary, and the front yard is controlled by height rather than by distance.
Double fences or walls shall be prohibited unless waived by the Zoning Administrator.
Also on fences on the property line in Chandler
- no rule, documents checkedArizona has no law splitting the cost of a fence on a boundary between neighbors. Arizona is an open range state, so the fence law in Title 3 is about keeping livestock out and about what is owed when animals break through. Title 33, the property title, has no fence chapter at all. Two neighbors settle the cost themselves, or a city rule covers it. A.R.S. Title 3Arizona · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Chandler?
Compare fence height across all 50 states
Chandler answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district, the yard, and what the use is.
Chandler holds the front yard to three feet on residential and non-residential land alike, and lets the back of the lot go higher on business land than at home: seven feet in a residential rear or side yard and eight in a non-residential one. Two exceptions reopen the front. An open wire fence is permitted in the front yard of a school or a public or quasi-public building where it is needed for the safety or restraint of the occupants. And on non-residential land a wrought iron fence, or a three foot masonry wall topped with wrought iron or similar fencing, may reach six feet along the street property line or inside the front yard setback to secure a use that displays merchandise or equipment, with chain link prohibited for that purpose. These standards do not reach any lot or subdivision where fence construction had already begun or finished before they took effect.
No fence or wall shall be constructed in the front yard of a lot in a residential district exceeding a height of three (3) feet, and such fence or wall located in the rear and/or side yard(s) shall not exceed a height of seven (7) feet; except open wire fence shall be permitted in front yards of schools, public and quasi-public buildings when needed for the safety or restraint of the occupants thereof.
The answer turns on the district, the yard, and what the use is.
- a front yard, residential or not
- Three feet. 3 ft
- a residential rear or side yard
- Seven feet. 7 ft
- a non-residential rear or side yard
- Eight feet. 8 ft
- securing a merchandise display on business land
- Six feet of wrought iron, or masonry topped with it, and never chain link. 6 ft
Also on fence height in Chandler
- no rule, documents checkedArizona sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. City, town or county zoning sets it, and there is no statewide building code behind that. State law has two fence heights and neither is a cap: the five foot pool fence in Title 36, which is about pool safety, and the six foot line in A.R.S. 11-861(G)(2), which only marks when a fence counts as a side structure for a county fire code rule. A.R.S. Title 3Arizona · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Chandler?
Compare permits across all 50 states
Arizona answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Arizona has no statewide building code and gives the job to the counties. In a county that has zoning, the board of supervisors may adopt and enforce a building code for the zoned areas outside any city, and may leave out areas zoned rural or unclassified. The code has to be adopted by reference after notice and hearings before the county planning and zoning commission and the board. The choice is limited too: a building, electrical, plumbing or mechanical code from a national code group, or the one the largest city in the county already uses.
This one is Arizona law, not Chandler law. All Arizona findings
In any county that has adopted zoning pursuant to this chapter, the board of supervisors may adopt and enforce, for the unincorporated areas of the county so zoned, a building code and other related codes to regulate the quality, type of material and workmanship of all aspects of construction of buildings or structures
Also on permits in Chandler
- set in state lawCities and towns get the same power under a separate law. An Arizona city may adopt an existing code by reference without printing the code itself, as long as the ordinance doing it is published in full. At least three paper copies, or one paper and one electronic copy, stay on file with the city clerk for anyone to look at. So the fence permit rule in Arizona is whichever code the city or town picked. A.R.S. § 9-802Arizona · Statute
- set in state lawArizona law puts a number on an ordinary fence in exactly one place, and it is in the same county statute. A county fire code cannot make a small side building or structure put in fire sprinklers by way of a fire truck access road rule. The list of what counts as one of those side structures names a fence more than six feet high, next to barns, carports, sheds and walls that hold back earth. Six feet is not a cap on fence height. It is the line above which a fence counts as a structure for that one fire code rule. A.R.S. § 11-861(G)(2)Arizona · Statute
Pool fence requirements in Chandler
Compare pool barriers across all 50 states
Chandler answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material, and whether the lot backs onto an approved lake.
A Chandler pool has to be enclosed by a masonry or concrete wall, or by decorative fencing such as wrought iron, at least six nominal feet and no more than seven. A horizontal combination of masonry and wrought iron is allowed with a concrete curb of at most four inches to stop erosion, set three inches below the ground and one inch above it. Wherever the material or design leaves openings, no opening may be large enough for a four inch sphere to pass through. A pool may not occupy any front yard, and the enclosure does not have to sit on the side or rear property lines. Where the interior barrier required by the City Code also serves as the exterior barrier, it has to be six feet and preclude exterior access. One case removes the rear fence entirely: a lakefront lot in an approved lake community with no public lakeshore access, where the side yard fences run at least eighteen inches past the water edge.
All pools shall be enclosed by a masonry or concrete wall or decorative fencing (such as wrought iron) at least six (6) nominal feet but not to exceed seven (7) feet in height.
The answer turns on the material, and whether the lot backs onto an approved lake.
- an ordinary pool enclosure
- Between six and seven feet, masonry, concrete or decorative fencing. 6 ft
- any opening in the enclosure
- Too small for a four inch sphere to pass through. 4 in
- a lakefront lot in an approved lake community
- No rear yard fence required between the lakeshore and the pool.
Also on pool barriers in Chandler
- set in state lawArizona writes its pool fence rule straight into state law instead of leaving it to a code. A pool or other held body of water at least eighteen inches deep and wider than eight feet gets a fence at least five feet high, measured on the outside face of the wall, fence or barrier. Gates close and latch by themselves, the latch sits at least fifty four inches above the ground, and the gate opens away from the pool. A.R.S. § 36-1681Arizona · Statute
Spite fence laws in Chandler
Compare spite fences across all 50 states
Chandler law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Arizona has no spite fence law. The fence sections in Title 3 are about livestock and no fence districts, and Title 33 has no fence rules in it. Neither one sets a height that turns a fence into a nuisance, and neither one says anything about a fence put up to annoy a neighbor.
This one is Arizona law, not Chandler law. All Arizona findings
Documents read before writing that:
- A.R.S. Title 3Arizona State Legislature
- A.R.S. Title 33Arizona State Legislature
How fence height is measured in Chandler
Compare how height is measured across all 50 states
Chandler answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Chandler answers the sloping ground question by widening the search rather than picking a side. The required height of a perimeter wall is measured from the highest point of grade within five feet of the proposed fence, so the surveyor looks five feet either way and takes the highest ground found there, which stops a fence being set into a dip to gain height on the neighbor. The rule appears attached to a requirement rather than a limit: a new development next to residential property has to build a perimeter fence or wall at least six feet tall, and the five foot rule fixes where those six feet start. A wall or fence over six feet may not use fence block unless it is reinforced enough to avoid toppling, and the means of reinforcement goes to the Chandler Building Division for approval.
New developments shall require a minimum six (6) foot tall perimeter fence or wall when adjacent to residential properties. The minimum height required for the fence or wall shall be measured from the highest point of grade within five (5) feet of the proposed fence.
5 ftdistance either side the highest grade is taken from
Also on how height is measured in Chandler
- set in state lawArizona names a starting point in the one place it gives fence sizes. Section 3-1426 describes a lawful fence on open range and puts the top barbed wire fifty inches above the ground, with the other wires spaced down from it. The ground is the starting point and the law says so. That rule is there to turn livestock, not to size a fence at a house. Section 9-462.01 lets a city set the height of structures, so a fence at a house is a city matter and the city picks the surface to measure from. A.R.S. 3-1426(A)Arizona · Statute
Fence rules for corner lots in Chandler
Compare corner visibility across all 50 states
Arizona answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Arizona sets no clear view rule at a corner on a private lot. What Title 28, Chapter 20 does is make it a petty offense to place or keep anything blocking a public highway. Section 28-7053 covers a structure or object of any kind placed in, under or over part of the road, which is wide enough to catch a fence. Section 28-7054 sets the notice and removal steps. The rule stops at the edge of the public road. Height and setback on the lot behind it come from city and county zoning under sections 9-462.01 and 11-812.
This one is Arizona law, not Chandler law. All Arizona findings
Places or maintains an encroachment or obstruction on, makes any use of or otherwise occupies a public highway or airport of this state or any of its political subdivisions for any purpose other than for authorized public travel, communication, transportation or transmission, except as otherwise provided in this section.
Retaining wall rules in Chandler
Compare retaining walls across all 50 states
Chandler does not set this. It leaves it to county boards of supervisors and city and town councils, each of which adopts a national model building code of its own choosing.
Arizona has no statewide building code, so it has no state rule for a wall that holds back earth. Section 11-861 lets a county board of supervisors adopt a building code for the parts of a zoned county outside any city. The choice is limited to a code from a national code writing group, or the code the largest city in that county already uses. The height at which a wall of that kind needs a permit comes from whichever code the county or city picked.
This one is Arizona law, not Chandler law. All Arizona findings
In any county that has adopted zoning pursuant to this chapter, the board of supervisors may adopt and enforce, for the unincorporated areas of the county so zoned, a building code and other related codes to regulate the quality, type of material and workmanship of all aspects of construction of buildings or structures
The code hands this to county boards of supervisors and city and town councils, each of which adopts a national model building code of its own choosing, which is not published in the code itself.
Fence materials allowed in Chandler
Compare materials across all 50 states
Chandler answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the fence can be seen from a street or alley, and the district.
Chandler decides wood by what is visible from the street. On a new residential lot, parcel or subdivision, no fence along the street side or alley frontage may use wood as its primary structural building element, with agrarian subdivisions and uses exempt. Along interior property lines, or in yards not visible from any street or alley, total wood construction is fine. On non-residential land wood is prohibited outright except inside the property boundaries where it cannot be seen from any street, alley or adjoining property. Chain link is prohibited where it would serve as the security fence for a merchandise display along a street frontage. A pool fence may use wood only to replace an existing wood fence.
No fence along the street side or alley frontage of any new residential lot, parcel or subdivision shall feature wood as its primary structural building element; except that total fencing shall be permitted for agrarian subdivisions and uses.
The answer turns on whether the fence can be seen from a street or alley, and the district.
- a new residential fence along a street or alley
- Wood may not be the primary structural element.
- an interior line or a yard hidden from the street
- Total wood construction is allowed.
- any non-residential fence that can be seen
- Wood is prohibited.
- a fence over six feet
- No fence block unless reinforced against toppling, as the Building Division approves. 6 ft
Also on materials in Chandler
- set in state lawArizona describes a lawful fence by its wire. It takes solid posts no more than thirty feet apart with at least four tight barbed wires on them. A fence built some other way still counts when it is as strong and turns livestock as well. A.R.S. 3-1426Arizona · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in Chandler
Compare agricultural fencing across all 50 states
Arizona answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Arizona says exactly how to build a lawful fence. Posts go in the ground no more than thirty feet apart. At least four barbed wires are stretched tight and tied to those posts. The top wire sits fifty inches above the ground, and the other three sit twelve, twenty two and thirty two inches below it. Posts set more than one rod apart need stays no more than seven and a half feet from each other. Any other fence just as strong and just as good at turning livestock counts too.
This one is Arizona law, not Chandler law. All Arizona findings
A fence shall be deemed a lawful fence when it is constructed and maintained with good and substantial posts firmly placed in the ground at intervals of not more than thirty feet, upon which posts are strung and fastened at least four barbed wires of the usual type tightly stretched and secured to the posts and spaced so that the top wire is fifty inches above the ground
50 inheight of the top wire on a lawful fence
Also on agricultural fencing in Chandler
- set in state lawArizona is a fence out state. The landowner who wants animals kept off builds the fence, not the animal owner, and nothing is owed for a trespassing animal unless the land was already ringed by a lawful fence. A no fence district is the exception. Inside one, Section 3-1424 makes the person in charge of the livestock pay the damage and guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor for letting them run loose. A.R.S. 3-1427Arizona · Statute
Documents behind this page
9 documents, of which 1 was published by Chandler itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Arizona State LegislatureArizona Revised Statutes, Title 3, Agriculture, full title listing
- Arizona State LegislatureArizona Revised Statutes, Title 33, Property, full title listing
- City of ChandlerCode of Ordinances, Chapter 35, Land Use and Zoning, Article XXII, Additional Height and Area Regulations, Section 35-2204
- Arizona State LegislatureArizona Revised Statutes, Title 11, Chapter 6, Section 11-861, Adoption of codes by reference
- Arizona State LegislatureArizona Revised Statutes, Title 9, Chapter 6, Section 9-802, Procedure for adoption by reference
- Arizona State LegislatureArizona Revised Statutes, Title 36, Chapter 15, Article 5, Section 36-1681, Pools; enclosures; safety features
- Arizona State LegislatureArizona Revised Statutes, Title 3, Section 3-1426, Lawful fence defined
- Arizona State LegislatureArizona Revised Statutes, Title 28, Chapter 20, Section 28-7053, Misuse of public highway or airport; violation; classification; injunction; definition
- Arizona State LegislatureArizona Revised Statutes, Title 3, Chapter 11, Article 4
What this page does not cover
A city ordinance is not the only rule that reaches a fence. The zoning district a parcel sits in can change the height allowed on it, and so can an overlay district, a recorded easement, a fire hazard severity zone or a coastal zone. A homeowner association can be stricter than the city and nothing in the municipal code will say so. None of those appear here.
The rules above are the ones Chandler publishes, plus the Arizona rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in Arizona has the state layer in full.
This is general information drawn from published government documents. It is not legal advice, ordinances are amended, and the date beside each finding is the date the document was read. How findings are made · What the terms mean