Fence laws in Arvada, Colorado
What the Arvada municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Arvada sets no rule of its own, the Colorado rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Arvada, Colorado, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Arvada answers the shared boundary question in its opening paragraph, and the answer turns on what the fence crosses or borders.
- How tall
- Arvada puts its heights in one table and then hangs nine footnotes on it, and the answer turns on the district, the setback area and how transparent the fence is. The figure is 3 feet, for fence in a front or street side setback.
- Permits
- All fences and divisional walls in Arvada require a fence permit, with one exception: the repair of a fence section no greater than eight linear feet, and the answer turns on whether the work is new or a small repair. The figure is 8 feet, for length of repair that is exempt.
- Pool barriers
- A fence around a pool open to the public in Colorado stands at least sixty inches high, with gates that close and latch by themselves and a latch at least fifty four inches up. The figure is 60 inches, for minimum fence height around a public swimming pool.
- Spite fences
- Arvada has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Arvada scales the setback to the height, and the answer turns on how tall the solid fence is. The figure is 8 feet, for setback from a street flowline.
- Corner lots
- Arvada leaves corner clearance to Section 4-4-3-3, Intersection Visibility, which carries the dimensions.
- Retaining walls
- Arvada leaves retaining walls to each board of county commissioners, and separately each city and town, which adopt building codes on their own.
- Materials
- A perimeter fence or wall along an arterial street or railroad tracks in Arvada may be built up to eight feet and has to be Western Red Cedar, masonry, or another material the Director approves, and the answer turns on what the fence faces and what it is for. The figure is 100 feet, for spacing of masonry posts.
- Livestock
- A lawful fence in Colorado is a well built three barbed wire fence on strong posts set about twenty feet apart, good enough to turn back ordinary horses and cattle. The figure is 3 strands, for barbed wires in a lawful fence.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Arvada?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Arvada answers this, but the answer changes depending on what the fence crosses or borders.
Arvada answers the shared boundary question in its opening paragraph. Where a proposed fence or divisional wall sits directly adjacent to a zoning district boundary or on a shared property line, the less restrictive standards apply. So two neighbors in different districts are not left arguing about whose rule governs the line between them. Fences and walls may encroach into required yards and setbacks freely. What they may not do is sit in a public right-of-way or an area to be dedicated as one without a revocable permit, conflict with sight distance at an intersection or a point of access, block or divert a natural drainage flow onto or off another property, block access within an access easement, or encroach into a utility easement without the written consent of the easement holder, though that last requirement applies only to masonry walls.
If a proposed fence or divisional wall is located directly adjacent to a zoning district boundary or on a shared property line, the less restrictive standards shall apply.
The answer turns on what the fence crosses or borders.
- a shared line or district boundary
- The less restrictive standard.
- a required yard or setback
- A fence may encroach into it.
- a utility easement
- Written consent, for a masonry wall.
- a natural drainage flow
- It may not be blocked or diverted.
Also on fences on the property line in Arvada
- set in state lawColorado splits the cost of a fence on the line between farm and ranch neighbors. Where farm or grazing land of two or more people touches, each owner builds half of the line fence, and it has to meet the state lawful fence standard. A person who already has a lawful fence on the line is owed half its cash value by the neighbor who moves in next to it. This rule covers farm and grazing land only, not a fence at a house. C.R.S. 35-46-112Colorado · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Arvada?
Compare fence height across all 50 states
Arvada answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district, the setback area and how transparent the fence is.
Arvada puts its heights in one table and then hangs nine footnotes on it. In the open space, rural, residential, mixed use neighborhood and commercial neighborhood districts a fence is held to three feet in the front setback area and three feet in the street side area, with six feet in the rear and interior side. Three feet at the front is as low as any city in this set. Four routes buy it back. The height goes to four feet where the fence is at least fifty percent transparent viewed at a perpendicular angle. It goes to six feet regardless of opacity where the fence is set back at least six feet from the back of the adjacent sidewalk. It goes to eight feet for a divisional wall facing an arterial. And on a double frontage lot the rear yard is held to six. The industrial districts start at six and rise to eight at the street side and rear.
Height may be increased to 4 ft. if the fence is at least 50 percent transparent when viewed at a perpendicular angle.
The answer turns on the district, the setback area and how transparent the fence is.
- a front or street side area
- Three feet. 3 ft
- a half transparent fence there
- Four feet. 4 ft
- a fence set six feet back from the sidewalk
- Six feet, whatever its opacity. 6 ft
- a rear or interior side area
- Six feet.
Also on fence height in Arvada
- no rule, documents checkedColorado sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. The city sets it. The state fence law only describes a lawful fence for farm and grazing land and gives no top height for a fence at a house, and state law gives cities and towns the power over fences on the line. C.R.S. 35-46-101 to 35-46-115Colorado · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Arvada?
Compare permits across all 50 states
Arvada answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the work is new or a small repair.
All fences and divisional walls in Arvada require a fence permit, with one exception: the repair of a fence section no greater than eight linear feet. That is a narrow carve-out and it is written about repair rather than about height, so a new fence of any size needs a permit. Three routes exist past the height table. A different maximum may be allowed by the code itself or approved through a minor modification, a major modification or a planned unit development approval. A taller fence for an activity field such as a tennis court or a baseball, football or soccer field is at the discretion of the Director. And a fence for a major utility installed for security, or for a city facility or city property, is also at the Director discretion. In a planned unit development the approved plan governs, and where it set no fence standards the rules of the closest zoning district apply.
Permits Required. All fences and divisional walls require fence permits, except for the following: 1. Repair of a fence section not greater than eight linear feet in length.
The answer turns on whether the work is new or a small repair.
- a new fence
- A fence permit.
- a repair under eight feet
- No permit. 8 ft
- a tennis court or ball field
- Taller at the Director discretion.
- a planned unit development
- The approved plan governs.
Also on permits in Arvada
- no rule, documents checkedWhether a fence needs a permit in Colorado is a county or city question. The state adopts no building code for houses at all, so there is no statewide permit rule and nothing statewide to be exempt from. State law says a board of county commissioners may adopt a building code, which leaves the choice to each county, and cities and towns get their own power over building rules and over fences on the line. C.R.S. 30-28-201Colorado · Building code
Pool fence requirements in Arvada
Compare pool barriers across all 50 states
Colorado answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
A fence around a pool open to the public in Colorado stands at least sixty inches high, with gates that close and latch by themselves and a latch at least fifty four inches up. Section 3.24 of the state swimming pool rule requires the fence so people reach the pool only through controlled ways in, and a building or other structure can do the job of the fence. A stricter local code or ordinance takes the place of this rule.
This one is Colorado law, not Arvada law. All Colorado findings
Every swimming pool in a non-restricted public place shall be fenced to prevent unauthorized access to the pool except through controlled entrances.
60 inminimum fence height around a public swimming pool
Spite fence laws in Arvada
Compare spite fences across all 50 states
Arvada law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Colorado has no state law about a fence built to annoy a neighbor. The fence law in Title 35 and the property laws in Title 38 have no spite fence rule and no height that turns a fence into one. A limit of that kind comes from a local ordinance.
This one is Colorado law, not Arvada law. All Colorado findings
Documents read before writing that:
- C.R.S. 35-46-101 to 35-46-115Colorado General Assembly
- C.R.S. Title 38Colorado General Assembly
How fence height is measured in Arvada
Compare how height is measured across all 50 states
Arvada answers this, but the answer changes depending on how tall the solid fence is.
Arvada scales the setback to the height. A solid fence or divisional wall between four and eight feet may not stand closer than eight feet from the flowline of a street or five feet from the nearest edge of a sidewalk, a narrow open space corridor, a trail or a multi-use pathway. Above eight feet those figures rise to ten feet and eight feet. Fences that already existed in those conditions before the code was adopted are treated as conforming rather than nonconforming. The strip left between the fence and the street or path has to be landscaped with shrubs, ground cover, perennials, ornamental grasses or turf that contrasts with the sidewalk, and inorganic cover such as river rock or gravel may be used only where the planting reaches fifty percent coverage at maturity. Hardscape is allowed only at points of access through the fence.
No solid fence or divisional wall that is between four and eight feet in height shall be installed closer than: a. Eight feet from the flowline of a street; and b. Five feet to the nearest edge of a sidewalk, open space corridor less than 15 feet wide, trail, or multi-use pathway.
The answer turns on how tall the solid fence is.
- a solid fence of four to eight feet
- Eight feet from the flowline. 8 ft
- one over eight feet
- Ten feet from the flowline. 10 ft
- the strip in front of it
- Planted, with contrast against the sidewalk.
- a vehicular gate
- Eighteen feet back, opening inward. 18 ft
Also on how height is measured in Arvada
- left to the townColorado has no fence height of its own, so it never says where one would be measured from. Section 31-23-301 lets the city council set the height, number of stories and size of buildings and other structures, and it even covers the height of trees. The state fence law describes a lawful fence by its three barbed wires and its posts about twenty feet apart, and gives no height at all. So the city picks the number and the surface it starts from. C.R.S. 31-23-301(1)Colorado · Zoning code
Fence rules for corner lots in Arvada
Compare corner visibility across all 50 states
Arvada does not set this. It leaves it to Section 4-4-3-3, Intersection Visibility, which carries the dimensions.
The Arvada fence article does not state a triangle. It gives two instructions instead. A fence may not conflict with the sight distance visibility of intersections or of points of ingress and egress, which is written as a standard rather than as a measurement, and fences have to comply with the sight triangle requirements of Section 4-4-3-3, Intersection Visibility, which is where the dimensions live. So the question of how far back a fence has to stop at a corner is answered in a different article, and an owner reading the fence rules alone will not find it. What the fence table does supply at the street is the three foot limit in the front and street side setback areas, which is low enough that a conforming fence there will usually clear a corner anyway, and the four escape routes in the footnotes each carry their own setback or transparency condition.
Fences shall comply with the sight triangle requirements of Section 4-4-3-3, Intersection Visibility.
The code hands this to Section 4-4-3-3, Intersection Visibility, which carries the dimensions, which is not published in the code itself.
Also on corner visibility in Arvada
- set in state lawNo Colorado law draws a clear view triangle on a corner lot. Counties and towns write that under Titles 30 and 31. The state once had a general rule against blocking the view along a highway, and the legislature repealed it in 1981. What is left is narrower. Section 43-1-411 refuses a permit for an outdoor advertising sign within five hundred feet of the center of an intersection when it would badly cut the view of traffic on the crossing road or of an oncoming train. That is a sign rule on state highways. C.R.S. 43-1-411Colorado · Traffic code
Retaining wall rules in Arvada
Compare retaining walls across all 50 states
Arvada does not set this. It leaves it to each board of county commissioners, and separately each city and town, which adopt building codes on their own.
Colorado has no state rule for a wall that holds back earth, because it adopts no building code for houses at all. State law says a board of county commissioners may adopt a building code for the parts of the county outside any city or town, and cities and towns get their own separate power over building rules. So there is no state height at which a wall of that kind needs a permit and no state standard for building one. Each county, city and town sets it.
This one is Colorado law, not Arvada law. All Colorado findings
A board of county commissioners is authorized to adopt ordinances and a building code consistent with the uniform building code, 1988 edition, as promulgated by the international conference of building officials and as revised from time to time, in all or part of the county, and not embraced within the limits of any incorporated city or town.
The code hands this to each board of county commissioners, and separately each city and town, which adopt building codes on their own, which is not published in the code itself.
Fence materials allowed in Arvada
Compare materials across all 50 states
Arvada answers this, but the answer changes depending on what the fence faces and what it is for.
A perimeter fence or wall along an arterial street or railroad tracks in Arvada may be built up to eight feet and has to be Western Red Cedar, masonry, or another material the Director approves. Masonry fence posts two feet square have to stand at the property corners and no more than a hundred feet apart on center, each with a sloped column cap so water drains off the sides rather than sitting on top. Barbed wire and other sharp-pointed fences and security devices are prohibited on any property except in the two industrial districts used for industrial purposes, on a demonstration to the Director or the decision making body that a substantial security need justifies it, and in the rural and open space districts on land used for agriculture. Electrically charged fences are not allowed unless necessary for livestock control.
Perimeter fencing shall be constructed of Western Red Cedar wood or other material approved by the Director, or masonry. Masonry fence posts two foot by two foot in size, shall be located at property corners but no further than 100 feet apart on-center, and with sloped column caps to drain water to the sides of the posts.
The answer turns on what the fence faces and what it is for.
- a perimeter fence along an arterial
- Cedar or masonry, eight feet. 100 ft
- barbed wire
- Industrial with a demonstrated need, or farmland.
- an electric fence
- Only for livestock control.
Also on materials in Arvada
- set in state lawColorado defines a lawful fence as a well built three barbed wire fence on solid posts about twenty feet apart, good enough to turn ordinary horses and cattle, with gates as good as the fence. Any other fence that works as well counts the same. C.R.S. 35-46-101Colorado · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in Arvada
Compare agricultural fencing across all 50 states
Colorado answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
A lawful fence in Colorado is a well built three barbed wire fence on strong posts set about twenty feet apart, good enough to turn back ordinary horses and cattle. Every gate has to be as good as the fence. Any other fence that works just as well counts the same.
This one is Colorado law, not Arvada law. All Colorado findings
"Lawful fence" is a well-constructed three barbed wire fence with substantial posts set at a distance of approximately twenty feet apart, and sufficient to turn ordinary horses and cattle, with all gates equally as good as the fence, or any other fence of like efficiency.
3 strandsbarbed wires in a lawful fence
Also on agricultural fencing in Arvada
- set in state lawColorado is a fence out state. The landowner who wants livestock kept off builds the fence, not the animal owner. Money for a livestock trespass goes only to a person whose crops were behind a lawful fence at the time, kept in good repair, and whose fence the animals broke through. Without that fence, nothing is owed. C.R.S. 35-46-102Colorado · Statute
Documents behind this page
7 documents, of which 1 was published by Arvada itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Colorado General AssemblyColorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 35, Article 46, Section 35-46-112
- City of ArvadaLand Development Code of the City of Arvada, Section 4-7-2-1, Fences and divisional walls
- Colorado General AssemblyColorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 31, Article 15, Part 6, Building and Fire Regulations
- Colorado General AssemblyColorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 30, Article 28, Part 2, Building Codes
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control DivisionCode of Colorado Regulations, Swimming Pools and Mineral Baths, Section 3.24, effective December 15, 2020
- Colorado General AssemblyColorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 38, Property, Real and Personal
- Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal ServicesColorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 43, Transportation
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 Arvada publishes, plus the Colorado rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in Colorado 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