Fence laws in Colorado Springs, Colorado
What the Colorado Springs municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Colorado Springs sets no rule of its own, the Colorado rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Colorado Springs, Colorado, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Colorado Springs states no distance between a fence and a lot line, because its starting rule is that a fence under seven feet may be placed anywhere on the property, and the answer turns on what the fence would enclose or block.
- How tall
- Colorado Springs starts from permission rather than prohibition, and the answer turns on where on the lot the fence stands. The figure is 7 feet, for fence allowed anywhere on a property.
- Permits
- Colorado Springs does not write a permit threshold into the fence section, and the answer turns on whether the fence exceeds the permitted height.
- 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
- Colorado Springs has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Fence height in Colorado Springs is measured from the top of the fence, including the poles, posts and finials, to the existing grade on both sides, and where the two readings differ the larger governs, and the answer turns on which side of the fence is being read and what is underneath it. The figure is 12 inches, for extra height for a well spaced post.
- Corner lots
- Colorado Springs leaves corner clearance to the sight distance line, which the fence section does not dimension.
- Retaining walls
- Colorado Springs leaves retaining walls to each board of county commissioners, and separately each city and town, which adopt building codes on their own.
- Materials
- Fences and walls in Colorado Springs may include masonry walls, solid wood fencing, chain link with permahedge inserts, or chain link with opaque slats, and where a development plan is required the specific screening material is settled during its review, and the answer turns on the use of the property and the height of the wire. The figure is 6 feet, for height wire has to start at.
- 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 Colorado Springs?
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Colorado Springs answers this, but the answer changes depending on what the fence would enclose or block.
Colorado Springs states no distance between a fence and a lot line, because its starting rule is that a fence under seven feet may be placed anywhere on the property. What the conditions guard instead is access and the street edge. A fence may not block access to electric or gas meters, fire hydrants, fire department connections or other fire protection appurtenances, which reaches equipment on the lot as well as at the boundary. An opaque fence on a corner lot may not extend beyond the established front yard setback, so the second street frontage is protected by the setback rather than by a height. Fences and walls may sit inside a preservation area only in accordance with an approved development plan. Nothing says which side the finished face points toward, nothing asks for consent from the adjoining owner, and nothing divides the cost of a shared fence.
Fences shall not block access to electric or gas meters, fire hydrants, Fire Department connections, and other fire protection appurtenances.
The answer turns on what the fence would enclose or block.
- a meter or a hydrant
- Access has to stay open.
- an opaque fence on a corner lot
- Not past the front yard setback.
- a preservation area
- Only under an approved development plan.
Also on fences on the property line in Colorado Springs
- 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 Colorado Springs?
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Colorado Springs answers this, but the answer changes depending on where on the lot the fence stands.
Colorado Springs starts from permission rather than prohibition. Outside the hillside overlay, a fence or wall under seven feet may be placed anywhere on a property, subject to six conditions. The one that bites most often is the second: a fence between the front facade of the primary structure and any lot frontage next to a public or private street may not exceed four feet. An opaque fence on a corner lot may not extend beyond the established front yard setback. Nothing over thirty inches is allowed in a sight distance line. Fences may not block access to electric or gas meters, fire hydrants, fire department connections or other fire protection appurtenances. And a fence taller than the permitted maximum stops being a fence for code purposes and becomes an accessory structure, which brings the accessory setbacks and heights with it.
Fences located between the front façade of a primary structure and any lot frontage adjacent to a public or private street may not exceed four (4) feet in height.
The answer turns on where on the lot the fence stands.
- anywhere on the lot
- Under seven feet. 7 ft
- in front of the house facade
- Four feet. 4 ft
- a sight distance line
- Thirty inches. 30 in
- anything taller
- Treated as an accessory structure.
Also on fence height in Colorado Springs
- 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 Colorado Springs?
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Colorado Springs answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the fence exceeds the permitted height.
Colorado Springs does not write a permit threshold into the fence section. What it does instead is reclassify the fence. A fence taller than the maximum heights permitted in the location standards is considered to be an accessory structure and has to meet the setback and height requirements for accessory structures in the dimensional standards, so a tall fence stops being governed by the fence rules and picks up a different set. That reclassification is what brings a building permit into play, because an accessory structure is permitted as a structure. Where a development plan is required for the site, the specific type of screening material is settled during the review of that plan rather than by the owner, and a fence inside a preservation area is allowed only in accordance with an approved development plan.
Fences taller than the maximum heights permitted in this Subsection 7.4.910B are considered to be accessory structures and shall meet the setback and height requirements for accessory structures in Part 7.4.2 (Dimensional Standards).
The answer turns on whether the fence exceeds the permitted height.
- a fence within the limits
- Governed by the fence section.
- a taller one
- An accessory structure, with its setbacks.
- a site needing a development plan
- The screening material is settled in review.
Also on permits in Colorado Springs
- 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 Colorado Springs
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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 Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs
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Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs
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Colorado Springs answers this, but the answer changes depending on which side of the fence is being read and what is underneath it.
Fence height in Colorado Springs is measured from the top of the fence, including the poles, posts and finials, to the existing grade on both sides, and where the two readings differ the larger governs. So the fence is judged by its tallest face, which protects whichever neighbor sits lower. The next rule closes the obvious workaround: the existing grade of the fence area may not be altered to artificially comply with the regulations, so bringing in soil to change the reading is itself a violation. A fence may sit next to or on top of a retaining wall provided the height of the fence material alone, excluding the wall, meets the standards, so the wall is not counted. And an extra twelve inches of height is permitted for posts, poles and finials spaced at least eight feet from each other, which is the same allowance stated in the rule that otherwise counts them.
Fence height is measured from the top of the fence, including fence poles, posts, and finials, to the existing grade on both sides of the fence, in accordance with the following:
The answer turns on which side of the fence is being read and what is underneath it.
- a sloping boundary
- The larger of the two readings.
- raising the ground to comply
- Prohibited.
- a fence on a retaining wall
- The wall does not count.
- a post spaced eight feet from the next
- Twelve inches more. 12 in
Also on how height is measured in Colorado Springs
- 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 Colorado Springs
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Colorado Springs does not set this. It leaves it to the sight distance line, which the fence section does not dimension.
Fences over thirty inches are prohibited in any sight distance line in Colorado Springs, and thirty inches is low enough that even the four foot front yard fence fails inside one. What the fence section does not do is say where a sight distance line runs. There is no leg length, no triangle drawn from curb or property lines, and no band of protected heights, so the dimension an owner actually has to satisfy is defined elsewhere in the code and city engineering standards rather than in the fence rules. The purpose statement at the head of the section frames the whole thing this way, saying the standards exist to improve the beauty of the city and to ensure that fences and walls are not located where they could be safety hazards. What an owner can measure from the fence section alone is the four foot limit in front of the house facade and the corner lot rule about the front yard setback.
Fences over thirty (30) inches in height are prohibited in any Sight Distance Line.
The code hands this to the sight distance line, which the fence section does not dimension, which is not published in the code itself.
Also on corner visibility in Colorado Springs
- 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 Colorado Springs
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Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs
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Colorado Springs answers this, but the answer changes depending on the use of the property and the height of the wire.
Fences and walls in Colorado Springs may include masonry walls, solid wood fencing, chain link with permahedge inserts, or chain link with opaque slats, and where a development plan is required the specific screening material is settled during its review. Tarps, plastic sheeting, polypropylene and similar materials are prohibited as flexible or inflexible screening when visible from beyond the property boundaries, with three exceptions for city snow fence, active construction or remodeling, and an approved grading and erosion control plan. Barbed wire, razor wire and electric shock fencing are prohibited except by use. On commercial or industrial property barbed or razor wire is permitted at six feet or higher above existing grade. On agricultural property direct current electric fencing is permitted only for controlling or containing animals, and barbed wire is allowed except in connection with a residential use. On residential property razor wire is prohibited outright, and barbed wire and electric fencing may not sit along a public right-of-way, sidewalk or open space, nor extend into the required front yard setback.
Commercial or Industrial Uses Barbed wire or razor wire is permitted at a height six (6) feet or higher above existing grade .
The answer turns on the use of the property and the height of the wire.
- a commercial or industrial lot
- Wire from six feet up. 6 ft
- a residential lot
- No razor wire, and nothing facing a street.
- an agricultural use
- Direct current electric fencing for animals.
- tarps or plastic sheeting
- Prohibited where they can be seen.
Also on materials in Colorado Springs
- 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 Colorado Springs
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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 Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs
- 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
8 documents, of which 2 were published by Colorado Springs itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Colorado General AssemblyColorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 35, Article 46, Section 35-46-112
- City of Colorado SpringsColorado Springs Unified Development Code, Section 7.4.910, Fences and 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
- City of Colorado SpringsColorado Springs Unified Development Code, Section 7.6.204, Height
- 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 Colorado Springs 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