Fence laws in Lakewood, Colorado
What the Lakewood municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Lakewood sets no rule of its own, the Colorado rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Lakewood, Colorado, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Lakewood answers a question most codes leave open, and the answer turns on what the two adjoining lots each allow. The figure is 2 feet, for setback from the back of sidewalk.
- How tall
- A fence in the primary front yard of a single family, duplex or attached residential use in Lakewood may not exceed four feet and has to be at least fifty percent open, so the front of a lot is governed by transparency as well as height, and the answer turns on the yard, the use and whether the fence is open. The figure is 4 feet, for fence in a primary front yard.
- Permits
- No fence, wall, trellis, pergola or arbor may be erected in Lakewood, replacement and repair included, without a fence or building permit, unless the structure is less than eight feet long and six feet high, and the answer turns on how big the structure is. The figure is 8 feet, for length below which no permit is needed.
- 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
- Lakewood has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Lakewood measures every fence, wall and structure from the lowest finished grade at its location, which reads in the lower neighbor favor on sloping ground, and the answer turns on how far the fence stands from a retaining wall. The figure is 10 feet, for separation that changes the datum.
- Corner lots
- Lakewood does not bar a fence from a sight triangle outright, and the answer turns on how open the fence is and what the Traffic Engineering Division decides. The figure is 50 percent, for openness needed inside a sight triangle.
- Retaining walls
- Lakewood leaves retaining walls to each board of county commissioners, and separately each city and town, which adopt building codes on their own.
- Materials
- Approved fence materials in Lakewood include commercial quality wood, brick, masonry, metal, stone, wrought iron, manufactured vinyl or PVC, and anything else the Director approves under the waiver criteria, and the answer turns on the material and the zone district. The figure is 12 inches, for barbed wire allowed above a fence.
- 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 Lakewood?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Lakewood answers this, but the answer changes depending on what the two adjoining lots each allow.
Lakewood answers a question most codes leave open. A fence along a common property line may be placed at the furthest point forward of the adjacent property where that property allows a fence placement different from the neighbor, so where two lots have different rules the more generous one governs the shared line. No part of a fence may extend past the property line into the public right-of-way without the Director approving it, and a license agreement may be needed as well. All fences and walls, including posts, pillars and columns, have to be set back at least to the property line and at least two feet from the back edge of the sidewalk, or two feet behind the edge of asphalt where there is no sidewalk. A vehicular gate has to stand at least twenty feet back from the flowline or the back of curb for vehicle stacking, and gates next to sidewalks, alleys and rights-of-way have to open inward.
A fence along common property lines may be placed at the furthest point forward of the adjacent property if the adjacent property allows for fence placement that differs from the neighbors.
The answer turns on what the two adjoining lots each allow.
- a common property line
- The furthest forward either lot allows.
- a sidewalk
- Two feet back from its edge. 2 ft
- a vehicular gate
- Twenty feet from the flowline. 20 ft
- a gate by a sidewalk or alley
- It opens inward.
Also on fences on the property line in Lakewood
- 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 Lakewood?
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Lakewood answers this, but the answer changes depending on the yard, the use and whether the fence is open.
A fence in the primary front yard of a single family, duplex or attached residential use in Lakewood may not exceed four feet and has to be at least fifty percent open, so the front of a lot is governed by transparency as well as height. In a rear yard, a side yard, or a non-primary front on those uses and on multifamily, a fence may be solid and may reach six feet. A recreational facility fence may go to ten feet in a side or rear yard. Multifamily front yards get six feet at fifty percent open, and may be solid at the discretion of the Director. Perimeter fencing for public and private utilities and solar gardens stops at six feet and has to be at least half open along a street frontage. An entry feature or trellis may exceed the six foot standard, to a maximum of ten feet high and ten feet wide.
All fences in the primary front yard of single-family, duplex and attached residential uses shall not exceed 4 feet in height and a minimum 50 percent open
The answer turns on the yard, the use and whether the fence is open.
- a primary front yard
- Four feet, half open. 4 ft
- a rear, side or non-primary front yard
- Six feet, and it may be solid. 6 ft
- a recreational facility
- Ten feet at the side or rear. 10 ft
- an entry feature or trellis
- Ten feet tall and ten wide.
Also on fence height in Lakewood
- 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 Lakewood?
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Lakewood answers this, but the answer changes depending on how big the structure is.
No fence, wall, trellis, pergola or arbor may be erected in Lakewood, replacement and repair included, without a fence or building permit, unless the structure is less than eight feet long and six feet high. Setting the exemption by length as well as height is unusual and it means an ordinary run of fence needs a permit even at four feet. A retaining wall over three feet needs a building permit and has to satisfy the engineering design requirements. A temporary fence permit may be issued alongside an active building permit for a renewable one year period, and the temporary fencing has to come out before the certificate of occupancy. A solid fence or wall along a street totalling more than two hundred linear feet has to include architectural features such as masonry, brick or wood-framed columns every fifty feet, separated by no less than ten feet.
No fence, wall, trellis, pergola, or arbor shall be erected including replacement and repair without a fence and/or building permit unless these structures are less than 8 feet long and 6 feet high.
The answer turns on how big the structure is.
- anything eight feet long or more
- A permit. 8 ft
- a retaining wall over three feet
- A building permit and engineering. 3 ft
- a solid street fence over two hundred feet
- A column every fifty feet. 50 ft
- a temporary fence
- A renewable one year permit.
Also on permits in Lakewood
- 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 Lakewood
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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 Lakewood 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 Lakewood
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Lakewood 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 Lakewood 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 Lakewood
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Lakewood answers this, but the answer changes depending on how far the fence stands from a retaining wall.
Lakewood measures every fence, wall and structure from the lowest finished grade at its location, which reads in the lower neighbor favor on sloping ground. Two rules then handle the retaining wall. Where at least ten linear feet separates a fence from a retaining wall, the fence may be built to six feet above the highest finished grade, so distance buys back the height the low datum would have taken. A combination fence and retaining wall may reach six feet above the highest finished grade or eight feet above the lowest, whichever applies, and at no point may the fence portion alone exceed six feet above the highest finished grade. Then comes the sentence that closes the loop: a retaining wall may not be built for the purpose of elevating a fence above the permitted height. Fences also have to follow the contour of the ground as far as practicable, with adjustments for grade made at the bottom.
All fence, wall and structure heights shall be measured from the lowest finished grade at the location of the fence, wall or structure.
The answer turns on how far the fence stands from a retaining wall.
- a sloping site
- Read from the lowest finished grade.
- a fence ten feet from a retaining wall
- Six feet above the highest grade. 10 ft
- a fence and wall together
- Eight feet above the lowest grade. 8 ft
- a wall built to lift a fence
- Not allowed.
Also on how height is measured in Lakewood
- 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 Lakewood
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Lakewood answers this, but the answer changes depending on how open the fence is and what the Traffic Engineering Division decides.
Lakewood does not bar a fence from a sight triangle outright. A four foot fence that is at least fifty percent open may be permitted inside one, with the review and approval of the city Traffic Engineering Division, and the ordinance prints a figure showing what a fifty percent open fence looks like. So the corner is handled by transparency plus a review rather than by an exclusion zone. A second rule covers the case where a corner lot is allowed a solid fence along a non-primary front line that happens to coincide with the primary front yard of the lot next door: no fence is permitted there that creates a sight distance hazard for vehicles leaving that property or for pedestrians on the sidewalk. The general standards add that permanent fencing may not restrict access by emergency equipment to any building, and that a fence extending into a traveled sidewalk is an example of a maintenance failure.
A 4-foot fence that is a minimum of 50 percent open may be permitted within a sight triangle with review and approval of the City of Lakewood Traffic Engineering Division
The answer turns on how open the fence is and what the Traffic Engineering Division decides.
- a half open four foot fence
- Allowed with traffic engineering approval. 50%
- a solid fence facing a neighbor driveway
- Not if it creates a hazard.
- emergency access
- No fence may restrict it.
Also on corner visibility in Lakewood
- 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 Lakewood
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Lakewood 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 Lakewood 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 Lakewood
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Lakewood answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material and the zone district.
Approved fence materials in Lakewood include commercial quality wood, brick, masonry, metal, stone, wrought iron, manufactured vinyl or PVC, and anything else the Director approves under the waiver criteria. Prohibited materials include aluminum siding, vehicle parts, smooth face concrete masonry units, cloth or plastic tarps, scrap wood, and anything not customarily sold for fencing in the Denver Metropolitan area, which is a local market test rather than a list and catches whatever comes next. Wood has to be naturally rot resistant such as cedar, or pressure treated. Plastic or temporary construction fencing may not be used as a permanent fence. Barbed wire is allowed only in the largest lot residential zone, only on non-primary front, side and rear lines, and only as twelve inches above a seventy-two inch fence. Wall materials are separately listed, with landscape ties and smooth face block prohibited.
Prohibited fence materials shall include, but are not limited to, aluminum siding, vehicle parts, smooth face concrete masonry units/blocks, cloth or plastic tarps, scrap wood or any other material not customarily sold for fencing in the Denver Metropolitan area.
The answer turns on the material and the zone district.
- the permitted list
- Wood, masonry, metal, stone, vinyl, or the Director.
- anything not sold for fencing locally
- Prohibited.
- barbed wire
- Largest lot zone only, twelve inches above six feet. 12 in
- wood
- Rot resistant or pressure treated.
Also on materials in Lakewood
- 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 Lakewood
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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 Lakewood 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 Lakewood
- 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 Lakewood itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Colorado General AssemblyColorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 35, Article 46, Section 35-46-112
- City of LakewoodLakewood Zoning Ordinance, Section 17.6.6, Residential Fence and Wall Standards
- 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 Lakewood 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