Fence laws in Parker, Colorado
What the Parker municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Parker sets no rule of its own, the Colorado rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Parker, Colorado, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Parker sets no general distance between a fence and a lot line, so outside the corner lot strip and the front of the house a fence may run along the boundary, and the answer turns on what the fence faces and how long it runs. The figure is 50 feet, for spacing of a material change on a visible fence.
- How tall
- A residential fence or wall in Parker may not exceed six feet, and anything in front of the primary structure is held to forty-two inches, and the answer turns on what the yard backs onto and how wide the buffer is. The figure is 6 feet, for fence on a residential lot.
- Permits
- Parker requires a building permit for any retaining wall greater than four feet, for any fence or freestanding wall greater than six feet, or as otherwise required by the building code, and the answer turns on the height and the kind of structure. The figure is 6 feet, for height above which a fence needs a permit.
- 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
- Parker has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Parker never states a grade the height is read from and instead solves the slope problem by controlling the shape of the fence.
- Corner lots
- Parker handles a corner by naming a second front rather than by drawing a triangle, and the answer turns on which frontage is the secondary one. The figure is 6 feet, for setback from the back of sidewalk on a secondary frontage.
- Retaining walls
- Parker leaves retaining walls to each board of county commissioners, and separately each city and town, which adopt building codes on their own.
- Materials
- Parker lists lumber, brick, decorative iron or metal, decorative masonry units, decorative concrete and stone as the ordinary materials, then bans a long list, and the answer turns on the material and what the fence is protecting.
- 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 Parker?
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Parker answers this, but the answer changes depending on what the fence faces and how long it runs.
Parker sets no general distance between a fence and a lot line, so outside the corner lot strip and the front of the house a fence may run along the boundary. What it regulates instead is appearance from the other side. The finished side of a fence or wall, meaning the one that does not show any structural supports, has to face the adjacent property or the street right-of-way, so a neighbor never looks at the posts. A fence has to be designed and maintained so it is similar in appearance to the materials used on the principal structures on the lot or to fences on adjacent properties, which ties a new fence to what is already there along the line. Matching materials have to run the entire length unless open space fencing is required somewhere on it, and a change of material such as a masonry column has to occur every fifty feet on any fence visible from a collector or arterial road.
The finished side of the fence or wall (one that does not show any structural supports), shall face the adjacent property or street right-of-way.
The answer turns on what the fence faces and how long it runs.
- the finished side
- Faces the neighbor or the street.
- the appearance
- Similar to the house or to fences next door.
- a long run on a collector or arterial
- A change of material every fifty feet. 50 ft
- cost sharing
- Not addressed.
Also on fences on the property line in Parker
- 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 Parker?
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Parker answers this, but the answer changes depending on what the yard backs onto and how wide the buffer is.
A residential fence or wall in Parker may not exceed six feet, and anything in front of the primary structure is held to forty-two inches. The rule that sets the town apart applies where a private rear or side yard borders a public park, open space or trail: only open faces, split rail named as the example, no higher than forty-eight inches may go up on that common boundary, and opaque fences and walls are prohibited there entirely. Three narrow exceptions let an opaque fence back in, all of them about noise from a road: within fifty feet of and parallel to a public collector, a hundred feet of an arterial, or two hundred feet of Parker Road, E-470 or Chambers Road. On a frontage with an arterial or higher street classification, a solid fence may reach eight feet where the buffer between the property and the street is under twenty-five feet wide, and six feet where the buffer is wider or the street is smaller.
Where public parks, open space, or trails are bordered by private rear or side yards, only open faces, such as split rail, no higher than forty-eight (48) inches shall be erected on the common boundaries with the park, open space, or trail.
The answer turns on what the yard backs onto and how wide the buffer is.
- a residential yard
- Six feet. 6 ft
- in front of the house
- Forty-two inches. 42 in
- backing onto a park or trail
- Forty-eight inches, open faced only. 48 in
- a narrow buffer on an arterial
- Eight feet, solid. 8 ft
Also on fence height in Parker
- 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 Parker?
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Parker answers this, but the answer changes depending on the height and the kind of structure.
Parker requires a building permit for any retaining wall greater than four feet, for any fence or freestanding wall greater than six feet, or as otherwise required by the building code. Since six feet is also the residential height limit, a house lot fence built to the maximum needs no permit, and the threshold bites on the commercial and industrial fences that are allowed to go taller. Above the stated heights the Planning Director may allow more: eight feet for a public, institutional, civic or commercial use and twelve feet for an industrial use, on three conditions, that the fence screens an approved loading or storage area, is attached to a building, and is compatible with the architecture of that building. The same increase is available for retaining walls on different conditions, including that the wall is not within twenty-five feet of a right-of-way or open space. A retaining wall also has to be reviewed and approved by the town for engineering adequacy before it is built.
A Building Permit is required for any retaining wall greater than four (4) feet in height or for any fence or freestanding wall greater than six (6) feet in height, or as required by the Building Code.
13.08.090(n)(2), with (n)(3)(b) and (n)(6)
The answer turns on the height and the kind of structure.
- a fence over six feet
- A building permit. 6 ft
- a retaining wall over four feet
- A building permit. 4 ft
- a screening fence on a building
- Eight or twelve feet at the Director discretion.
- any retaining wall
- Engineering review before construction.
Also on permits in Parker
- 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 Parker
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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 Parker 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 Parker
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Parker 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 Parker 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 Parker
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Parker answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Parker never states a grade the height is read from and instead solves the slope problem by controlling the shape of the fence. Fences and walls have to follow the contour of the ground to the maximum degree practicable, and adjustments for grade have to occur at the bottom of the fence to the maximum extent practicable. Read together those two sentences rule out the stepped fence with a level top that other codes have to write midpoint rules for, because a fence that follows the ground has roughly the same height at every point along its run. Taking the adjustment at the bottom means a panel is cut to meet the dip rather than lifted to clear it, so the gap appears under the boards and not over them. The practical effect is that the six foot limit means six feet everywhere, and the town does not need a berm rule, a retaining wall rule or an averaging interval to get there.
Fences and walls shall follow the contour of the ground to the maximum degree practicable. Adjustments for grade shall occur at the bottom of the fence to the maximum extent practicable.
Also on how height is measured in Parker
- 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 Parker
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Parker answers this, but the answer changes depending on which frontage is the secondary one.
Parker handles a corner by naming a second front rather than by drawing a triangle. On a corner lot where the structure has two building walls facing a public or private street, one frontage is treated as a secondary front building wall, and a fence greater than forty-two inches may not sit within six feet of the back of the sidewalk on that secondary frontage. A through lot, meaning one with a street at each end, is handled the same way. So the rule is a strip six feet deep running the length of the second street, which is easier to apply than a triangle and does not depend on where the intersection sits. In the mixed-use and nonresidential districts both frontages count as primary, so both get the treatment. The town does have sight triangle requirements, but they live in the Roadway Design and Construction Criteria Manual and are referenced from the landscaping rules rather than from the fence rules.
On corner lots where the structure has two (2) building walls facing a public or private street, one (1) frontage shall be considered a secondary front building wall. Fences greater than forty-two (42) inches in height shall not be located within six (6) feet of back of sidewalk on the secondary frontages.
13.08.090(n)(3)(a)(2), with (n)(3)(a)(3)
The answer turns on which frontage is the secondary one.
- a corner lot
- Six feet back from the sidewalk on the second street. 6 ft
- a fence of forty-two inches or less
- The strip does not apply.
- a through lot
- Treated the same as a corner.
- the sight triangle itself
- In the roadway design manual.
Also on corner visibility in Parker
- 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 Parker
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Parker 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 Parker 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 Parker
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Parker answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material and what the fence is protecting.
Parker lists lumber, brick, decorative iron or metal, decorative masonry units, decorative concrete and stone as the ordinary materials, then bans a long list. Electrically charged wire, concertina wire, razor wire and similar security barriers are out. So are landscape timbers and railroad tie walls. So is chain link, with or without privacy slats, which puts Parker among the few towns that treat chain link as unacceptable on an ordinary lot rather than merely restricting where it may go. The catch-all is the sharpest line in the section: non-traditional fence materials including aluminum siding, vehicle parts, smooth face concrete masonry units, cloth or plastic tarps, scrap wood, or any other material not customarily sold for fencing in the Denver Metropolitan area. Chain link and barbed wire come back for public utilities approved by site plan or special review, for airport operations required by law, for livestock in the agricultural district, for temporary construction security, and where the Planning Director finds a significant risk to public health or safety.
Non-traditional fence materials, including 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 what the fence is protecting.
- a house lot
- No chain link, slats or not.
- a utility or airport
- Chain link and barbed wire on approval.
- livestock in the agricultural district
- Allowed.
- razor or concertina wire
- Never.
Also on materials in Parker
- 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 Parker
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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 Parker 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 Parker
- 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 Parker itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Colorado General AssemblyColorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 35, Article 46, Section 35-46-112
- Town of ParkerParker Municipal Code, Title 13, Land Development Ordinance, Section 13.08.090(n), 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
- 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 Parker 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