Fence laws in Tamarac, Florida
What the Tamarac municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Tamarac sets no rule of its own, the Florida rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Tamarac, Florida, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Where a Tamarac lot carries a canal maintenance easement, the fence has to leave an opening at least eight feet wide, and any gate in it has to be hinged or removable so a crew can get through. The figure is 3 feet, for distance a fence wing may reach into a waterway.
- How tall
- A Tamarac residential fence gets six feet along the rear line, or eight where that line abuts nonresidentially zoned property, and six along the side, and the answer turns on the district, which line the fence runs along, and how far it is set back from a street. The figure is 6 feet, for fence or wall on a residential rear or side line.
- Permits
- No fence or wall goes up anywhere in Tamarac until the building department has approved the design and the structural soundness of the materials and issued a permit, so the review covers appearance as well as construction.
- Pool barriers
- Florida requires a pool barrier at least four feet high, measured on the outside. The figure is 4 feet, for residential swimming pool barrier, measured on the outside.
- Spite fences
- Tamarac has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Tamarac measures every fence, wall and hedge from the finished elevation of the property at the point of installation, which fixes the reading to the ground the structure actually stands on rather than to an average, a street grade or the neighbor’s side.
- Corner lots
- Tamarac states the requirement at every roadway intersection and puts the judgment in one officer’s hands: a fence, wall or hedge may not obstruct the visibility of traffic as determined by the City Engineer.
- Retaining walls
- Florida statute names a wall that holds back earth in one place, and it is about how many permits a town can charge for. It reaches a house, a duplex or a townhouse only.
- Materials
- Tamarac names eight materials and allows nothing else: wood, rock, stone, solid masonry with stucco and paint, pierced masonry, ornamental metal, vinyl coated chain link and PVC, and the answer turns on the material and whether the Director accepts a decorative combination.
- Livestock
- Florida sets a legal fence at three feet high, made of barbed or other soft wire, with at least three strands pulled tight on posts, trees or other supports no more than twenty feet apart. The figure is 3 feet, for height of a legal fence.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Tamarac?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Tamarac answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Where a Tamarac lot carries a canal maintenance easement, the fence has to leave an opening at least eight feet wide, and any gate in it has to be hinged or removable so a crew can get through. A gate is also required wherever the fence would otherwise cut off part of the property from maintenance, and on a double frontage lot a gate has to give access to the utilities and the right of way without anyone having to cross private land. A fence wing may not reach into a canal that is not on the property without written approval from whoever has jurisdiction over the waterway, and never more than three feet.
Where a canal maintenance easement exists, an opening shall be provided for maintenance purposes, which shall be a minimum of eight feet in width. If there is a gate, it shall be hinged or removable for access.
3 ftdistance a fence wing may reach into a waterway
Also on fences on the property line in Tamarac
- no rule, documents checkedFlorida has no law about splitting the cost of a fence on a boundary. Chapter 588 is about legal fences and livestock, and every section in it deals with fence strength, posted land and impounding animals. Chapter 704, which covers easements and rights of entry, says nothing about a boundary fence either. In Florida the split is whatever the two neighbors agree to. Fla. Stat. ch. 588Florida · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Tamarac?
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Tamarac answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district, which line the fence runs along, and how far it is set back from a street.
A Tamarac residential fence gets six feet along the rear line, or eight where that line abuts nonresidentially zoned property, and six along the side. In front it gets nothing: a fence or wall may not extend beyond the front line of the house and none is allowed in the front setback, with the one exception being a lot with two street yards, which may fence the line along the secondary street. A multifamily development may put a decorative fence in the front setback at six feet, though not chain link, PVC or wood. Mixed use and nonresidential land runs to eight feet on the rear and side lines, and along a street line six feet set back five feet, or eight feet set back ten. A hedge is allowed ten feet, and a decorative rail may add two feet to a wall on safety or security grounds.
Fences and walls are prohibited from extending beyond the front line of the house and no fence or wall shall be allowed within the front setback.
The answer turns on the district, which line the fence runs along, and how far it is set back from a street.
- a residential rear or side line
- Six feet, or eight where the rear abuts nonresidential land. 6 ft
- a residential front setback
- No fence or wall at all.
- a mixed use or nonresidential rear or side line
- Eight feet. 8 ft
- a nonresidential street line, set back ten feet
- Eight feet, against six at five feet back. 10 ft
Also on fence height in Tamarac
- no rule, documents checkedFlorida sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. The only height in the fence chapter is the five foot floor that makes a fence a legal fence for holding livestock, which is a minimum for farm land and not a cap for a yard. The permit statute names no height either. Height comes from city and county ordinance. Fla. Stat. ch. 588Florida · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Tamarac?
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Tamarac answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
No fence or wall goes up anywhere in Tamarac until the building department has approved the design and the structural soundness of the materials and issued a permit, so the review covers appearance as well as construction. When the City Commission approves a site development plan it is separately required to call for whatever fence, wall or hedge protection is needed to prevent or reduce noise, glare, odors, smoke, vibration, flying objects or traffic reaching neighboring homes.
No fence or wall shall be erected or installed within the City’s jurisdiction unless the design and structurally sound materials have been approved by and a permit for same has been issued by the building department of the City.
Also on permits in Tamarac
- set in state lawFlorida runs one building code for the whole state and makes a permit the default for building work. The statute itself says nothing about fences. It does force a local government to skip the permit for work on a single family home worth under $7,500. The fence exemption by height is in the Florida Building Code, not in the statute. Fla. Stat. 553.79(1)(a)Florida · Statute
Pool fence requirements in Tamarac
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Florida answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Florida requires a pool barrier at least four feet high, measured on the outside. The same section bars gaps or footholds that let a small child get under, through or over it. The barrier has to ring the pool itself and has to be separate from a yard fence, unless that yard fence runs along the pool and meets the same rules. Gates swing away from the pool and latch on their own.
This one is Florida law, not Tamarac law. All Florida findings
The barrier must be at least 4 feet high on the outside.
4 ftresidential swimming pool barrier, measured on the outside
Spite fence laws in Tamarac
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Tamarac law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Florida has no spite fence law. The fence chapter sets no height that sets anything off and no rule about why a fence went up. Chapter 823, the public nuisance chapter, runs from bonfires to abandoned boats and never reaches a fence built to annoy a neighbor. A claim in Florida rests on common law nuisance instead, which is judge made rather than written by the legislature.
This one is Florida law, not Tamarac law. All Florida findings
Documents read before writing that:
- Fla. Stat. ch. 588The Florida Senate
- Fla. Stat. ch. 823The Florida Senate
How fence height is measured in Tamarac
Compare how height is measured across all 50 states
Tamarac answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Tamarac measures every fence, wall and hedge from the finished elevation of the property at the point of installation, which fixes the reading to the ground the structure actually stands on rather than to an average, a street grade or the neighbor’s side. It also uses finished rather than natural elevation, so a lot legally brought up to grade is measured from the new level.
The height of all fences, walls, and hedges shall be measured from the finished elevation of the property at the point of installation.
Also on how height is measured in Tamarac
- set in state lawFlorida answers the measuring question outright in its oldest fence section. A general fence stands at least five feet and keeps its gaps under four inches for the first two feet up from the ground. Where the fence is built with a trench beside it, those five feet run from the bottom of the ditch to the top of the fence. A bottom point and a top point, both named, which is the part most state fence rules leave out. The rule is about holding livestock. A yard fence in a Florida city is sized by local land development rules adopted under section 163.3202, and those rules carry their own way of measuring. Fla. Stat. 588.01Florida · Statute
Fence rules for corner lots in Tamarac
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Tamarac answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Tamarac states the requirement at every roadway intersection and puts the judgment in one officer’s hands: a fence, wall or hedge may not obstruct the visibility of traffic as determined by the City Engineer. The section carries no triangle and no dimension of its own, pointing instead to the sight distance standards at section 10-4.4(D)(6) in the same article.
At all roadway intersections, fences, walls, or hedges shall not obstruct visibility of traffic as determined by the City Engineer.
Also on corner visibility in Tamarac
- set in state lawFlorida has a state rule about blocking a driver from seeing what is coming, and it is written about signs. Chapter 479 bans a sign on the inside of a curve, or placed any way that could keep road users from seeing approaching vehicles, next to a state highway or a federal aid primary road. Section 337.406 adds that using a state road right of way in a way that gets in the way of traffic is unlawful. Neither one draws a triangle on a corner lot. That is left to local land development rules. Fla. Stat. 479.11Florida · Traffic code
Retaining wall rules in Tamarac
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Florida answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Florida statute names a wall that holds back earth in one place, and it is about how many permits a town can charge for. When one wall runs across more than one lot, the local government has to issue a single permit for the whole job and cannot demand one for each lot the wall crosses. The rule is written for houses, duplexes and townhouses. It sets no height and it does not say how the wall has to be built.
This one is Florida law, not Tamarac law. All Florida findings
If a retaining wall spans more than one lot or parcel, a local government that issues building permits must issue a permit for a retaining wall for the project as a whole and may not require a building permit for each lot or parcel upon which a retaining wall is installed on the property of a single-family or two-family residential dwelling or a townhouse.
Also on retaining walls in Tamarac
- left to the townThe height at which a wall that holds back earth needs a permit is not in Florida statute. It is in the Florida Building Code, which the Florida Building Commission rewrites every three years from the newest International Building Code and International Residential Code. Once the commission adopts it, that code applies across the state with no vote by any city or county, and a local government may only make it stricter. Fla. Stat. 553.73(7)(a)Florida · Statute
Fence materials allowed in Tamarac
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Tamarac answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material and whether the Director accepts a decorative combination.
Tamarac names eight materials and allows nothing else: wood, rock, stone, solid masonry with stucco and paint, pierced masonry, ornamental metal, vinyl coated chain link and PVC. It then limits a fence or wall to one of them unless the mix is done in a decorative manner, at the Director’s discretion. Bare metal chain link is out except as temporary or construction fencing, bamboo and anything similar in appearance is out, electrified fencing is out, and in the industrial districts barbed wire is prohibited as well.
Fences and walls shall not be comprised of more than one material unless it is done in a decorative manner at the discretion of the Director.
The answer turns on the material and whether the Director accepts a decorative combination.
- any fence or wall
- One of eight named materials, and only one of them at a time.
- chain link
- Vinyl coated, with bare metal only for temporary or construction fencing.
- an industrial district
- Barbed wire is prohibited.
Also on materials in Tamarac
- set in state lawFlorida describes its legal fence by the wire it uses. The fence stands at least three feet tall with three or more strands of barbed or other soft wire on supports no more than twenty feet apart. Battens let the supports stand farther apart, and an electric fence built with high tensile wire gets the widest spacing of all. Fla. Stat. 588.011Florida · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in Tamarac
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Florida answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Florida sets a legal fence at three feet high, made of barbed or other soft wire, with at least three strands pulled tight on posts, trees or other supports no more than twenty feet apart. With battens the supports may stand up to sixty feet apart for a plain fence and one hundred fifty feet for an electric one built with high tensile wire. Any other material that meets about the same specs counts, and gates are built to the same standard.
This one is Florida law, not Tamarac law. All Florida findings
Any fence or enclosure at least 3 feet in height made of barbed or other soft wire consisting of not less than three strands of wire stretched securely on posts, trees, or other supports, standing not more than 20 feet apart
3 ftheight of a legal fence
Also on agricultural fencing in Tamarac
- set in state lawFlorida runs one livestock law over the whole state, and holding the animals in is the owner's job. An owner who lets livestock run loose or stray onto a public road pays for all the injury and property damage that follows. Section 588.25 leaves county laws in place where they already require livestock to be penned, and fills the gap where they do not. Fla. Stat. 588.15Florida · Statute
Documents behind this page
10 documents, of which 1 was published by Tamarac itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- The Florida Senate2026 Florida Statutes, Chapter 588, Legal Fences and Livestock at Large
- The Florida Senate2026 Florida Statutes, Chapter 704, Easements
- City of TamaracLand Development Code, Chapter 10, Article 4, Section 10-4.8, Fences, Walls, and Hedges
- The Florida LegislatureThe 2026 Florida Statutes, Chapter 553, Part IV, Florida Building Code
- The Florida LegislatureThe 2026 Florida Statutes, Chapter 515, Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act
- The Florida Senate2026 Florida Statutes, Chapter 823, Public Nuisances
- The Florida Senate2026 Florida Statutes, Chapter 479, Outdoor Advertising, Section 479.11, Specified signs prohibited
- The Florida LegislatureThe 2026 Florida Statutes, Chapter 553, Part IV, Florida Building Code
- The Florida LegislatureThe 2026 Florida Statutes, Chapter 553, Part IV, Florida Building Code
- Florida LegislatureThe 2025 Florida Statutes, Title XLV, Chapter 588, Legal Fences and Livestock at Large
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 Tamarac publishes, plus the Florida rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in Florida 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