Fence laws in High Point, North Carolina
What the High Point municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where High Point sets no rule of its own, the North Carolina rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in High Point, North Carolina, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- High Point allows a fence in any required yard or setback and requires only that it stay out of the public right-of-way, and the answer turns on whether the fence runs along a street or an easement.
- How tall
- High Point sets its residential heights by proximity to a street and by the kind of street, and the answer turns on the use, the kind of street, and how close the fence is to it. The figure is 4 feet, for fence near a local street.
- Permits
- A fence in High Point may only be erected in accordance with the zoning compliance permit section of the ordinance, and the requirement reaches all construction or replacement of fences, and the answer turns on what kind of fence it is and where it stands.
- Pool barriers
- The North Carolina pool safety statute is for public pools, and its scope section leaves out a private pool at a single family home used only by the people living there and their guests.
- Spite fences
- High Point has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- High Point leaves the measuring rule to a zoning regulation adopted by a local government.
- Corner lots
- The development ordinance states the obligation and sends the dimensions elsewhere, and the answer turns on the standards in Title 6, Chapter 1 of the city code. The figure is 15 feet, for strip along a street where the lower limit applies.
- Retaining walls
- High Point leaves retaining walls to the North Carolina Residential Code, a volume of the North Carolina State Building Code adopted by the Residential Code Council.
- Materials
- The permitted materials are masonry or stone, ornamental iron, steel or aluminum, wood, composites made to look like wood, metal or masonry, and chain link except where the ordinance prohibits it, and the answer turns on the material, the use and how high on the fence it sits. The figure is 6 feet, for height above grade the wire has to start.
- Livestock
- North Carolina puts the duty on the livestock owner everywhere in the state.
Who owns the fence between two properties in High Point?
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High Point answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the fence runs along a street or an easement.
High Point allows a fence in any required yard or setback and requires only that it stay out of the public right-of-way. No consent from the adjoining owner is asked for and no setback from the boundary is set. The good side rule is narrower than most, applying only where a fence runs primarily parallel to and within fifteen feet of a public street, in which case the finished side faces the street right-of-way, and the section defines finished by exclusion: it does not include any supporting members or bracing. Between two neighbors, away from a street, the ordinance is silent on which way the fence faces. A fence inside a utility easement needs written authorization from the easement holder, and the city disclaims responsibility for repairing or replacing a fence it has to remove to reach one. No fence may block or divert a natural drainage flow onto or off any other land.
When a fence is primarily parallel to and within 15 feet of a public street, it shall be configured so that the finished side of the fence faces the street right-of-way other than when required by the State Building Code.
5.11.7, with 5.11.4.A, B and C
The answer turns on whether the fence runs along a street or an easement.
- a fence along a public street
- The finished side faces the street.
- a fence between two houses
- No rule about which way it faces.
- a utility easement
- Written authorization from the easement holder.
Also on fences on the property line in High Point
- no rule, documents checkedNorth Carolina had a boundary fence law and threw it out. Chapter 68 still prints the heading Article 2, Division Fences, and the only thing under it says sections 68-6 through 68-14 were repealed by Session Laws 1971, chapter 741. Article 1, Lawful Fences, went at the same time. Nothing took their place, so the state has no rule at all on splitting the cost of a fence on the line. N.C.G.S. ch. 68North Carolina · Statute
How tall can a fence be in High Point?
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High Point answers this, but the answer changes depending on the use, the kind of street, and how close the fence is to it.
High Point sets its residential heights by proximity to a street and by the kind of street. Within fifteen feet of a thoroughfare or collector right-of-way the limit is six feet. Within fifteen feet of a local street right-of-way it drops to four, except on corner and double frontage lots. A corner lot gets six feet within fifteen feet of a street right-of-way beside the side yard where rear lot lines abut one another, with a note that the six foot fence may not encroach into the front yard setback. A double frontage lot gets six feet along the rear yard where the houses on both sides face the same way as it does. Everywhere else on a residential lot the figure is eight feet. Nonresidential and mixed uses take eight feet unless the fence stands fifteen feet from a lot line or meets the principal building setback. Athletic fields, tennis courts and playgrounds abutting a street may reach fifteen feet with a non-opaque fence outside any required landscape area.
No fence may be erected that exceeds 8 feet in height, unless the fence is 15 feet from a lot line, or it complies with the minimum setback requirements as applied to the principal structure, whichever is greater; or it is a low-voltage electric fence, as allowed in accordance with Section 5.11.6, Materials.
The answer turns on the use, the kind of street, and how close the fence is to it.
- within fifteen feet of a local street
- Four feet. 4 ft
- within fifteen feet of a thoroughfare or collector
- Six feet. 6 ft
- anywhere else on a residential lot
- Eight feet. 8 ft
- a tennis court or playground on a street
- Fifteen feet, non-opaque. 15 ft
Also on fence height in High Point
- no rule, documents checkedNorth Carolina sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. The fence chapter that once held fence standards was repealed, and what is left is about livestock. The building permit statute draws its line at a dollar amount and names no height at all. The city or county development rules set the limit. N.C.G.S. ch. 68North Carolina · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in High Point?
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High Point answers this, but the answer changes depending on what kind of fence it is and where it stands.
A fence in High Point may only be erected in accordance with the zoning compliance permit section of the ordinance, and the requirement reaches all construction or replacement of fences. Four things are exempted from the standards: temporary fences for construction sites, including erosion control and tree protection fencing; below-ground low voltage electric fences for keeping pets; and a battery-charged security fence that complies with the state statute and sits on land zoned exclusively for nonresidential use. A fifth exemption is narrower, lifting only the height limits, and covers fences built with major and minor utility facilities, major and minor landfills, correctional facilities, military facilities and hazardous waste disposal facilities. A fence inside the Local Historic Overlay needs a certificate of appropriateness on top of everything else.
A fence may only be erected in accordance with Section 2.5.16, Zoning Compliance Permit.
5.11.2, with 5.11.3 and 5.11.4.E
The answer turns on what kind of fence it is and where it stands.
- any fence
- A zoning compliance permit.
- a buried pet fence or a compliant battery-charged security fence
- Exempt from the section.
- a fence in the Local Historic Overlay
- A certificate of appropriateness as well.
Also on permits in High Point
- set in state lawNorth Carolina decides its home permit rule by price, not by height. Work on a single family home that costs forty thousand dollars or less and is done to the current State Building Code needs no permit. A short list of exceptions is left out of that, such as work on load bearing structures or changes to plumbing, heating or electrical systems. An ordinary yard fence costs far less than forty thousand dollars and hits none of those exceptions. N.C.G.S. 160D-1110(c)North Carolina · Statute
Pool fence requirements in High Point
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North Carolina answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
The North Carolina pool safety statute is for public pools, and its scope section leaves out a private pool at a single family home used only by the people living there and their guests. It goes further than most states. The pool stays outside the statute even when guests book it through a rental app or pay a fee. One condition comes with that. Where money changes hands for access, the pool has to be kept in good and safe working order. The fence rule for a pool at a house comes from the North Carolina State Building Code instead.
This one is North Carolina law, not High Point law. All North Carolina findings
A private pool serving a single family dwelling and used only by the residents of the dwelling and their guests, regardless of whether their guests gain use of the private pool through a sharing economy platform or pay a fee for its use.
Spite fence laws in High Point
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High Point law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
North Carolina has no spite fence law. What is left of the fence chapter covers livestock running loose, penning up stray animals, and the ponies on the Outer Banks. It names no height and says nothing about why a fence went up. The building permit statute does not cover it either. A claim about a fence built to annoy a neighbor rests on nuisance law made by judges, and on city and county zoning.
This one is North Carolina law, not High Point law. All North Carolina findings
Documents read before writing that:
- N.C.G.S. ch. 68North Carolina General Assembly
- N.C.G.S. 160D-1110North Carolina General Assembly
How fence height is measured in High Point
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High Point does not set this. It leaves it to a zoning regulation adopted by a local government.
North Carolina never says where a fence height is measured from. What is left of Chapter 68 is about stock law fences and penned animals, and it carries no measuring rule. G.S. 160D-702 lets a local government set the height of buildings and other structures. The same section blocks a local government from controlling some design details of a house, and then puts height back outside that block, so height stays a local power. The point the measuring starts from goes with it.
This one is North Carolina law, not High Point law. All North Carolina findings
a zoning regulation may regulate and restrict the height, number of stories, and size of buildings and other structures; the percentage of lots that may be occupied; the size of yards, courts, and other open spaces; the density of population; the location and use of buildings, structures, and land
The code hands this to a zoning regulation adopted by a local government, which is not published in the code itself.
Fence rules for corner lots in High Point
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High Point answers this, but the answer changes depending on the standards in Title 6, Chapter 1 of the city code.
The development ordinance states the obligation and sends the dimensions elsewhere. No fence may be erected or maintained in a manner that obstructs visibility for motorists at any street intersection, in accordance with the standards of Title 6, Chapter 1, Streets and Sidewalks, of the city code. So a fence at a corner has to satisfy a rule that lives in the public works half of the code rather than in the zoning half, and meeting the height table proves nothing about it. The height table pushes the same way from its own side, holding a fence within fifteen feet of a local street right-of-way to four feet, and noting that the six foot corner lot allowance may not encroach into the front yard setback area.
No fence shall be erected or maintained in a manner that obstructs visibility for motorists at any street intersection in accordance with the standards of Title 6, Chapter 1, Streets and Sidewalks
The answer turns on the standards in Title 6, Chapter 1 of the city code.
- any street intersection
- Nothing that obstructs a motorist view.
- within fifteen feet of a local street
- Four feet as a fixed limit. 15 ft
- a six foot corner lot fence
- It may not reach into the front yard setback.
Also on corner visibility in High Point
- left to the townNorth Carolina has no clear view triangle in state law. Chapter 160D gathers local development power in one place and lets a local government set the height of structures and the size of yards and open spaces, so a corner rule comes from there. Chapter 136, the highways chapter, covers something else. It talks about seeing past a sign only for political signs put in the right of way, and it sets sight distance standards for driveway permits. Neither one is a rule about a fence on private land. G.S. 160D-702North Carolina · Zoning code
Retaining wall rules in High Point
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High Point does not set this. It leaves it to the North Carolina Residential Code, a volume of the North Carolina State Building Code adopted by the Residential Code Council.
North Carolina prints no retaining wall rule in its General Statutes. The Building Code Council and the Residential Code Council write and adopt the North Carolina State Building Code, and one of its volumes is the North Carolina Residential Code. Whether a wall that holds back earth needs a permit, and how it has to be built, both sit in that volume and not in the statute.
This one is North Carolina law, not High Point law. All North Carolina findings
The Building Code Council and Residential Code Council may prepare and adopt, in accordance with the provisions of this Article, a North Carolina State Building Code.
The code hands this to the North Carolina Residential Code, a volume of the North Carolina State Building Code adopted by the Residential Code Council, which is not published in the code itself.
Fence materials allowed in High Point
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High Point answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material, the use and how high on the fence it sits.
The permitted materials are masonry or stone, ornamental iron, steel or aluminum, wood, composites made to look like wood, metal or masonry, and chain link except where the ordinance prohibits it. Barbed, razor and concertina wire are restricted to three cases: correctional institutions may use all three, a fence enclosing livestock may use barbed wire, and any other nonresidential use may use all three provided the wire sits at least six feet above grade and counts toward the overall height of the fence. Counting the wire in the height is what stops a fence reaching its limit and then adding wire on top. Electric fencing is allowed for livestock and, below ground, for pets. A low voltage fence at twelve volts is allowed in the Light and Heavy Industrial districts on four conditions covering height, an enclosing six foot non-electric fence, six inches of separation and signage. A fence of debris, junk, rolled plastic, sheet metal, untreated or unpainted plywood or waste material is prohibited unless the material has been recycled and reprocessed to resemble new building material.
Fences made of debris, junk, rolled plastic, sheet metal, untreated or unpainted plywood, or waste materials, unless the materials have been recycled and reprocessed, for marketing to the general public, as building materials designed to resemble new building materials (e.g., picket fencing made from recycled plastic and fiber).
The answer turns on the material, the use and how high on the fence it sits.
- barbed or razor wire on a nonresidential lot
- Six feet up, and counted in the height. 6 ft
- a low voltage fence in an industrial district
- Twelve volts, wrapped by a six foot fence six inches away. 6 in
- reclaimed material
- Allowed once reprocessed to resemble new material.
Also on materials in High Point
- set in state lawNorth Carolina sets one standard for a battery charged security fence and takes the question away from cities. The fence ties into a monitored alarm, sits on land not set aside for homes, and runs off a battery of no more than 12 volts. Its charger has to meet the International Electrotechnical Commission standard. It stands inside a fence or wall that carries no current and is at least 5 feet tall, reaches 10 feet, and carries WARNING-ELECTRIC FENCE signs no more than 30 feet apart. A city may not ban one on land that is not zoned for homes only. N.C.G.S. 160A-194.1North Carolina · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in High Point
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North Carolina answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
North Carolina puts the duty on the livestock owner everywhere in the state. Letting livestock run loose is a Class 3 misdemeanor. Livestock here means horses and other animals like them, cattle, sheep, goats, llamas and swine. Anyone may catch and pen an animal found running loose and get back the cost of keeping it plus any damage, and none of that depends on whether the land was fenced.
This one is North Carolina law, not High Point law. All North Carolina findings
If any person shall allow his livestock to run at large, he shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
Also on agricultural fencing in High Point
- no rule, documents checkedNorth Carolina no longer says what a lawful fence is anywhere in state law. Chapter 68 is called Fences and Stock Law, and sections 68-1 through 68-14, where the old fence specification sat, were repealed in 1969 and 1971. What is left is the livestock law, the process for penning and selling a stray animal, and the Outer Banks sections. None of them set a height, a wire count, a board count or a post spacing. Money owed under the chapter does not depend on the land being fenced, so there is nothing left for a fence standard to hang on. N.C.G.S. ch. 68North Carolina · Statute
Documents behind this page
8 documents, of which 1 was published by High Point itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- North Carolina General AssemblyNorth Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 68, Fences and Stock Law
- North Carolina General AssemblyNorth Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 160D, Article 11, Building Permits
- City of High PointHigh Point Development Ordinance, Chapter 5, Section 5.11, Fences
- North Carolina General AssemblyNorth Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 130A, Article 8, Part 10, Public Swimming Pools
- North Carolina General AssemblyNorth Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 160D, Local Planning and Development Regulation
- North Carolina General AssemblyNorth Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 143, Article 9, Section 143-138, North Carolina State Building Code
- North Carolina General AssemblyNorth Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 160A, Section 160A-194.1, Regulation of battery-charged security fences
- North Carolina General AssemblyNorth Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 68, Fences and Stock Law, Article 3, Livestock Law
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 High Point publishes, plus the North Carolina rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in North Carolina 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