Fence laws in Enid, Oklahoma
What the Enid municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Enid sets no rule of its own, the Oklahoma rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Enid, Oklahoma, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Enid states its setbacks as a short list and two of the three entries are the word none, and the answer turns on which line it is and whether the lot is built on. The figure is 0 feet, for minimum distance to a side or rear lot line.
- How tall
- The Enid fences chapter never states a maximum height, and the answer turns on whether the fence is solid, how tall it is and how far back it sits. The figure is 8 feet, for setback from the front lot line for a solid fence over four feet.
- Permits
- Nobody may erect, place or construct a fence in Enid, in whole or in part, without first obtaining a building permit, and the application may be made by the owner, a lessee, an agent of either, or a licensed contractor employed on the work, and the answer turns on whether the fence is new, old, or more than half destroyed. The figure is 50 percent, for share of value destroyed above which a fence has to conform.
- Pool barriers
- An outdoor pool in Oklahoma that is open to the public gets a barrier equal to a 6 foot high woven wire fence. The figure is 6 feet, for barrier height around an outdoor public bathing place open to the general public.
- Spite fences
- Enid has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Oklahoma names the ground in its fence statute, and only for the bottom of the fence. The figure is 54 inches, for height of a lawful fence, with no datum stated. It reaches a lawful fence under the fence viewer article of the animals title only.
- Corner lots
- Enid sizes its sight triangle by how the intersection is controlled, which is the reverse of the usual approach and produces the widest spread in this project, and the answer turns on the traffic control at the intersection and the posted speed. The figure is 50 feet, for sight triangle along the curb line at an uncontrolled intersection.
- Retaining walls
- Enid leaves retaining walls to the International Residential Code, 2018 edition, as amended and modified by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission in OAC 748:20-6.
- Materials
- Enid writes both lists and then adds a design test on top, and the answer turns on the material, the district and the main building on the lot.
- Livestock
- Oklahoma writes out what a lawful fence for livestock is. The figure is 54 inches, for height of a lawful fence for restraining livestock.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Enid?
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Enid answers this, but the answer changes depending on which line it is and whether the lot is built on.
Enid states its setbacks as a short list and two of the three entries are the word none. The minimum distance to a side lot line is none and the minimum distance to a rear lot line is none, so a fence may sit on either boundary whatever it is made of. The front lot line takes eight feet, and only where the fence is opaque or solid and over four feet. Three other things a fence may not sit on are named together: it may not obstruct a public walkway even where that walkway crosses private property, may not obstruct a public right-of-way, and may not obstruct a drainage easement even where the easement is on private land. The rule that has no equivalent in this project is about the empty lot: except for property zoned agricultural, fencing is not allowed on a vacant lot at all.
Except for properties zoned agriculture, fencing shall not be allowed on vacant lots.
The answer turns on which line it is and whether the lot is built on.
- a side or rear lot line
- No setback. 0 ft
- a solid front fence over four feet
- Eight feet back.
- a vacant lot
- No fence at all.
- a walkway or drainage easement
- Never obstructed, even on private land.
Also on fences on the property line in Enid
- set in state lawNeighbors in Oklahoma share the job of keeping up the fence and the boundary markers between them, in equal parts. One neighbor can step out of that by leaving the land open, with no fence around it, as a public common. If that neighbor later encloses the land, a fair share of what the other one's fence is worth at that time has to be paid back. 60 O.S. § 70Oklahoma · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Enid?
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Enid answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the fence is solid, how tall it is and how far back it sits.
The Enid fences chapter never states a maximum height. It runs ten sections, covering definitions, materials, retaining walls, setbacks, vacant lots, general standards, front yard fences, side and rear yard fences, preexisting fences and violations, and none of them caps a fence at four, six or eight feet the way almost every other code in this project does. Height enters twice and in each case as a trigger rather than a ceiling. An eight foot setback from the front lot line is required if the fence is built of opaque or solid material exceeding four feet, and no setback is required for anything else, so a tall solid fence is bought with distance. And spiked caps or spears may not be used on pickets under five and a half feet, which is a safety rule about what a short fence may be topped with. Height is otherwise left to the building regulations the chapter says a fence is subject to.
Minimum distances to front lot line: An eight-foot setback is required if the fence is constructed with opaque or solid material exceeding four feet in height. No setback shall be required for other fences;
The answer turns on whether the fence is solid, how tall it is and how far back it sits.
- a solid fence over four feet
- Eight feet back from the front line. 8 ft
- any other fence
- No setback, and no stated ceiling. 4 ft
- spiked caps or spears
- Not on pickets under five and a half feet. 5.5 ft
- a maximum height
- None stated in the chapter.
Also on fence height in Enid
- no rule, documents checkedOklahoma sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. The property title on boundary fences deals with shared upkeep and not with size. The building code statute hands the choice of a code to a state commission and lets cities and counties go stricter, and it names no fence height. The one height in Oklahoma fence law is the 54 inch lawful fence, which describes a fence built to hold stock rather than a cap on a yard fence. Cities and counties set the limit at a house. 60 O.S. § 70Oklahoma · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Enid?
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Enid answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the fence is new, old, or more than half destroyed.
Nobody may erect, place or construct a fence in Enid, in whole or in part, without first obtaining a building permit, and the application may be made by the owner, a lessee, an agent of either, or a licensed contractor employed on the work. There is no height threshold and no length threshold. Old fences are handled by a proportion. A fence built lawfully before November 1, 2015 may remain unless it is a traffic hazard, blocks the visibility of motorists or pedestrians, or is a hazard to public health and safety, and it may not be structurally altered or expanded in any way that increases its nonconformity. Where such a fence is destroyed or decayed to more than fifty percent of its value, as the Code Official determines, the owner may replace it only in conformity with the chapter. At forty nine percent or less the owner may simply repair it to its original condition.
No person shall erect, place or construct a fence, in whole or in part, without first obtaining a building permit. An application for a permit shall be made by the owner or lessee, or by an agent or either, or by a licensed contractor employed in connection with the proposed work.
The answer turns on whether the fence is new, old, or more than half destroyed.
- any fence
- A building permit.
- a fence older than November 2015
- It may stay unless it is a hazard.
- more than half destroyed
- Rebuilt only to the current chapter. 50%
- less than that
- Repaired to its original condition.
Also on permits in Enid
- set in state lawOne state body picks the building code for all of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission reviews and adopts the codes for homes and commercial buildings, and what it adopts is the least a build has to meet anywhere in the state. Cities, counties and state agencies work from those minimums and may write stricter rules of their own. The statute itself names no fence and no permit exemption. 59 O.S. § 1000.23Oklahoma · Statute
Pool fence requirements in Enid
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Oklahoma answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
An outdoor pool in Oklahoma that is open to the public gets a barrier equal to a 6 foot high woven wire fence. An outdoor pool that is not open to the general public gets a barrier at least 4 feet tall, entered only through gates that close and latch on their own, and it cannot block a clear view of the water. A decorative barrier can have no opening wider than 4 inches, and no barrier may be built in a way that turns it into a ladder. The rules come from the State Department of Health and cover public bathing places.
This one is Oklahoma law, not Enid law. All Oklahoma findings
Outdoor pools open to general public such as municipal pools and pools used by organizations (YWCA, YMCA, etc.), shall be enclosed by a suitable barrier equal to a six (6) foot high woven wire fence.
6 ftbarrier height around an outdoor public bathing place open to the general public
Spite fence laws in Enid
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Enid law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Oklahoma has no spite fence law. The property title that covers boundary fences says nothing about a fence built to annoy a neighbor and sets no height at all. The nuisance title has no fence rule either. A claim about a spite fence in Oklahoma runs on the general nuisance law and on court rulings.
This one is Oklahoma law, not Enid law. All Oklahoma findings
Documents read before writing that:
- 60 O.S. §§ 69 to 78Oklahoma Legislature
- 50 O.S. §§ 1 to 44Oklahoma Legislature
How fence height is measured in Enid
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Oklahoma answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Oklahoma names the ground in its fence statute, and only for the bottom of the fence. Section 154 puts the lowest rail, wire or board between sixteen and twenty inches from the ground, then sets the whole fence at fifty four inches in height without saying fifty four inches from what. That rule describes a lawful fence built to hold stock. For a fence at a house, the city ordinance written under title 11 sets both the height and the point it is counted from.
This one is Oklahoma law, not Enid law. All Oklahoma findings
Provided, that the lowest or bottom rail, wire or board shall not be more than twenty (20) or less than sixteen (16) inches from the ground, and that such fence shall be fifty-four (54) inches in height
54 inheight of a lawful fence, with no datum stated
Also on how height is measured in Enid
- no rule, documents checkedThe chapter states only two heights, four feet and five and a half feet, and says what neither is measured from. No grade is named, a berm is not addressed, and a fence on a retaining wall is not addressed as a height question, although retaining walls get a section of their own allowing them to solve drainage or topographical problems. That gap matters less here than elsewhere, because the chapter sets no maximum height for a fence, so there is less for a datum to govern. One construction rule does fix a bottom reference: a metal fence has to be finished level with or below the ground at its lower edge, which is about gaps under the fence rather than about height. The sight triangle distances are measured along curb lines, along a drive or alley, or along a railroad right-of-way line, so the horizontal measurements are precise where the vertical ones are absent. Sections 11-17-4 and 11-17-7Enid · Zoning code
Fence rules for corner lots in Enid
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Enid answers this, but the answer changes depending on the traffic control at the intersection and the posted speed.
Enid sizes its sight triangle by how the intersection is controlled, which is the reverse of the usual approach and produces the widest spread in this project. An uncontrolled intersection takes fifty feet along the curb line of both streets. A four-way controlled intersection takes twenty feet along both, because a driver has already stopped. A two-way controlled intersection takes twenty feet along the controlled street and fifty along the uncontrolled one, rising to seventy where that uncontrolled street is posted above thirty five miles an hour. A drive or alley meeting a street takes twenty feet along the drive and fifty along the street, again seventy above thirty five miles an hour. A street meeting a railroad takes seventy feet along the railroad right-of-way and fifty along the street. Inside any of them the rule is stated as a standard rather than a height: a fence may not cause a view obstruction, and neither may a hedge used like one.
An uncontrolled intersection shall require a SIGHT TRIANGLE, clear of sight impediments, measuring 50 feet along the curb line of both streets. (2) A four-way controlled intersection shall require a SIGHT TRIANGLE measuring 20 feet along the curb line of both streets.
The answer turns on the traffic control at the intersection and the posted speed.
- an uncontrolled intersection
- Fifty feet both ways. 50 ft
- a four-way stop
- Twenty feet. 20 ft
- a fast uncontrolled street
- Seventy feet. 70 ft
- a railroad crossing
- Seventy feet along the railroad.
Also on corner visibility in Enid
- left to the townOklahoma has no state rule for the clear view at a corner. Title 11 lets a city government control the height and size of buildings and other structures and the size of yards and open spaces, so a corner triangle can only come from a city ordinance written under that power. Title 69, the roads and bridges title, uses the words sight distance only in the part describing how a turnpike is designed, which is about the road and not about what stands on a corner lot. 11 O.S. 43-101Oklahoma · Zoning code
Retaining wall rules in Enid
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Enid does not set this. It leaves it to the International Residential Code, 2018 edition, as amended and modified by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission in OAC 748:20-6.
Oklahoma writes no retaining wall rule of its own. The Uniform Building Code Commission adopted the 2018 International Residential Code as the statewide minimum for one and two family homes and townhouses, and took in chapter 1 of that book, which holds the list of work that needs no permit. So the test for a wall that holds back earth comes from the adopted book, and a city or county may set a stricter rule on top of it.
This one is Oklahoma law, not Enid law. All Oklahoma findings
the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission (the "OUBCC") hereby adopts the International Residential Code®, 2018 Edition (IRC® 2018) as amended and modified in this subchapter to be the statewide minimum code for residential construction within the State of Oklahoma for one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses
The code hands this to the International Residential Code, 2018 edition, as amended and modified by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission in OAC 748:20-6, which is not published in the code itself.
Fence materials allowed in Enid
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Enid answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material, the district and the main building on the lot.
Enid writes both lists and then adds a design test on top. Permitted: picket, vinyl, split rail, chain link, decorative wrought iron or galvanized steel, aluminum or a similar material that looks like it, ribbed or corrugated metal panels, stone, brick, stucco and specialty concrete block, with collar-activated, radio, wireless or other electronic pet containment systems expressly allowed. Prohibited in every district: metal pieces, garage or other door panels, plywood sheets and anything else not commonly used for fencing. Barbed wire, chicken wire, hot wire and electric strand fences are out except in the agricultural and industrial districts. Then the third subsection makes the house the specification: the architectural design and the materials used have to harmonize with the main building the fence is accessory to. One construction rule follows elsewhere in the chapter: a metal fence has to be capped on the top edge and finished level with or below the ground at the bottom.
Only picket, vinyl, split rail, chainlink, decorative wrought iron (or galvanized steel, aluminum or similar material having the appearance of), ribbed or corrugated metal panels, stone, brick, stucco or specialty concrete block shall be permitted. Collar activated, radio, wireless or other electronic pet containment systems are allowed.
The answer turns on the material, the district and the main building on the lot.
- the permitted list
- Picket, vinyl, chain link, iron, metal panel, masonry.
- door panels and plywood
- Prohibited in every district.
- barbed, chicken or hot wire
- Farm and industrial districts only.
- the design
- It harmonizes with the house.
Also on materials in Enid
- set in state lawBarb wire is a legal way to build a fence in Oklahoma, and the statute says how. A barb wire lawful fence takes three barb wires, or four wires with two of them barbed. Posts go no more than two rods apart when two stays are used between them, or one rod apart with no stays, and a rod is sixteen and a half feet. The top wire sits fifty four to fifty eight inches up and the bottom wire sixteen to twenty inches off the ground. The same section sets a separate standard for a rail or board fence. 4 O.S. 154Oklahoma · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in Enid
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Oklahoma answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Oklahoma writes out what a lawful fence for livestock is. A rail or board fence stands 54 inches tall, with the bottom rail no more than 20 and no less than 16 inches off the ground. A barbed wire fence may run three barbed wires, or four wires with two of them barbed, and the top wire sits 54 to 58 inches up. Fence viewers may accept any other fence they judge equal to that. An owner who leaves land open as a common does not pay toward a fence on the line until the land is enclosed or put to some other use.
This one is Oklahoma law, not Enid law. All Oklahoma findings
Provided, that the lowest or bottom rail, wire or board shall not be more than twenty (20) or less than sixteen (16) inches from the ground, and that such fence shall be fifty-four (54) inches in height, except that a barb wire fence may consist of three barb wires, or four wires, two of which shall be barbed
54 inheight of a lawful fence for restraining livestock
Documents behind this page
8 documents, of which 1 was published by Enid itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Statutes, Title 60, Property, Section 70
- City of EnidEnid Code of Ordinances, Title 11, Zoning, Chapter 17, Fences
- Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Statutes, Title 59, Professions and Occupations, Sections 1000.20 to 1000.29, Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission Act
- Oklahoma State Department of HealthOklahoma Administrative Code Title 310, Chapter 315, Public Bathing Place Facility Standards, permanent final adoption
- Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Statutes, Title 50, Nuisances, Sections 1 to 44
- Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Statutes, Title 4, Animals
- Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Statutes, Title 11, Cities and Towns, Article 43, Municipal Planning and Zoning
- Oklahoma Uniform Building Code CommissionOklahoma Administrative Code, Title 748, Chapter 20, Subchapter 6, IRC 2018, Permanent Rule effective September 14, 2022
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 Enid publishes, plus the Oklahoma rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in Oklahoma 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