Fence laws in Moore, Oklahoma
What the Moore municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Moore sets no rule of its own, the Oklahoma rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Moore, Oklahoma, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Moore allows a fence in any required yard or along the edge of any yard and sets no distance from a lot line, and the answer turns on whether the primary structure has been started. The figure is 0 feet, for setback stated from a property line.
- How tall
- Moore states its residential rule in a single sentence buried in the open space provisions, and the answer turns on whether the fence stands in front of the building line. The figure is 4 feet, for fence, wall or hedge in front of the building line.
- Permits
- Moore regulates the builder rather than the building, and the answer turns on who is building the fence and in which zone. The figure is 12 months, for life of a fence erection permit before it becomes void.
- 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
- Moore 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
- Moore protects an unusually narrow band at a corner. The figure is 25 feet, for leg of the corner triangle measured along the front and side lot lines.
- Retaining walls
- Moore 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
- Moore names no permitted material and no prohibited one, and replaces the list with a standard about fit, and the answer turns on the main building on the lot and whether the land is agricultural.
- 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 Moore?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Moore answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the primary structure has been started.
Moore allows a fence in any required yard or along the edge of any yard and sets no distance from a lot line. The restriction it does impose is about sequence rather than distance, and it is aimed at the vacant lot: no fence may be erected on a lot in the R-1 or R-2 districts until construction of the primary structure has commenced on that same lot, unless the lot can be legally combined as part of an adjacent lot fronting the same street, and a fence on a vacant lot in those districts needs the approval of the community development director. The effect is to stop a bare lot being fenced off and left, which is a nuisance question rather than a boundary one. A private garage facing a street keeps twenty feet from the street easement line, and an accessory building may not be built until the main building is under way.
No fence shall be erected on any lot within a R-1 or R-2 zoning district until the construction of the primary structure has commenced on that same lot, unless the lot can be legally combined as part of an adjacent lot fronting the same street. Approval from the community development director is required for fences located on vacant lots in the R-1 and R-2 zoning districts.
The answer turns on whether the primary structure has been started.
- a lot line
- No distance stated. 0 ft
- a vacant R-1 or R-2 lot
- No fence until the house is started.
- a combined adjacent lot
- The rule does not apply.
- the director approving
- A vacant lot fence is allowed.
Also on fences on the property line in Moore
- 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 Moore?
Compare fence height across all 50 states
Moore answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the fence stands in front of the building line.
Moore states its residential rule in a single sentence buried in the open space provisions. Fences, walls and hedges in residential districts may be erected in any required yard or along the edge of any yard, provided that nothing in front of the building line exceeds four feet and no other wall or fence exceeds seven feet. Seven is the operative number and it is unusual; only Cedar Rapids and Dubuque in Iowa use it in this project. The rule applies to a hedge as readily as a fence, so a planted screen at the front of a Moore lot is held to the same four feet as a board fence. Nothing else in the section varies the figure by district, by lot size or by what the property abuts, and there is no stated route to anything taller short of a variance from the building official for hardship.
Fences, walls or hedges in residential districts may be erected in any required yard, or along the edge of any yard, provided that no fence, wall or hedge located in front of the building line shall exceed four feet in height and no other wall or fence shall exceed seven feet in height.
The answer turns on whether the fence stands in front of the building line.
- in front of the building line
- Four feet. 4 ft
- anywhere else
- Seven feet. 7 ft
- a hedge
- Treated the same as a fence.
- a hardship
- A special variance from the building official.
Also on fence height in Moore
- 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 Moore?
Compare permits across all 50 states
Moore answers this, but the answer changes depending on who is building the fence and in which zone.
Moore regulates the builder rather than the building. It is unlawful for a fence contractor or a contractor employee to construct, erect, install, alter or locate any fence in the city without the contractor obtaining a permit from the building department and paying the fee, and no permit is required in agricultural zones. Behind the permit sits a license: a fence contractor applies to the building official with ten years of employment history, any felony convictions, three references, and a surety bond payable to the city covering fines, penalties and damage from negligent or unskilled work. The license expires annually, may be suspended for ninety days or revoked, and may not be transferred or lent so somebody else can pull a permit. A fence erection permit lapses if the work is not finished within twelve months, and the building official inspects fences as often as he thinks necessary.
It is unlawful for any person acting as a fence contractor or such contractor’s employee to construct, erect, install, alter, or locate within the city any fence as defined in this article without the contractor’s obtaining a permit from the building department of the city and paying the fee required by this article. Employees of a contractor shall not be required to obtain a permit if the fence contractor has obtained a permit for the erection of such fence. No permit shall be required in agricultural zones.
The answer turns on who is building the fence and in which zone.
- a contractor building a fence
- A permit, and a license behind it.
- an agricultural zone
- No permit.
- the permit
- Void after twelve months. 12 months
- a hardship
- A special variance, with traffic and fire sign-off.
Also on permits in Moore
- 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 Moore
Compare pool barriers across all 50 states
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 Moore 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 Moore
Compare spite fences across all 50 states
Moore 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 Moore 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 Moore
Compare how height is measured across all 50 states
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 Moore 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 Moore
- no rule, documents checkedThe open space section states four feet and seven feet for a fence and never says what either is measured from. No grade is named, a berm is not addressed, and a fence built on a retaining wall is not addressed. The corner rule in the same section is precise and takes its datum off the lot entirely, protecting the band between two feet six inches and four feet above any portion of the crown of the adjacent roadway. The accessory building rules two sections later are equally careful and use the ground: a wall height measured from ground level to the top of the side wall fascia, and an overall height measured from ground level to the roof ridge. So Moore knows how to name a datum and does it for a shed and for a corner, and not for the fence itself. One other measurement worth noting is on a sign rather than a fence: the contractor plate is at least two inches by eight. Section 12-394Moore · Zoning code
Fence rules for corner lots in Moore
Compare corner visibility across all 50 states
Moore answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Moore protects an unusually narrow band at a corner. On any corner lot where a front and side yard are required, no wall, fence, sign, structure or plant growth obstructing sight lines may be maintained between two feet six inches and four feet above any portion of the crown of the adjacent roadway, inside a right triangle drawn twenty five feet along the front and exterior side lot lines from where they meet. Most codes protect from about two and a half feet up to eight or ten; Moore protects eighteen inches of it and says nothing about what sits above four feet. The reasoning is presumably that a driver looks through that slot, but it means a solid fence beginning at four feet and rising from there is not caught by this rule. The datum is the crown of the road rather than the lot, and the triangle is measured from the lot lines rather than the curb.
On any corner lot on which a front and side yard is required, no wall, fence, sign, structure or any plant growth which obstructs sight lines at elevations between two feet, six inches and four feet above any portion of the crown of the adjacent roadway shall be maintained in a triangle formed by measuring from the point of intersection of the front and exterior side lot lines a distance of 25 feet along the front and side lot lines and connecting the points so established to form a right triangle on the area of the lot adjacent to the street intersection.
25 ftleg of the corner triangle measured along the front and side lot lines
Also on corner visibility in Moore
- 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 Moore
Compare retaining walls across all 50 states
Moore 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 Moore 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 Moore
Compare materials across all 50 states
Moore answers this, but the answer changes depending on the main building on the lot and whether the land is agricultural.
Moore names no permitted material and no prohibited one, and replaces the list with a standard about fit. The architectural design and the materials used for an accessory building or a fence have to harmonize with the main building the fence is accessory to, which makes the house the specification. The same section then gets specific about accessory buildings rather than fences, with brick or rock veneer required on half of a street-facing facade and steel shipping containers barred from residential districts, but none of that reaches a fence. What the fence article in the building code adds is not about the fence either: it defines a fence as every fence permanently attached to the ground, naming chain link, redwood, masonry and wood, and excluding fences in agricultural zones from the article entirely. So in Moore a chain link fence and a masonry wall are the same thing in law and the only material test is whether it suits the house.
The architectural design and materials used for the construction of accessory buildings and fences shall harmonize with the main building to which the building or fence is accessory.
The answer turns on the main building on the lot and whether the land is agricultural.
- any fence
- It harmonizes with the house.
- a named material
- None listed or banned.
- a fence in an agricultural zone
- Outside the fence article.
- condition
- Structurally sound and in good repair.
Also on materials in Moore
- 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 Moore
Compare agricultural fencing across all 50 states
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 Moore 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
9 documents, of which 2 were published by Moore itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Statutes, Title 60, Property, Section 70
- City of MooreMoore Land Development Code, Chapters 2 to 4, Zoning Regulations, Article 3-4-C, General Provisions Applying to All or to Several Districts
- Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Statutes, Title 59, Professions and Occupations, Sections 1000.20 to 1000.29, Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission Act
- City of MooreMoore Code of Ordinances, Part 5, Building Regulations and Construction Codes, Chapter 5-2, Article 5-2E, Fences
- 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 Moore 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