Fence laws in Greenville, South Carolina
What the Greenville municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Greenville sets no rule of its own, the South Carolina rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Greenville, South Carolina, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- The setback comes with the fence type, and the answer turns on which fence type applies and how tall the fence is. The figure is 0 feet, for minimum setback from a property line for a Type E fence.
- How tall
- Greenville does not state a fence height, and the answer turns on which fence type the district allows and what the neighbor is allowed. The figure is 6 feet, for maximum height for a Type E fence in a residential side or rear yard.
- Permits
- Division 19-4.9 names no fence permit, no application and no fee, and the answer turns on how far the request departs from the stated standard. The figure is 10 percent, for change to a fence dimensional standard staff may grant administratively.
- Pool barriers
- South Carolina fences every outdoor public swimming pool. The figure is 4 feet, for minimum fence height around an outdoor Type B, C, D or F public swimming pool.
- Spite fences
- Greenville has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Greenville writes four separate datums and picks between them by where the fence is, and the answer turns on the yard, the grade and whether a sidewalk, alley or retaining wall is next to it. The figure is 20 feet, for distance within which a sidewalk becomes the datum for fence height.
- Corner lots
- The whole corner rule for a fence is one sentence: no wall or fence can interfere with visibility at intersections or driveways.
- Retaining walls
- Greenville leaves retaining walls to the 2021 International Residential Code, published by the International Code Council, whose Sections R105.2 and R404 South Carolina leaves unchanged. It reaches one and two family dwellings only.
- Materials
- The material rule starts with a performance standard rather than a list, and the answer turns on the material, the district and the yard.
- Livestock
- South Carolina puts the duty on the animal owner.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Greenville?
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Greenville answers this, but the answer changes depending on which fence type applies and how tall the fence is.
The setback comes with the fence type. Type E in a residential side or rear yard and Type F in a commercial or industrial one both carry a minimum setback of zero, so the ordinary back yard fence may sit on the line. Type B in a front or side street yard is also zero. Type C is the one that trades distance for height, allowing three feet within three feet of the lot line and six feet once the fence is further back than that, and Type D requires a three foot setback for its eight feet. The sentence that does the most work is the one about what counts as the fence: every wall, fence and screen, including the sub-grade parts such as footings or foundations, has to be located on the site, which closes the argument that a footing may cross the line because nobody sees it. No fence is allowed inside a required drainage or utility easement.
All walls, fences, and screens including their sub-grade elements, such as footings or foundation, must be located on-site.
The answer turns on which fence type applies and how tall the fence is.
- a residential side or rear yard
- On the line. 0 ft
- a Type C side street yard
- Three feet buys three more feet of height. 3 ft
- a Type D parking lot edge
- Three feet back for eight feet tall.
- a drainage or utility easement
- No fence at all.
Also on fences on the property line in Greenville
- no rule, documents checkedSouth Carolina has no statewide law about a fence on the line. The Code of Laws never says how two neighbors split the cost of a fence on a shared line, and it sets no notice steps before one goes up. A phrase search of the whole Code of Laws returns nothing for partition fence, division fence, boundary fence, lawful fence, joint expense or fence viewers. Splitting that cost is left to a private agreement between the neighbors and to local rules. S.C. Code Title 47, Chapter 7South Carolina · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Greenville?
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Greenville answers this, but the answer changes depending on which fence type the district allows and what the neighbor is allowed.
Greenville does not state a fence height. It states six fence types, A through F, and each zoning district page then names which types are allowed there. Type A allows no fence at all in a front or side street yard, except four feet where one is required for outdoor drinking. Type B allows three feet. Type C allows three feet within three feet of the lot line and six feet farther back than that. Type D allows eight feet, set back three feet, and no more than half solid above three feet. Type E, for residential side and rear yards, allows six feet. Type F, for commercial and industrial side and rear yards, allows eight. On top of all of that sits a borrowing rule: where a side or rear line is shared with a property whose own allowance is taller, the fence may match that taller allowance, so long as it stands within two feet of the shared line. A screening requirement that calls for a taller fence beats the type.
When a property shares a side or rear lot line with another property that has a taller maximum fence height allowance along that shared lot line, the maximum fence height may be increased to match the abutting property's height allowance.
The answer turns on which fence type the district allows and what the neighbor is allowed.
- a residential side or rear yard
- Six feet, on the line. 6 ft
- a commercial or industrial side or rear yard
- Eight feet. 8 ft
- a front or side street yard
- Three feet, or nothing at all. 3 ft
- next to a taller allowance
- Match it, within two feet of the line. 2 ft
Also on fence height in Greenville
- no rule, documents checkedSouth Carolina sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. Title 6, Chapter 9 hands the choice of a building code to the Building Codes Council and says nothing about the height of a yard fence, and Title 27 has no fence chapter at all. Cities and counties set the height. S.C. Code Title 6, Chapter 9South Carolina · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Greenville?
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Greenville answers this, but the answer changes depending on how far the request departs from the stated standard.
Division 19-4.9 names no fence permit, no application and no fee. What it does supply is a ladder for getting out of a standard, and it splits at a fixed number. A wall or fence dimensional standard may be modified by up to ten percent under the administrative relief section, which is a staff decision, and anything beyond ten percent goes to the variance section instead. The same ten percent split applies to a retaining wall standard and to a transition screen standard, so the number is a drafting choice across the whole code rather than a rule about fences. Two other decisions can reach a fence. Where barbed or concertina wire is allowed for a public safety use, the Administrator may require screening to hide it. And where a screening requirement calls for a taller fence than the district fence type allows, the screening requirement wins without anyone needing to ask.
A wall or fence dimensional standard may be modified by up to 10% in accordance with Sec. 6.2.14.
The answer turns on how far the request departs from the stated standard.
- a fence that meets the type
- No permit named in the fence division.
- a change up to ten percent
- Administrative relief. 10%
- a change beyond ten percent
- A variance.
- barbed wire at a public safety use
- The Administrator may require screening.
Also on permits in Greenville
- set in state lawSouth Carolina writes no building code of its own. Section 6-9-50 directs the South Carolina Building Codes Council to adopt the latest International Code Council codes by reference, the residential code among them, and section 6-9-10 makes every city and county in the state enforce them. So the fence permit exemption sits inside that adopted residential code. The code is sold by the International Code Council and is not posted on a South Carolina state site, so the exemption wording is not quoted here. S.C. Code 6-9-50(A)South Carolina · Statute
Pool fence requirements in Greenville
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South Carolina answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
South Carolina fences every outdoor public swimming pool. A Type A or Type E pool takes a chain link fence or equal barrier at least six feet tall. A Type B, C, D or F pool takes a fence at least four feet tall, measured from the outside of the pool area. Gates latch on their own and can be locked, and no gap in the fence may let a four inch ball through. The rule is health regulation R.61-51 and it covers public pools.
This one is South Carolina law, not Greenville law. All South Carolina findings
All outdoor Type "B", "C", "D" and "F" public swimming pools (including the deck area) shall be enclosed by a minimum four foot fence as measured from the exterior of the pool area.
4 ftminimum fence height around an outdoor Type B, C, D or F public swimming pool
Spite fence laws in Greenville
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Greenville law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
South Carolina has no spite fence law. The word spite does not appear anywhere in the Code of Laws, and no section limits a fence built to annoy a neighbor or sets a height that triggers one. A claim of that kind would rest on court rulings or a city ordinance.
This one is South Carolina law, not Greenville law. All South Carolina findings
Documents read before writing that:
- S.C. Code Title 27South Carolina General Assembly
- S.C. Code Title 46, Chapter 1South Carolina General Assembly
How fence height is measured in Greenville
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Greenville answers this, but the answer changes depending on the yard, the grade and whether a sidewalk, alley or retaining wall is next to it.
Greenville writes four separate datums and picks between them by where the fence is. In a front or side street yard, height runs from the adjacent sidewalk to the topmost point of the fence, and where no sidewalk exists within twenty feet, from the base of the fence on its exterior side. In a side or rear yard where the grade differs by less than two feet across the fence, height runs from the base on the higher side. A fence in a side or rear yard abutting an alley is read from the surface of the alley. And the retaining wall case gets its own answer in both places: where a fence stands within three feet of the exterior face of a retaining wall two feet or taller, height is read from the top of the fence down to the midpoint of the retaining wall, so half the wall counts against the fence. Opacity is measured too, as solid area divided by the smallest regular shape containing the whole fence.
When a wall or fence is located within 3 feet of the exterior face of a retaining wall and the retaining wall is 2 feet in height or greater, the height is measured from the top of the wall or fence to the midpoint of the retaining wall.
The answer turns on the yard, the grade and whether a sidewalk, alley or retaining wall is next to it.
- a front or side street yard
- From the adjacent sidewalk.
- no sidewalk within twenty feet
- From the base, on the outside. 20 ft
- a side or rear yard
- From the base on the higher side.
- a fence on a retaining wall
- From the midpoint of the wall.
Also on how height is measured in Greenville
- left to the townSouth Carolina sets one fence height in state law and never says six feet from what. The solar energy facility standards in the planning chapter require a perimeter fence of at least six feet, with no measuring point attached to it. For every other kind of property the answer is local. Section 6-29-720 lets a city or county zoning ordinance control the size, location, height, bulk and orientation of buildings and other structures, and that ordinance is where the measuring point is written. S.C. Code 6-29-720(A)(2)South Carolina · Zoning code
Fence rules for corner lots in Greenville
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Greenville answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
The whole corner rule for a fence is one sentence: no wall or fence can interfere with visibility at intersections or driveways. There is no triangle drawn for it, no leg length, no protected band of height and no exception for an open fence. The comparison inside the same code is what makes that worth saying, because Greenville does draw a triangle when it wants one. A sign near the intersection of a street and a driveway may not obstruct vision between three feet and nine feet inside a triangle formed by running seventy feet along the street right-of-way line, ten feet back along the curb or driveway edge, and connecting the two points. A sign near two streets is sent to the street design criteria table in the Engineering Design and Specifications Manual instead. None of that is applied to fences by the fence section, which leaves the fence answer to judgment.
No wall or fence can interfere with visibility at intersections or driveways.
Also on corner visibility in Greenville
- left to the townSouth Carolina draws no corner triangle of its own. Chapter 6-29 writes the zoning grant broadly and lets each city and county fill it in. The grant covers the size, location and height of structures and signs, the size of yards and open spaces, and site plan items such as landscaping and curb cuts. A corner triangle fits inside that list. S.C. Code 6-29-720South Carolina · Zoning code
Retaining wall rules in Greenville
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Greenville does not set this. It leaves it to the 2021 International Residential Code, published by the International Code Council, whose Sections R105.2 and R404 South Carolina leaves unchanged.
South Carolina writes no retaining wall rule of its own. The Building Codes Council adopts the 2021 International Residential Code and lists every change it made to that code, section by section, in Regulation Chapter 8. That list of changes was read end to end. It covers wind design, seismic design, fire separation, definitions and other items, and it never touches Section R105.2, the list of work that needs no permit, or Section R404, which covers foundation and retaining walls. So the rule that applies here is the model code text, which is sold by the International Code Council and is not printed on a South Carolina state site.
This one is South Carolina law, not Greenville law. All South Carolina findings
This code is identical to the 2021 Edition of the International Residential Code except for the following modifications:
The code hands this to the 2021 International Residential Code, published by the International Code Council, whose Sections R105.2 and R404 South Carolina leaves unchanged, which is not published in the code itself.
Fence materials allowed in Greenville
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Greenville answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material, the district and the yard.
The material rule starts with a performance standard rather than a list. A wall, fence or screen has to be built of durable, low maintenance material with a long life expectancy, and none may be built of tires, junk or other discarded materials. Where a material has a finished side, that side has to face the adjacent property. Chain link is allowed nowhere in the MX-D district or in any MXS district, and where it is allowed it has to be vinyl coated and may not stand in a front yard or a side street yard, with public safety and institutional uses excepted. Barbed wire and concertina wire are not allowed at all unless they belong to a public safety use such as a detention center, and even then the Administrator may require screening to hide them from public view, with a cross reference to Section 24-69 of the city code. Every wall and fence has to be kept vertical, structurally sound and protected from deterioration.
Barbed wire or concertina wire is not allowed, unless associated with a public safety use such as a detention center.
The answer turns on the material, the district and the yard.
- an ordinary fence
- Durable, low maintenance, long lived.
- chain link
- Vinyl coated, never in a front yard, never in MX-D.
- barbed or concertina wire
- Public safety uses only.
- tires, junk or discards
- Never.
Also on materials in Greenville
- no rule, documents checkedSouth Carolina never says what a fence may be built from. There is no fence chapter and no definition of a lawful fence. The two chapters closest to the question were read end to end. The stray and trespassing livestock chapter deals with catching, holding and selling loose animals and with who pays for the damage they do, and it never says what a fence is made of. The general agriculture chapter is a list of offenses and has nothing on fences. Neither one mentions barbed wire, razor wire or an electric fence. S.C. Code 47-7-10 to 47-7-170South Carolina · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in Greenville
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South Carolina answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
South Carolina puts the duty on the animal owner. An owner or manager may not let a domestic animal of any kind get past the edge of the land they own, lease, occupy or control, whether on purpose or through carelessness. Each offense carries a fine of up to twenty five dollars or up to twenty five days in jail.
This one is South Carolina law, not Greenville law. All South Carolina findings
It shall be unlawful for the owner or manager of any domestic animal of any description wilfully or negligently to permit any such animal to run at large beyond the limits of his own land or the lands leased, occupied or controlled by him.
Also on agricultural fencing in Greenville
- set in state lawA damages claim in South Carolina does not depend on a fence. When a domestic animal is found on land belonging to somebody else, the owner of that animal owes all the damage plus the cost of catching and keeping it, and the animal itself stands as security for that debt ahead of other claims. The landowner or tenant may seize a trespassing animal and hold it. S.C. Code 47-7-130South Carolina · Statute
- no rule, documents checkedSouth Carolina never describes a lawful fence. Title 47 has no fence chapter, and its livestock chapter runs from stray animals through trespassing stock to impounding without setting a height, a wire count, a board count or a post spacing. Title 46, the agriculture title, has no fence chapter either. The gap leaves no hole, because damages for a trespassing animal in South Carolina never turned on an enclosure, so there was nothing for a fence standard to measure. S.C. Code Title 47, Chapter 7South Carolina · Statute
Documents behind this page
10 documents, of which 1 was published by Greenville itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- South Carolina General AssemblySouth Carolina Code of Laws, Title 47, Chapter 7, Estrays; Livestock Trespassing or Running at Large
- South Carolina General AssemblySouth Carolina Code of Laws, Title 46, Chapter 1, General Provisions; Offenses
- South Carolina General AssemblySouth Carolina Code of Laws, Title 27, Property and Conveyances, chapter list
- City of GreenvilleCity of Greenville Development Code, Chapter 19, Division 19-4.9, Fences and Walls
- South Carolina General AssemblySouth Carolina Code of Laws, Title 6, Chapter 9, Building Codes
- South Carolina Department of Environmental ServicesSouth Carolina Code of Regulations, R.61-51, Public Swimming Pools
- South Carolina LegislatureSouth Carolina Code of Laws, Title 6, Chapter 29, South Carolina Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act of 1994
- South Carolina Building Codes CouncilSouth Carolina Code of Regulations, Chapter 8, International Residential Code
- South Carolina General AssemblySouth Carolina Code of Laws, Title 47, Animals, Livestock and Poultry, chapter list
- South Carolina General AssemblySouth Carolina Code of Laws, Title 46, Agriculture, chapter list
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 Greenville publishes, plus the South Carolina rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in South 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