Fence laws in Lebanon, Tennessee
What the Lebanon municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Lebanon sets no rule of its own, the Tennessee rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Lebanon, Tennessee, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Lebanon states the orientation rule with unusual precision, naming both what faces out and who looks at the frame, and the answer turns on which side of the fence faces the neighbor, and what the line carries.
- How tall
- Lebanon divides every lot at the face of the building rather than at a setback line, and the answer turns on the district and whether the fence is in front of the building. The figure is 8 feet, for residential fence behind the building face.
- Permits
- Lebanon states one absolute prohibition and three routes past the standards, and the answer turns on where the lot sits and what exception is sought.
- Pool barriers
- Lebanon sets no statewide pool barrier rule. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Spite fences
- Lebanon has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Lebanon never says what a fence height is measured from. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Corner lots
- A Lebanon fence has to stand at least fifteen feet back from street pavement, alleys excluded, unless it is no more than four feet high and at least fifty percent transparent, or no more than two and a half feet high whatever its opacity, and the answer turns on how far back the fence stands and how open it is. The figure is 15 feet, for setback from street pavement.
- Retaining walls
- Lebanon leaves retaining walls to the 2018 International Residential Code, published by the International Code Council, and its Sections R105.2 and R404. It reaches one and two family homes only.
- Materials
- Walls and fences in Lebanon have to be built exclusively from permitted long-lasting materials that match or complement the primary structure, and the ordinance then lists them: natural stone and brick, wood, finished concrete, metal in ornamental, decorative and structural forms, vinyl or PVC, vinyl coated chain link in black or dark green, and wood or metal fence with wire mesh, and the answer turns on the material, the district and whether the fence is visible.
- Livestock
- Tennessee counts more than wood and wire as a farm fence.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Lebanon?
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Lebanon answers this, but the answer changes depending on which side of the fence faces the neighbor, and what the line carries.
Lebanon states the orientation rule with unusual precision, naming both what faces out and who looks at the frame. A fence has to be installed so the finished side faces the public view and the neighboring properties, and the structural elements, rails, framing and support posts, face the permitting property on the inside of the fence. Where unique topography, a documented physical hardship or an exceptional site circumstance makes that impossible, the Planning Department may approve a deviation, and a refusal may be appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Fences, walls and hedges may otherwise be permitted in any required yard or along the edge of any yard, so no setback applies at an interior line. The easement rules are strict: no fence may go in an occupied utility or drainage easement without the express written approval of the entity whose line occupies it, one placed in an unoccupied easement has to be removed if the easement is later needed, and no fence may block passage through an access easement.
Fences must be installed so that the finished side faces the public view/neighboring properties, and the structural elements (rails, framing, support posts, etc.) are placed facing the permitting property, on the inside of the fence.
The answer turns on which side of the fence faces the neighbor, and what the line carries.
- the finished side
- Faces the street and the neighbors.
- an occupied easement
- Express written approval from the utility.
- an unoccupied easement
- Removed later if the easement is needed.
- unusual topography
- A deviation from the Planning Department.
Also on fences on the property line in Lebanon
- set in state lawIn Tennessee a neighbor can get out of paying for a shared fence when one side is a farm and the other is not. The owner of the side that is not farmland can say in writing that the fence is not theirs to build or keep up. The notice goes by registered mail with a return receipt, or any other way that gives written proof it arrived, and it counts from the day the farm owner gets it. Once it is delivered, the farm owner cannot be sued over the fence being missing or in bad shape. Public Chapter 266 of 1999, Section 2, adding a section to T.C.A. Title 44, Chapter 8, Part 2Tennessee · Statute
- set in state lawThat way out lasts only while the land stays out of farming. The law counts land as non-farm when it is not farmland, has a house on it, and keeps no livestock. The day the land stops fitting that description, the notice stops working. If the farm owner built a fence while it was working, the other owner then pays a fair share of what the fence cost. A fight over the amount goes to the process in section 44-8-204. Public Chapter 266 of 1999, Section 2, subsection (d)Tennessee · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Lebanon?
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Lebanon answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district and whether the fence is in front of the building.
Lebanon divides every lot at the face of the building rather than at a setback line. Behind the building face a residential or mixed use fence may reach eight feet and a commercial or industrial one fifteen. Between the building face and the street, alleys excluded, the figures drop to four feet and six feet. Fifteen feet is the tallest general fence height any city in this set states, and it sits beside one of the lowest residential front yard figures, so the ordinance is permissive about what a business may build and strict about what faces a street. On a corner or double frontage lot the height along the additional frontages may equal the district maximum between the right-of-way and the building, but may not extend past the front face of the building, which keeps the tall fence out of the part of the side yard a driver sees first.
Residential & Mixed-Use 8 feet 4 feet Commercial & Industrial 15 feet 6 feet
The answer turns on the district and whether the fence is in front of the building.
- behind the house
- Eight feet. 8 ft
- between the house and the street
- Four feet. 4 ft
- behind a commercial building
- Fifteen feet. 15 ft
- a corner or double frontage lot
- District maximum, but not past the front face.
Also on fence height in Lebanon
- no rule, documents checkedTennessee sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. The state residential code has no fence rule in it, and the state fence law in Title 44 is about livestock and fences on a property line rather than height. Cities and counties set the limit, and some places have opted out of the state code entirely. Code Adoption HistoryTennessee · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Lebanon?
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Lebanon answers this, but the answer changes depending on where the lot sits and what exception is sought.
Lebanon states one absolute prohibition and three routes past the standards. Where a property lies partly or wholly in the hundred year floodplain as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, screening has to allow stormwater to flow across the property and fences are not allowed at all, with any screening done by landscaping under an approved landscape plan. That is stricter than any other floodplain rule in this set, which usually limit the design rather than forbid the fence. The exceptions are all Planning Department decisions. Alternative materials may be approved in keeping with the intent of the material standards. A deviation from the orientation rule may be approved for unique topography, documented physical hardship or exceptional site circumstances. And where either is refused the applicant may appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals, which is also the body that may allow barbed, razor or electric wire in the heavy industrial and rural preservation districts.
For properties located partially or wholly within the 100-year floodplain (as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency), screening must allow flow of stormwater across the property. To that end, fences are not allowed.
The answer turns on where the lot sits and what exception is sought.
- the hundred year floodplain
- No fence at all.
- a different material
- Planning Department approval.
- a hardship on orientation
- A deviation, also from the Planning Department.
- a refusal
- Appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals.
Also on permits in Lebanon
- set in state lawTennessee has no fence permit rule of its own. It uses the 2018 International Residential Code, with state changes, as the code for one and two family homes across the state, and the Fire Marshal lists that code as taking effect on July 16, 2020. The state changes leave alone the list of work that needs no permit, so that list is model code text and not Tennessee text. Counties and cities can opt out of the state code altogether. Code Adoption History, residential codesTennessee · Agency guidance
Pool fence requirements in Lebanon
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Lebanon law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Tennessee sets no statewide fence rule for a pool at a house. The state took up the 2018 International Residential Code along with Appendix Q and nothing else. In that edition the pool fence rules sit in Appendix G, which Tennessee left out, so no state height reaches a pool at a home. Cities and counties can still set one.
This one is Tennessee law, not Lebanon law. All Tennessee findings
Documents read before writing that:
- Code Adoption HistoryTennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, State Fire Marshal's Office
- Codes EnforcementTennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, State Fire Marshal's Office
Spite fence laws in Lebanon
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Lebanon law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Tennessee has no spite fence law. The state fence law in Title 44, Chapter 8 covers fencing that holds livestock and fences on a property line. It names no height and says nothing about a fence built to bother a neighbor. A fence like that is a nuisance case in court, not a matter of state law.
This one is Tennessee law, not Lebanon law. All Tennessee findings
Documents read before writing that:
- T.C.A. Title 44, Chapter 8Tennessee General Assembly
- Code Adoption HistoryTennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, State Fire Marshal's Office
How fence height is measured in Lebanon
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Lebanon law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Tennessee never says where a fence height is measured from. The state adopts its building and fire codes in one rule of the Division of Fire Prevention, and that rule does name starting points, for buildings. It takes the height of a roof from the lowest fire truck road surface next to the building up to the eave or parapet, and it counts stories from the grade plane, which is the average ground level around the building. Both rules are about buildings. The word fence is nowhere in the chapter, so the state names no starting point for a fence. The city or county ordinance decides.
This one is Tennessee law, not Lebanon law. All Tennessee findings
Documents read before writing that:
- Rule 0780-02-02-.01Tennessee Secretary of State
Also on how height is measured in Lebanon
- no rule, documents checkedThe maximum height table gives four figures and the corner frontage rule adds a fifth, and none of them says what the feet are measured from. Sloping ground is not addressed, a berm is not addressed, and a fence on top of a retaining wall is not addressed even though walls are regulated in the same subsection as fences. No allowance is given for a post cap or a decorative column. The chapter is precise about horizontal measurement when it matters, setting fifteen feet from street pavement, thirty feet on center for shade trees and six feet on center for shrubs, and it measures parking lot screening from the adjacent finished surface of the parking area, which shows the drafters knew how to name a datum. For the fence itself they did not, and in a city with the grade changes Lebanon has that leaves the answer to whoever is holding the tape. 14.504(10)Lebanon · Zoning code
Fence rules for corner lots in Lebanon
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Lebanon answers this, but the answer changes depending on how far back the fence stands and how open it is.
A Lebanon fence has to stand at least fifteen feet back from street pavement, alleys excluded, unless it is no more than four feet high and at least fifty percent transparent, or no more than two and a half feet high whatever its opacity. So there are three ways to satisfy the rule and an owner may pick one: move the fence back, make it low and open, or make it very low. The same paragraph then adds the standard that does the work at a corner, requiring that a fence not conflict with sight distance visibility at intersections or at points of ingress and egress. No triangle, leg length or height band is stated for that, so the geometry comes from whoever reviews the fence. Naming points of ingress and egress alongside intersections extends the rule to every driveway rather than only to corner lots.
Shall not conflict with sight distance visibility at intersections or points of ingress/egress.
The answer turns on how far back the fence stands and how open it is.
- a fence near a street
- Fifteen feet from the pavement. 15 ft
- a four foot fence half transparent
- The setback does not apply.
- a fence under two and a half feet
- The setback does not apply either.
- a driveway
- Covered as well as an intersection.
Also on corner visibility in Lebanon
- set in state lawTennessee has one rule about seeing down the road, and it covers a new driveway onto a state highway. The Department of Transportation rule at 1680-10-01 takes up the driveway manual, and section 5.2 of that manual says a driveway goes where a driver can see far enough in both directions. Where the view is short, the turns the driveway allows get cut back. The manual prints a triangle showing it. The same rule says plainly that it sits on top of county and city land rules, and that is where a corner triangle for a fence comes from. Tenn. Comp. R. and Regs. 1680-10-01-.03, Manual section 5.2Tennessee · Traffic code
Retaining wall rules in Lebanon
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Lebanon does not set this. It leaves it to the 2018 International Residential Code, published by the International Code Council, and its Sections R105.2 and R404.
Tennessee has no rule of its own for a wall that holds back earth. It uses the 2018 International Residential Code, with state changes, as the code for one and two family homes, and it names no height at which such a wall needs a permit. So the rule that applies is the model code text, which the International Code Council sells and which no Tennessee state site prints. Counties and cities can opt out of the state code, which is what makes the answer local in some places.
This one is Tennessee law, not Lebanon law. All Tennessee findings
International Residential Code (IRC), 2018 edition, published by the ICC, with amendments;
Currently Adopted Codes, residential code
The code hands this to the 2018 International Residential Code, published by the International Code Council, and its Sections R105.2 and R404, which is not published in the code itself.
Fence materials allowed in Lebanon
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Lebanon answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material, the district and whether the fence is visible.
Walls and fences in Lebanon have to be built exclusively from permitted long-lasting materials that match or complement the primary structure, and the ordinance then lists them: natural stone and brick, wood, finished concrete, metal in ornamental, decorative and structural forms, vinyl or PVC, vinyl coated chain link in black or dark green, and wood or metal fence with wire mesh. Two of those carry conditions. High quality vinyl is permitted only in residential zones and on lots used for single or two family dwellings, and only in a neutral color, typically white, tan or clay, and structurally reinforced. Chain link is permitted on nonresidential lots, or on a residential lot where it is not visible from public view. The prohibited list covers plastic and vinyl including slats, unfinished metal including corrugated sheeting, unfinished concrete block, fabric, canvas or tarpaulin, and barbed wire, razor wire and electric fences except with approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals in the heavy industrial and rural preservation districts.
Walls and fences shall be constructed exclusively from permitted, long-lasting materials, that match or complement the primary structure.
The answer turns on the material, the district and whether the fence is visible.
- a house lot
- Vinyl allowed in a neutral color.
- chain link
- Coated, and hidden from view on a house lot.
- unfinished metal or block
- Prohibited.
- barbed, razor or electric wire
- Board of Zoning Appeals, two districts only.
Also on materials in Lebanon
- set in state lawTennessee keeps a list of fences that count as good enough to hold farm animals, and the legislature has only made that list longer. An act of 1999 added two things to it. One is a fence made of man made materials sold for fencing, put up the usual way. The other is any system or device built on technology that is accepted for holding farm animals, which is where an electric fence fits. The same act lets the commissioner of agriculture add detail by rule, and says the law still works where no such rule exists. Tenn. Code Ann. 44-8-102(b)Tennessee · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in Lebanon
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Tennessee answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Tennessee counts more than wood and wire as a farm fence. A fence made of man made materials sold for fencing counts, as long as it is put up the usual way and holds farm animals. So does any system or device built on technology that is accepted for holding farm animals, which is where an electric or wireless fence fits. An act of 1999 added both. The commissioner of agriculture can write rules adding detail, and the law still works where no such rule exists.
This one is Tennessee law, not Lebanon law. All Tennessee findings
In addition to subsection (a), sufficient fencing shall include: (1) fence constructed from synthetic materials commonly sold for fencing, if such materials are installed pursuant to generally acceptable standards, to confine or restrict the movement of farm animals
T.C.A. § 44-8-102(b), as added by Public Chapter 266 of 1999
Documents behind this page
6 documents, of which 1 was published by Lebanon itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Tennessee General AssemblyPublic Chapter No. 266, Senate Bill No. 658 (1999), an act to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 44, Chapter 8, relative to fencing and grazing
- City of LebanonLebanon Zoning Ordinance, Title 14, Chapter 5, Design Standards, Section 14.504, Landscaping, Screening, and Buffering
- Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, State Fire Marshal's OfficeCodes Enforcement, Code Adoption History
- Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, State Fire Marshal's OfficeCodes Enforcement
- Tennessee Secretary of StateRules of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Division of Fire Prevention, Chapter 0780-02-02, Codes and Standards
- Tennessee Department of TransportationManual for Constructing Driveway Entrances on State Highways, 2015 Edition, adopted by Rule 1680-10-01-.03
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 Lebanon publishes, plus the Tennessee rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in Tennessee 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