All 50 states and DC
How tall can a fence be?
This is the most searched fence question in the country and the answer surprises people. Nearly every state sets no maximum height at all. The numbers that show up in state statutes are floors, not ceilings: the minimum build that makes a fence good enough to hold livestock. Height on a house lot is set by city and county zoning, which is why the answer changes from one town to the next inside the same state.
How tall can a fence be, state by state
1 set a rule in state law, 50 were checked and say nothing. Every row links the state page and the document behind it.
| State | What the record says | Figure in state law | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | no rule, documents checkedAlabama sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Ala. Code 3-4-1 |
| Alaska | no rule, documents checkedAlaska sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | AS 03.30.010 to AS 03.30.060 |
| Arizona | no rule, documents checkedArizona sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | A.R.S. Title 3 |
| Arkansas | no rule, documents checkedArkansas sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, Building Codes |
| California | no rule, documents checkedCalifornia sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Civ. Code 841 |
| Colorado | no rule, documents checkedColorado sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | C.R.S. 35-46-101 to 35-46-115 |
| Connecticut | no rule, documents checkedConnecticut sets no cap on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Conn. Gen. Stat. 47-43 through 47-56 |
| Delaware | no rule, documents checkedDelaware sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | 25 Del. C. ch. 13 |
| District of Columbia | set in state lawa fence along a street in a residential zone of the District | 7 ft | 12-A DCMR 3112.3.1 |
| Florida | no rule, documents checkedFlorida sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Fla. Stat. ch. 588 |
| Georgia | no rule, documents checkedGeorgia sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 110-11-1-.25 |
| Hawaii | no rule, documents checkedHawaii sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | HRS 142-61 |
| Idaho | no rule, documents checkedIdaho sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Idaho Code 35-101 |
| Illinois | no rule, documents checkedIllinois sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | 765 ILCS 130/2 |
| Indiana | no rule, documents checkedIndiana sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | IC 32-26 |
| Iowa | no rule, documents checkedIowa sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Iowa Code 359A.18 |
| Kansas | no rule, documents checkedKansas sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | K.S.A. Chapter 29 |
| Kentucky | no rule, documents checkedKentucky sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | KRS 256.010 |
| Louisiana | no rule, documents checkedLouisiana sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | La. Civ. Code Art. 685 |
| Maine | no rule, documents checkedMaine sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | 30-A M.R.S. 2951 |
| Maryland | no rule, documents checkedMaryland sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be, and its own laws assume the limit comes from... | none stated | Md. Code, Land Use § 25-303 |
| Massachusetts | no rule, documents checkedMassachusetts sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | M.G.L. c. 49 |
| Michigan | no rule, documents checkedMichigan sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | MCL 43.51 |
| Minnesota | no rule, documents checkedMinnesota sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Minn. Stat. 344.02, 344.03 |
| Mississippi | no rule, documents checkedMississippi sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Mississippi Insurance Department, Mississippi Uniform Building Codes |
| Missouri | no rule, documents checkedMissouri sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | RSMo ch. 272 |
| Montana | no rule, documents checkedMontana sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | MCA 81-4-101 |
| Nebraska | no rule, documents checkedNebraska does not limit how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Neb. Rev. Stat. 34-116 |
| Nevada | no rule, documents checkedNevada does not limit how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | NRS 278.580 |
| New Hampshire | no rule, documents checkedNew Hampshire does not limit how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | RSA 473:5 |
| New Jersey | no rule, documents checkedNew Jersey does not limit how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | R.S. 40:48-1(29) |
| New Mexico | no rule, documents checkedNew Mexico does not limit how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | 14.7.3 NMAC |
| New York | no rule, documents checkedNew York does not limit how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Town Law 300 |
| North Carolina | no rule, documents checkedNorth Carolina sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | N.C.G.S. ch. 68 |
| North Dakota | no rule, documents checkedNorth Dakota does not limit how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | N.D.C.C. ch. 47-26 |
| Ohio | no rule, documents checkedOhio sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | ORC ch. 971 |
| Oklahoma | no rule, documents checkedOklahoma sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | 60 O.S. § 70 |
| Oregon | no rule, documents checkedOregon sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | ORS Chapter 96 |
| Pennsylvania | no rule, documents checkedPennsylvania sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | 34 Pa. Code 403.62 |
| Rhode Island | no rule, documents checkedRhode Island sets no statewide cap on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 34-10 |
| South Carolina | no rule, documents checkedSouth Carolina sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | S.C. Code Title 6, Chapter 9 |
| South Dakota | no rule, documents checkedSouth Dakota sets no statewide limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | SDCL 43-23-4 |
| Tennessee | no rule, documents checkedTennessee sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Code Adoption History |
| Texas | no rule, documents checkedTexas does not limit how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Agric. Code ch. 143 |
| Utah | no rule, documents checkedUtah sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Utah Code 15A-2-103 |
| Vermont | no rule, documents checkedVermont sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | 24 V.S.A. 3801 |
| Virginia | no rule, documents checkedVirginia sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Va. Code §§ 55.1-2800 through 55.1-2841 |
| Washington | no rule, documents checkedWashington sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | RCW 16.60 |
| West Virginia | no rule, documents checkedWest Virginia sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | W. Va. Code 19-17-1 |
| Wisconsin | no rule, documents checkedWisconsin sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | Wis. Stat. § 844.10 |
| Wyoming | no rule, documents checkedWyoming sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. | none stated | W.S. 11-28-101 through 11-28-108 |
The other nine questions
A fence rule usually turns on more than one of these, and the answer to one does not settle another.
What this page does not cover
Everything above is state law. Fence height, setback, corner visibility and materials are set by city and county ordinance in almost every state, and a local rule can be far stricter than the statewide default. A parcel can also carry an easement, an overlay district, a fire hazard zone or a recorded HOA restriction, none of which appear in a statute.
This is general information drawn from published government documents. It is not legal advice, statutes are amended, and each state page carries the date its documents were read. How findings are made · What the terms mean · Browse by state