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 stated, 50 silent. Every row links the state page and the document behind it.
| State | What the record says | Figure in state law | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | SilentAlabama sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Ala. Code 3-4-1 |
| Alaska | SilentAlaska sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | AS 03.30.010 to AS 03.30.060 |
| Arizona | SilentArizona sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | A.R.S. Title 3 |
| Arkansas | SilentArkansas sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, Building Codes |
| California | SilentCalifornia sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Civ. Code 841 |
| Colorado | SilentColorado sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | C.R.S. 35-46-101 to 35-46-115 |
| Connecticut | SilentConnecticut sets no statewide cap on how tall a residential fence can be. | none stated | Conn. Gen. Stat. 47-43 through 47-56 |
| Delaware | SilentDelaware sets no statewide limit on how tall a residential fence may be. | none stated | 25 Del. C. ch. 13 |
| District of Columbia | Stateda fence abutting a street in a residential zone of the District | 7 ft | 12-A DCMR 3112.3.1 |
| Florida | SilentFlorida sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Fla. Stat. ch. 588 |
| Georgia | SilentGeorgia sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 110-11-1-.25 |
| Hawaii | SilentHawaii sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | HRS 142-61 |
| Idaho | SilentIdaho sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Idaho Code 35-101 |
| Illinois | SilentIllinois sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | 765 ILCS 130/2 |
| Indiana | SilentIndiana sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | IC 32-26 |
| Iowa | SilentIowa sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Iowa Code 359A.18 |
| Kansas | SilentKansas sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | K.S.A. Chapter 29 |
| Kentucky | SilentKentucky sets no statewide maximum height for a residential fence. | none stated | KRS 256.010 |
| Louisiana | SilentLouisiana sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | La. Civ. Code Art. 685 |
| Maine | SilentMaine sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | 30-A M.R.S. 2951 |
| Maryland | SilentMaryland sets no statewide limit on residential fence height, and its statutes assume the opposite. | none stated | Md. Code, Land Use § 25-303 |
| Massachusetts | SilentMassachusetts sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | M.G.L. c. 49 |
| Michigan | SilentMichigan sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | MCL 43.51 |
| Minnesota | SilentMinnesota sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Minn. Stat. 344.02, 344.03 |
| Mississippi | SilentMississippi sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Mississippi Insurance Department, Mississippi Uniform Building Codes |
| Missouri | SilentMissouri sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | RSMo ch. 272 |
| Montana | SilentMontana sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | MCA 81-4-101 |
| Nebraska | SilentNebraska sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Neb. Rev. Stat. 34-116 |
| Nevada | SilentNevada sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | NRS 278.580 |
| New Hampshire | SilentNew Hampshire sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | RSA 473:5 |
| New Jersey | SilentNew Jersey sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | R.S. 40:48-1(29) |
| New Mexico | SilentNew Mexico sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | 14.7.3 NMAC |
| New York | SilentNew York sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Town Law 300 |
| North Carolina | SilentNorth Carolina sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | N.C.G.S. ch. 68 |
| North Dakota | SilentNorth Dakota sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | N.D.C.C. ch. 47-26 |
| Ohio | SilentOhio sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | ORC ch. 971 |
| Oklahoma | SilentOklahoma sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | 60 O.S. § 70 |
| Oregon | SilentOregon sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | ORS Chapter 96 |
| Pennsylvania | SilentPennsylvania sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | 34 Pa. Code 403.62 |
| Rhode Island | SilentRhode Island sets no statewide cap on residential fence height. | none stated | R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 34-10 |
| South Carolina | SilentSouth Carolina sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | S.C. Code Title 6, Chapter 9 |
| South Dakota | SilentSouth Dakota sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | SDCL 43-23-4 |
| Tennessee | SilentTennessee sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Code Adoption History |
| Texas | SilentTexas sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Agric. Code ch. 143 |
| Utah | SilentUtah sets no statewide cap on how tall a residential fence can be. | none stated | Utah Code 15A-2-103 |
| Vermont | SilentVermont sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | 24 V.S.A. 3801 |
| Virginia | SilentVirginia sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Va. Code §§ 55.1-2800 through 55.1-2841 |
| Washington | SilentWashington sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | RCW 16.60 |
| West Virginia | SilentWest Virginia sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | W. Va. Code 19-17-1 |
| Wisconsin | SilentWisconsin sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | none stated | Wis. Stat. § 844.10 |
| Wyoming | SilentWyoming sets no statewide limit on residential fence height. | 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