Fence laws in Salt Lake City, Utah
What the Salt Lake City municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Salt Lake City sets no rule of its own, the Utah rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Salt Lake City, Utah, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Salt Lake City settles the boundary in one sentence: all fences and walls have to be erected entirely within the property lines of the property they are intended to serve.
- How tall
- Salt Lake City draws its line at the front of the house rather than at a yard boundary, and the answer turns on where the fence sits relative to the front of the house. The figure is 4 feet, for fence in front of the house.
- Permits
- A building permit is required in Salt Lake City even for an ordinary fence under six feet that is not masonry and needs no structural review, and the code says why: to ensure compliance with the adopted regulations, and the answer turns on the height of the fence and what it is built of. The figure is 6 feet, for height at which the fee applies.
- Pool barriers
- Utah requires a fence around the whole edge of a public pool, the pool deck and any extra deck. The figure is 6 feet, for minimum height of the barrier around a public pool, measured from the outside.
- Spite fences
- Salt Lake City has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- The height of a fence or wall in Salt Lake City is measured from the finished grade of the site, and the answer turns on what part of the structure is being measured. The figure is 18 inches, for extra height allowed for a pillar.
- Corner lots
- No solid fence or wall may exceed three feet inside the sight distance triangle, which runs thirty feet either side of the intersection of the street curb lines, or the edge lines of the roadway where there is no curb, and the answer turns on whether the fence is solid or see through, and what it faces. The figure is 30 feet, for leg of the sight distance triangle.
- Retaining walls
- Utah writes its own permit rule for a wall that holds back earth and puts it in the statute in place of the model code line. The figure is 4 feet, for depth of unbalanced fill at or above which a retaining wall needs a building permit. It reaches one and two family homes only.
- Materials
- Fences and walls in the residential districts have to be made of high quality, durable materials that require low maintenance, and the code then names what qualifies: chain link, wood, brick, masonry block, stone, tubular steel, wrought iron, vinyl, composite or recycled materials, or another manufactured material commonly used for fencing, and the answer turns on the district and whether the material is one commonly used for fencing. The figure is 12 feet, for tallest barbed or razor wire fence.
- Livestock
- In Utah the owner of the animal pays for damage it does on someone else's land.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Salt Lake City?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Salt Lake City answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Salt Lake City settles the boundary in one sentence: all fences and walls have to be erected entirely within the property lines of the property they are intended to serve. That keeps the whole structure, posts and footings included, on one side of the line, and it removes any need for the adjoining owner to agree, because nothing of the fence reaches them. The wording is worth noticing, because it ties the fence to the property it serves rather than to the property it stands on, which settles who is responsible for a fence built along a shared line. The section states nothing about which side the finished face or the posts point toward, and nothing divides the cost of a fence between two owners, so both of those remain matters for the neighbors and the Utah partition fence statutes rather than for the zoning ordinance.
Location: All fences and walls shall be erected entirely within the property lines of the property they are intended to serve.
Also on fences on the property line in Salt Lake City
- set in state lawUtah splits the cost of a fence on the line between two owners. Each side pays in step with how much land it fences in. If one owner built the fence first and a neighbor later fences land against it, that neighbor pays half the value of the shared part before doing it. An owner who stops farming the land gives notice and waits 30 days before pulling any of the fence out. Utah Code 4-26-102Utah · Statute
- set in state lawUtah has a second cost rule for grazing land and big game country. One owner can make the neighbor pay half the cost of the fence. The cost has to be reasonable, the kind of fence has to be one that is common in that area, and the bill cannot run past the price of posts, wire and connectors. A neighbor who refuses can be sued for the half. Utah Code 4-26-103Utah · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Salt Lake City?
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Salt Lake City answers this, but the answer changes depending on where the fence sits relative to the front of the house.
Salt Lake City draws its line at the front of the house rather than at a yard boundary. A fence or wall between the front lot line and the front building line of the facade containing the primary entrance may not exceed four feet, and one at or behind that primary facade may not exceed seven. Seven is a foot more than the usual allowance. Where a lot in the foothill, special residential or R-1 districts abuts a commercial, downtown, manufacturing or special purpose district, the side or rear figure rises to eight feet, though the exception does not reach the corner side yard or the front yard and only applies along the boundary with the non-residential district. A hedge in that situation stops at six rather than seven, because the paragraph covering hedges and the one covering fences state different numbers. On a lot with no principal structure yet, the figures are four and seven, and where the district has no front setback a fence over four feet has to stand ten feet back from the front lot line.
a fence or wall located between the front lot line and front building line of the facade of the principal structure that contains the primary entrance shall not exceed four (4) feet in height. A fence or wall located at or behind the primary facade of the principal structure shall not exceed seven (7) feet in height.
The answer turns on where the fence sits relative to the front of the house.
- in front of the primary facade
- Four feet. 4 ft
- at or behind it
- Seven feet. 7 ft
- abutting a non-residential district
- Eight feet on that boundary. 8 ft
- an industrial front yard
- Six feet, unless housing faces it.
Also on fence height in Salt Lake City
- no rule, documents checkedUtah sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. The construction code statute names which code editions apply and gives no fence height. The fence chapter of the farming code covers splitting cost and fencing bison, not yard fences. Cities and counties set the height. Utah Code 15A-2-103Utah · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Salt Lake City?
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Salt Lake City answers this, but the answer changes depending on the height of the fence and what it is built of.
A building permit is required in Salt Lake City even for an ordinary fence under six feet that is not masonry and needs no structural review, and the code says why: to ensure compliance with the adopted regulations. A permit and a fee are required for anything over six feet and for any fence of any height built under the International Building Code. The application has to identify the location and height, and where the fence is masonry or concrete of any height, or exceeds six feet, the plans have to show horizontal and vertical reinforcement and foundation details, which are then checked by plan review and site inspection. The fee is a general permit fee based on construction cost from the consolidated fee schedule. Three overlays add their own rules on top, the foothills protection district, the historic preservation overlay and the foothill residential districts, so a fence in those places has to satisfy two sets of standards.
A building permit shall be obtained prior to construction of any fence that does not exceed six feet (6') in height and is not made of concrete or masonry or does not require structural review under the Uniform Building Code regulations.
The answer turns on the height of the fence and what it is built of.
- an ordinary fence under six feet
- A building permit all the same.
- a fence over six feet
- A permit and a fee. 6 ft
- masonry or concrete at any height
- Reinforcement and foundation drawings.
- a foothills or historic overlay
- Additional fencing regulations apply.
Also on permits in Salt Lake City
- set in state lawUtah uses one construction code across the whole state and names the exact editions in the statute, including the 2024 International Building Code and the 2021 International Residential Code. State changes to those codes sit in a separate chapter of the same title. Utah changes only three items on the list of home work that needs no permit, covering walls that hold back earth, low decks and small storage containers. The fence item on that list is model code text that Utah leaves alone, so it is printed on no Utah state site. Utah Code 15A-2-103Utah · Statute
Pool fence requirements in Salt Lake City
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Utah answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Utah requires a fence around the whole edge of a public pool, the pool deck and any extra deck. It stands at least six feet tall, measured on the outside face. No opening can pass a four inch ball, and horizontal rails sit at least 45 inches apart. Gates close and latch on their own, and at least one gate swings outward so people can get out.
This one is Utah law, not Salt Lake City law. All Utah findings
is at least six feet in height measured from the exterior side of the barrier
6 ftminimum height of the barrier around a public pool, measured from the outside
Spite fence laws in Salt Lake City
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Salt Lake City law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Utah has no spite fence law. The fence chapter of the farming code covers splitting cost and fencing bison, and nothing else. The stray animal chapter covers animals that wander onto other land. Neither one gives a neighbor a claim over a fence put up out of spite, and neither sets a height that starts one.
This one is Utah law, not Salt Lake City law. All Utah findings
Documents read before writing that:
- Utah Code 4-26-101 through 4-26-104Utah State Legislature
- Utah Code 4-25-101 through 4-25-406Utah State Legislature
How fence height is measured in Salt Lake City
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Salt Lake City answers this, but the answer changes depending on what part of the structure is being measured.
The height of a fence or wall in Salt Lake City is measured from the finished grade of the site. The second sentence handles the case a hillside city runs into constantly: where there is an abrupt grade change at the property line, a fence on top of a retaining wall is measured from the top of that wall. So the retaining wall does not count against the fence, and a lot cut into a slope keeps its full seven feet above the wall rather than losing it to the drop. Two allowances sit above the fence itself. Pillars may extend eighteen inches above the allowed height, but only where they are no more than eighteen inches in diameter or width and stand at least six feet apart measured face to face, so a row of closely spaced posts cannot use it. Decorative elements on a gate such as scrolls and finials may extend one foot, and an arch or trellis up to twelve feet tall and five feet wide may be built over a gate, with a maximum of two per property.
The height of a fence or wall shall be measured from the finished grade of the site as defined in section 21A.62.040 of this title. In instances of an abrupt grade change at the property line, the height for fences that are located on top of a retaining wall shall be measured from the top of the retaining wall.
21A.40.120.E.6, with E.4.f and E.4.g
The answer turns on what part of the structure is being measured.
- a fence on a retaining wall
- Measured from the top of the wall.
- a pillar
- Eighteen inches more, if it is narrow and well spaced. 18 in
- an arch over a gate
- Twelve feet, and two per property. 12 ft
Also on how height is measured in Salt Lake City
- no rule, documents checkedUtah never says what a fence height is measured from, at any level of its code. The fence sections in title 4 are about deals between neighbors and how the cost of a shared fence is split, and they carry no dimension at all. The land use act was renumbered in 2025 into title 10, chapter 20, and the zoning power it hands a city covers putting up, building, rebuilding, changing, repairing and using buildings and structures, with no mention of height. Height turns up in that chapter only in what makes a structure one that no longer fits the rules, and in the standards a city may put on a charter school. Neither place says what a height starts from, so the city ordinance decides. Utah Code 10-20-505Utah · Zoning code
Fence rules for corner lots in Salt Lake City
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Salt Lake City answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the fence is solid or see through, and what it faces.
No solid fence or wall may exceed three feet inside the sight distance triangle, which runs thirty feet either side of the intersection of the street curb lines, or the edge lines of the roadway where there is no curb. At a driveway, or where an alley or driveway meets a sidewalk, a solid fence is held to thirty inches. The word solid is doing the work, because a see through fence that is at least fifty percent open is allowed to four feet inside the same triangle. So the rule is about what can be seen through rather than about what is built, and an open picket or wrought iron fence buys back a foot. Where buildings, a grade change or other preexisting conditions still create a safety problem, the zoning administrator may require alternative design solutions in consultation with the development review team, including a greater setback or a lower fence.
No solid fence or wall shall be erected to a height in excess of three (3) feet if the fence or wall is located within the sight distance triangle extending thirty (30) feet either side of the intersection of the respective street curb lines, or edge lines of roadway where curbing is not provided
The answer turns on whether the fence is solid or see through, and what it faces.
- a solid fence at a street corner
- Three feet, inside thirty. 30 ft
- a see through fence there
- Four feet, at fifty percent open. 50%
- a driveway or alley
- Thirty inches for a solid fence. 30 in
Also on corner visibility in Salt Lake City
- no rule, documents checkedUtah sets no corner triangle in state law. The two sections of the highway protection act that come closest were read in full. One bans putting a structure or object inside the right of way of a state highway, county road or city street without a permit, which turns on the right of way line and not on what a driver can see. The other bans blocking traffic on a sidewalk or a highway. The fence chapter of the farming code covers fences on a property line and livestock and never mentions a corner. Cities and counties set the triangle. Utah Code 72-7-102Utah · Statute
Retaining wall rules in Salt Lake City
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Utah answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Utah writes its own permit rule for a wall that holds back earth and puts it in the statute in place of the model code line. It measures the dirt rather than the wall. A wall holding back less than four feet of unbalanced fill needs no permit. Unbalanced fill is the dirt piled on the high side with nothing on the low side to push back. The pass is gone in two cases: where the wall carries a surcharge, meaning an extra load pressing on the dirt behind it, and where the wall is big enough that Section R404.4 of the residential code calls for a design. Utah changes only three items on that no permit list, and this is the first of them.
This one is Utah law, not Salt Lake City law. All Utah findings
Retaining walls retaining less than four feet (1219mm) of unbalanced fill, unless supporting a surcharge or requiring design per Section R404.4.
4 ftdepth of unbalanced fill at or above which a retaining wall needs a building permit
Fence materials allowed in Salt Lake City
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Salt Lake City answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district and whether the material is one commonly used for fencing.
Fences and walls in the residential districts have to be made of high quality, durable materials that require low maintenance, and the code then names what qualifies: chain link, wood, brick, masonry block, stone, tubular steel, wrought iron, vinyl, composite or recycled materials, or another manufactured material commonly used for fencing. Anything else of similar quality may be used with the Zoning Administrator approving it through an administrative interpretation. The prohibitions are written as two categories rather than as a list of products: scrap materials such as scrap lumber and scrap metal, and materials not typically used or manufactured for fencing, with metal roofing panels, corrugated or sheet metal, tarps and plywood given as the examples. The non-residential districts carry the same structure with a wider list that adds prewoven chain link with slats and tilt-up concrete. Barbed wire and razor wire are not prohibited outright and, where permitted, may run to twelve feet.
Acceptable materials for a fence include chainlink, wood, brick, masonry block, stone, tubular steel, wrought iron, vinyl, composite/recycled materials (hardy board) or other manufactured material or combination of materials commonly used for fencing.
The answer turns on the district and whether the material is one commonly used for fencing.
- a residential fence
- From the named list, or by interpretation.
- scrap lumber, metal roofing, tarps or plywood
- Prohibited.
- barbed or razor wire where allowed
- Up to twelve feet. 12 ft
Also on materials in Salt Lake City
- set in state lawUtah sets no material rule for an ordinary fence. Its one material rule is about bison. An outside fence meant to hold bison has to reach at least eight feet, and the fence sections and gates have to be a mesh of high tensile steel wire of at least fourteen and one half gauge, with squares no bigger than six inches by six inches, or a material just as strong. The posts get their own rule: treated wood at least four inches across, or something as strong, standing at least six feet two inches above the ground. Utah Code 4-26-104Utah · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in Salt Lake City
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Utah answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
In Utah the owner of the animal pays for damage it does on someone else's land. That covers cattle, a horse, a donkey, a mule, a sheep, a goat or a pig. The owner is off the hook when the land was not fenced in by a lawful fence, in a county or city that has passed a fence ordinance. A second exception covers animals that come in off an old livestock trail onto land without a good enough fence.
This one is Utah law, not Salt Lake City law. All Utah findings
The owner of any cattle, horse, ass, mule, sheep, goat, or swine that trespasses upon the premises of another person, except in cases where the premises are not enclosed by a lawful fence in a county or municipality that has adopted a fence ordinance, is liable in a civil action to the owner or occupant of the premises for any damage inflicted by the trespass.
Also on agricultural fencing in Salt Lake City
- set in state lawUtah never says in state law what a lawful fence is, so there is no statewide wire count and no statewide height. Each county decides. A county can pass an ordinance on fencing farms, subdivisions and other private land so grazing animals stay off it, and a county that passes one has to spell out in it what counts as a lawful fence. A county can also split itself into parts with a different fence rule in each. Utah Code 4-25-204Utah · Statute
- set in state lawUtah does set hard numbers for one kind of livestock fence, and it is the bison fence. An outside fence meant to hold bison reaches at least eight feet above the ground, in both the fence sections and the gates. The mesh runs no wider than six inches by six inches, in high tensile steel wire of at least 14 and one half gauge, which is wire made to take more pull before it gives. Posts go no more than 20 feet apart and sit at least two feet in the ground. Utah Code 4-26-104Utah · Statute
Documents behind this page
14 documents, of which 1 was published by Salt Lake City itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Utah State LegislatureUtah Code, Title 4, Chapter 26, Enclosures and Fences, Section 102
- Utah State LegislatureUtah Code, Title 4, Chapter 26, Enclosures and Fences, Section 103
- Salt Lake CitySalt Lake City Code, Title 21A, Zoning, Section 21A.40.120, Regulation of fences, walls and hedges
- Utah State LegislatureUtah Code, Title 15A, State Construction and Fire Codes Act, Chapter 2, Section 103
- Utah State LegislatureUtah Code, Title 4, Chapter 26, Enclosures and Fences
- Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Population Health, Environmental HealthUtah Administrative Code, Rule R392-302, Public Pool Design, Construction, and Operation, Section 17, Fencing and Barriers
- Utah State LegislatureUtah Code, Title 4, Chapter 25, Estrays
- Utah LegislatureUtah Code, Title 10, Chapter 20, Municipal Land Use, Development, and Management Act
- Utah LegislatureUtah Code, Title 72, Chapter 7, Protection of Highways Act, Part 1, Protection of Rights-Of-Way
- Utah LegislatureUtah Code, Title 72, Chapter 7, Protection of Highways Act, Part 1, Protection of Rights-Of-Way
- Utah State LegislatureUtah Code, Title 15A, Chapter 3, Part 2, Statewide Amendments to International Residential Code, Section 202
- Utah LegislatureUtah Code, Title 4, Chapter 26, Enclosures and Fences
- Utah State LegislatureUtah Code, Title 4, Chapter 25, Estrays, Section 205
- Utah State LegislatureUtah Code, Title 4, Chapter 25, Estrays, Section 204
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 Salt Lake City publishes, plus the Utah rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in Utah 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