Fence laws in West Valley City, Utah
What the West Valley 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 West Valley City sets no rule of its own, the Utah rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in West Valley City, Utah, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Utah splits the cost of a fence on the line between two owners. The figure is 50 percent, for share of an existing fence value paid by a later adjoining owner when it becomes a partition fence.
- How tall
- A six foot fence may be built on or within the property lines in a side or rear yard in West Valley City, corner lot side yards included, and the answer turns on the yard, the height and how transparent the fence is. The figure is 6 feet, for fence in a side or rear yard.
- Permits
- Most cities ask that a fence be kept in good repair and leave it there, and the answer turns on the condition of the fence. The figure is 20 degrees, for how far a fence may lean.
- 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
- West Valley City has no spite fence statute. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Measured from what
- Where the ground differs on the two sides of a fence, West Valley City measures the height from the average grade of the higher property, and then says how to work that average out: from elevations of finished grade within five feet of the proposed fence line, and the answer turns on the ground on either side and what sits on top. The figure is 5 feet, for distance the average grade is taken over.
- Corner lots
- A clear view has to be kept at the intersection of two streets inside a triangle formed by a diagonal joining points forty feet from where the curb lines project to meet, measured at the top back of the curbs, and the answer turns on whether the corner is two streets or a street and a drive. The figure is 40 feet, for leg of the street clear view 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
- Residential fencing in West Valley City is limited to vinyl, masonry, wrought iron style metal, wood, hedges and chain link, and there is a general test alongside the list: fencing materials have to be materials originally intended for fencing and may not include materials intended for other purposes, and the answer turns on the zone and which street the lot fronts.
- 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 West Valley City?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Utah answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Utah 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.
This one is Utah law, not West Valley City law. All Utah findings
the owner of the adjoining land shall, before making the enclosure, pay to the owner of the existing fence one-half of the value of all that part of the fence that will become a partition fence.
50%share of an existing fence value paid by a later adjoining owner when it becomes a partition fence
Also on fences on the property line in West Valley City
- 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 West Valley City?
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West Valley City answers this, but the answer changes depending on the yard, the height and how transparent the fence is.
A six foot fence may be built on or within the property lines in a side or rear yard in West Valley City, corner lot side yards included. The front yard is governed by a setback rather than a flat limit, and the setback depends on how open the fence is. A fence over four feet has to stand twenty feet back from the front property line. A fence of four feet or less that is at least fifty percent transparent may go all the way to the front property line, or to the sidewalk where one exists. And no solid fence over three feet is allowed closer than twenty feet to the front line at all. A residential property along a major or minor arterial gets a third option: a six foot fence or wall set back ten feet, with the strip between it and the right-of-way landscaped and at least half live plant material, kept weed free.
In Front Yards, a 20-foot setback from the front property line shall be maintained for Fences over four feet in height. Fences four feet or less in height which are at least 50 percent transparent are allowed up to the front property line or, if a Sidewalk exists, up to the Sidewalk. No solid Fence over three feet in height shall be allowed closer than 20 feet to the front property line.
The answer turns on the yard, the height and how transparent the fence is.
- a side or rear yard
- Six feet, on the line. 6 ft
- a front yard fence over four feet
- Twenty feet back. 20 ft
- a short, half open front fence
- Right up to the line. 50%
- a lot on an arterial
- Six feet, ten feet back, with planting. 10 ft
Also on fence height in West Valley 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 West Valley City?
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West Valley City answers this, but the answer changes depending on the condition of the fence.
Most cities ask that a fence be kept in good repair and leave it there. West Valley City writes the standard with figures an inspector can use. A fence has to be free of damage, breaks and missing parts. Any part leaning more than twenty degrees from vertical, or buckling, sagging or deteriorating, has to be repaired or replaced with materials and color similar to the original. The base has to be kept free of debris and neatly trimmed. Where a previously painted fence has chipping, peeling, scaling or missing paint over twenty percent or more of its surface, it has to be repainted or stripped entirely. Wrought iron style metal has to be treated against rust. Responsibility sits with the owner or occupant at all times. The zoning administrator may on request waive or modify any height requirement in the section, on finding that doing so will not circumvent the intent of the requirements.
Areas of the Fence that are leaning more than 20 degrees from vertical, buckling, sagging or deteriorating must be repaired or replaced with materials and color similar to its original construction.
The answer turns on the condition of the fence.
- a leaning fence
- Twenty degrees off vertical is the line. 20 degrees
- peeling paint
- Twenty percent of the surface triggers a repaint. 20%
- a height requirement
- The zoning administrator may waive it.
Also on permits in West Valley 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 West Valley 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 West Valley 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 West Valley City
Compare spite fences across all 50 states
West Valley 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 West Valley 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 West Valley City
Compare how height is measured across all 50 states
West Valley City answers this, but the answer changes depending on the ground on either side and what sits on top.
Where the ground differs on the two sides of a fence, West Valley City measures the height from the average grade of the higher property, and then says how to work that average out: from elevations of finished grade within five feet of the proposed fence line. Naming the higher side settles the argument in the neighbor favor, because the fence is read from the taller ground and so ends up shorter on the low side. Where a retaining wall already exists at the property line, the fence height may be measured from the higher side of the wall, so the wall is not counted against the fence. Two things are lifted out of the calculation entirely. A sound wall may exceed the height standards where it is built next to a major arterial or a freeway. And in the manufacturing zone, barbed wire on top of a lawful fence does not count toward the fence height.
Where there is a difference in the Grade of the properties on either side of a Fence or wall, the height of the Fence or wall shall be measured from the average Grade of the higher property. Average Grade shall be established based on elevations of finish Grade within five feet of the proposed Fence line.
The answer turns on the ground on either side and what sits on top.
- a sloping boundary
- The higher property sets the grade. 5 ft
- a retaining wall on the line
- Measured from the top of the wall.
- barbed wire in the manufacturing zone
- It does not count toward the height.
Also on how height is measured in West Valley 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 West Valley City
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West Valley City answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the corner is two streets or a street and a drive.
A clear view has to be kept at the intersection of two streets inside a triangle formed by a diagonal joining points forty feet from where the curb lines project to meet, measured at the top back of the curbs. Forty feet is large. Inside it, no solid fence or other visual obstruction is allowed between three and seven feet above the street elevation, taken from the adjoining sidewalk, so the protected band has both a floor and a ceiling and a very low wall or a very tall open structure falls outside it. An open fence at least fifty percent transparent is allowed to four feet provided it is maintained to keep the view clear. Trees with an overhang lower than seven feet above the street elevation have to be pruned. At a private drive the same standards apply inside a smaller triangle, drawn twenty feet back from where the curb line and the edge of the drive project to meet.
a clear view at the intersection of two Streets shall be maintained within a triangular area formed by a diagonal line connecting lines at the top back of the curbs 40 feet from the projected intersection of such curb lines.
The answer turns on whether the corner is two streets or a street and a drive.
- two streets
- Forty feet from the projected curb lines. 40 ft
- a street and a private drive
- Twenty feet. 20 ft
- a solid fence inside it
- Nothing between three and seven feet. 3 ft
- an open fence inside it
- Four feet, at fifty percent transparent.
Also on corner visibility in West Valley 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 West Valley City
Compare retaining walls across all 50 states
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 West Valley 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 West Valley City
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West Valley City answers this, but the answer changes depending on the zone and which street the lot fronts.
Residential fencing in West Valley City is limited to vinyl, masonry, wrought iron style metal, wood, hedges and chain link, and there is a general test alongside the list: fencing materials have to be materials originally intended for fencing and may not include materials intended for other purposes. Metal panels, barbed and razor wire and livestock fences are expressly prohibited in the residential zones, with livestock fencing allowed only in an agricultural zone or with an approved nonconforming animal use. Then the code gets unusually specific for one street. Every new front yard fence on a property fronting 4100 South has to be black ornamental iron or aluminum with three rail panels, air gaps of three or four inches between all posts and pickets, posts two and a half inches wide and square pickets three quarters of an inch wide. A hedge used along an arterial has to exclude poisonous, noxious, thorn-bearing and fruit-bearing plants.
Permitted residential fencing materials are limited to vinyl, masonry, wrought iron style (metal), wood, hedges and chain-link. Fencing materials shall be of materials originally intended for fencing and shall not include materials intended for other purposes.
The answer turns on the zone and which street the lot fronts.
- a residential zone
- Six materials, and nothing repurposed.
- metal panels, wire or livestock fencing
- Expressly prohibited.
- a front yard on 4100 South
- Black metal, specified to the quarter inch.
- a hedge along an arterial
- Nothing poisonous, thorny or fruit-bearing.
Also on materials in West Valley 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 West Valley 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 West Valley 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 West Valley 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
15 documents, of which 2 were published by West Valley 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
- 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
- West Valley CityWest Valley City Municipal Code, Section 7-2-114, Fences and Masonry Walls
- 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
- West Valley CityWest Valley City Municipal Code, Section 7-2-109, Clear View of Intersecting Streets
- 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 West Valley 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