Fence laws in Kennewick, Washington
What the Kennewick municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Kennewick sets no rule of its own, the Washington rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Kennewick, Washington, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Kennewick states the rule that most codes leave implied. The figure is 5 feet, for setback an accessory building keeps from a side or rear line.
- How tall
- Kennewick gives the residential districts three figures in one sentence and reads two of them from the street rather than from the yard, and the answer turns on where on the lot the fence stands, and what it encloses. The figure is 30 inches, for fence inside a sight triangle.
- Permits
- Washington has no fence permit rule of its own.
- Pool barriers
- Washington sends pools at homes to the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, 2021 edition, through its residential building code.
- Spite fences
- A Washington court can stop a structure built out of spite.
- Measured from what
- Washington gives one plain starting point, in its livestock fence law, and nowhere else. The figure is 48 inches, for top wire of a lawful fence, measured above the ground. It reaches a lawful fence for animal damage claims only.
- Corner lots
- Kennewick draws its driveway sight triangles deliberately lopsided outside the residential districts, and the asymmetry is the point, and the answer turns on the district, and which side of the driveway the triangle is on. The figure is 140 feet, for left leg of the driveway triangle.
- Retaining walls
- Kennewick adds up everything that raises the ground and ties the total to the house, and the answer turns on the height of the wall and where it stands. The figure is 60 inches, for wall height that requires a guardrail.
- Materials
- Kennewick writes a construction specification into its zoning code, which almost no city does. The figure is 36 inches, for height above which the post specification applies.
- Livestock
- Washington prints the fence in the statute. The figure is 48 inches, for height above the ground of the top wire of a lawful fence.
Who owns the fence between two properties in Kennewick?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Kennewick answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Kennewick states the rule that most codes leave implied. A front, side or rear yard has to be unoccupied and unobstructed by any building or structure, and the sentence carves out exactly one thing: fences. So the fence is the single structure a Kennewick required yard may contain, and it may therefore stand on the boundary itself, while an accessory building in the same yard may not come within five feet of a side or rear line unless the line abuts an alley, a canal right of way or a railroad right of way, in which case it may go right up to it. Where a lot is an awkward shape and the yard requirements cannot literally be applied, the Planning Director establishes the yard areas to conform with the intent of the title, which means the line the fence is measured against can itself be a decision rather than a measurement.
Except for fences, front, side and rear yards must be unoccupied and unobstructed by any building or structure (see 18.27.030).
5 ftsetback an accessory building keeps from a side or rear line
Also on fences on the property line in Kennewick
- set in state lawWashington splits a fence on the property line in half. Where neighbors share one fence around their land and one of them needs a dividing fence, the other builds half of it once notice is given. The fence goes on the property line, or as close to it as can be managed. RCW 16.60.030Washington · Statute
How tall can a fence be in Kennewick?
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Kennewick answers this, but the answer changes depending on where on the lot the fence stands, and what it encloses.
Kennewick gives the residential districts three figures in one sentence and reads two of them from the street rather than from the yard. Inside a sight triangle a fence, hedge or wall may not exceed thirty inches above the top of curb grade. In a required front yard the figure is thirty six inches, again above curb grade, which matters on a lot that sits above or below the road. On other parts of the site it is six feet, and that one is measured above grade. One exception follows for sport: a chain link fence over six feet is permitted around basketball courts, tennis courts and similar activities provided all the setbacks are met, so the ball stops without a variance.
Fences, hedges, walls and the like in "R" districts may not be higher than 30 inches above the top of curb grade within a sight triangle as specified in 18.27.060, 36 inches above the top of curb grade in a required front yard or six feet above grade on other parts of the site.
The answer turns on where on the lot the fence stands, and what it encloses.
- inside a sight triangle
- Thirty inches above curb grade. 30 in
- a required front yard
- Thirty six inches above curb grade. 36 in
- the rest of the site
- Six feet above grade. 6 ft
- a tennis or basketball court
- Chain link above six feet, if setbacks are met.
Also on fence height in Kennewick
- no rule, documents checkedWashington sets no limit on how tall a fence at a house can be. The state fence chapter says what counts as a lawful fence for livestock and how the cost of a shared fence is split, and it caps nothing at a house. The state residential code takes up the model code and adds no fence height. Cities and counties set it. RCW 16.60Washington · Statute
Do I need a permit for a fence in Kennewick?
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Washington answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Washington has no fence permit rule of its own. It uses the 2021 International Residential Code as the code for one and two family homes across the state, and it did not change that code's list of work that needs no permit, so the model list applies as written. That list is model code text and is printed on no Washington state site, so no fence height is quoted here.
This one is Washington law, not Kennewick law. All Washington findings
The 2021 edition of the International Residential Code as published by the International Code Council is hereby adopted by reference
Pool fence requirements in Kennewick
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Washington answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Washington sends pools at homes to the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, 2021 edition, through its residential building code. The rule reaches a pool used only by the people who live at a single family house and their invited guests. Washington states no fence height of its own, so the numbers sit in that private code.
This one is Washington law, not Kennewick law. All Washington findings
The design and construction of swimming pools, spas, and other aquatic recreation facilities shall comply with the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, if the facility is one of the following:
Spite fence laws in Kennewick
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Washington answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
A Washington court can stop a structure built out of spite. A judge may order the owner or renter of land not to put up a structure meant to spite, injure or annoy a neighbor, and where one already stands, the court may order it taken down. The law turns on why it went up and not on how tall it is.
This one is Washington law, not Kennewick law. All Washington findings
An injunction may be granted to restrain the malicious erection, by any owner or lessee of land, of any structure intended to spite, injure or annoy an adjoining proprietor.
How fence height is measured in Kennewick
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Washington answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Washington gives one plain starting point, in its livestock fence law, and nowhere else. RCW 16.60.010 says a lawful fence has at least four barbed wires with the top wire 48 inches above the ground, give or take four inches, and the rest spaced 12, 22 and 32 inches below it. Above the ground is the answer, and it is the only answer the state gives. For a fence on a city lot, RCW 35.63.080 lets a council set rules for the height, number of stories, size, building and design of buildings and other structures, so the city ordinance gives both the limit and the point it starts from.
This one is Washington law, not Kennewick law. All Washington findings
A lawful fence shall be of at least four barbed, horizontal, well-stretched wires, spaced so that the top wire is forty-eight inches, plus or minus four inches, above the ground and the other wires at intervals below the top wire of twelve, twenty-two, and thirty-two inches.
48 intop wire of a lawful fence, measured above the ground
Fence rules for corner lots in Kennewick
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Kennewick answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district, and which side of the driveway the triangle is on.
Kennewick draws its driveway sight triangles deliberately lopsided outside the residential districts, and the asymmetry is the point. The two triangles share a common leg running fifteen feet along the centerline of the drive from the curb line. Facing the street, the triangle on the left has a second leg of one hundred and forty feet along the curb, and the one on the right only seventy five, because a driver pulling out looks further up the road in the direction traffic arrives from. Inside them nothing may stand higher than thirty inches or lower than eighty four inches above curb grade, which protects a band rather than setting a ceiling and so allows a tree trimmed up above seven feet. In the residential districts the driveway triangles are far smaller, with legs of ten feet measured perpendicular to the right of way, and the band is the same thirty to eighty four inches. Street intersections are sent to Chapter 13.12 instead.
The left triangle, when facing the street, has a second leg, which extends 140 feet along the street curb line from the centerline of the drive. The triangle to the right has a comparable leg, which extends 75 feet from the centerline of the drive.
The answer turns on the district, and which side of the driveway the triangle is on.
- a driveway outside the R districts, looking left
- A hundred and forty feet along the curb. 140 ft
- the same driveway, looking right
- Seventy five feet. 75 ft
- a driveway in an R district
- Ten foot legs from the right of way. 10 ft
- a street intersection
- Chapter 13.12 sets the requirements.
Also on corner visibility in Kennewick
- set in state lawWashington puts its clear view duty at the railroad tracks. RCW 36.86.100 tells the county to clear brush and trees out of the county road right of way for 100 feet on each side of a railroad crossing, so a driver can see a train coming, and puts the same duty on the railroad for its own land. It also bans a sign within 100 feet of that crossing outside city limits, unless the county finds the sign does not cut the view. Nothing in it draws a triangle at an ordinary street corner. RCW 36.86.100Washington · Traffic code
Retaining wall rules in Kennewick
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Kennewick answers this, but the answer changes depending on the height of the wall and where it stands.
Kennewick adds up everything that raises the ground and ties the total to the house. Fences, sloping yards, retaining walls and terraces may be built to a combined total elevation no greater than the adjacent foundation or the existing grade at the lot line, whichever of those two is higher, so the building itself becomes the ceiling for the earthworks around it. Walls, fences and hedges may then be added on top of that, provided each stays inside the ordinary height limits measured from the established finish grade. A separate safety rule follows for the tall wall: where a retaining wall stands sixty inches or more above the adjacent grade and runs along a lot line, a guardrail or fence of at least thirty six inches has to go along the top of it, so in that one case the code requires a fence rather than limiting one.
Fences, sloping yards, retaining walls, or terraces may be constructed with a combined total elevation no greater than that of the adjacent foundation or existing grade of the lot line, whichever is higher.
The answer turns on the height of the wall and where it stands.
- earthworks and walls together
- No higher than the foundation or the existing grade at the line.
- a fence or hedge on top of that
- Allowed within the ordinary limits, from finish grade.
- a retaining wall five feet or more along a lot line
- A guardrail or fence of at least thirty six inches on top. 60 in
Also on retaining walls in Kennewick
- left to the townWashington has no rule of its own for a wall that holds back earth. It uses the 2021 International Residential Code for one and two family homes, and lists every section it changed as its own numbered rule. That list was read in full. Nothing changes Section R105, the list of work that needs no permit, so the model code pass for such a wall stands as written. The slot for Section R404, which covers foundations and walls that hold back earth, is marked reserved, so Washington added nothing there either. The number that answers the question is model code text, which the International Code Council sells and which no Washington state site prints. WAC 51-51-003Washington · Building code
Fence materials allowed in Kennewick
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Kennewick answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Kennewick writes a construction specification into its zoning code, which almost no city does. Every fence over thirty six inches has to be built with steel posts or with pressure treated wood posts, wooden posts have to be set in gravel and compacted by earth, steel posts have to be set in concrete, and the finished fence has to be adequate to withstand a minimum windload of eighty miles an hour. In the residential districts other than Residential Suburban the fence also has to be made of material commonly used in residential fence construction, with chain link, wood slat, masonry walls, ornamental iron and wood pickets given as the examples, and a synthetic material may be substituted where it is the functional equivalent of the natural one. Residential Suburban is the exception that lets a rural lot use wood, barbwire and electric wire to contain animals or protect crops.
All fences in excess of 36 inches in height must be constructed with steel posts or with pressure-treated wood posts. Wooden posts must be set in gravel and compacted by earth. Steel posts must be set in concrete. Fences must be adequate to withstand a minimum windload of 80 miles per hour.
36 inheight above which the post specification applies
Also on materials in Kennewick
- set in state lawWashington writes a lawful fence as a barbed wire fence and prints the build. It takes at least four barbed, level, well stretched wires, with the top one about 48 inches off the ground and the others 12, 22 and 32 inches below it, tied to solid posts set no more than 24 feet apart. Posts more than 16 feet apart need stays every eight feet. The very next section says any other fence as strong and as well made counts too, so barbed wire is the standard to match and not the only material allowed. RCW 16.60.010Washington · Statute
Livestock and boundary fence law in Kennewick
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Washington answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Washington prints the fence in the statute. A lawful fence carries at least four barbed wires, level and pulled tight. The top wire sits 48 inches off the ground, give or take four inches, and the others hang 12, 22 and 32 inches below it. Posts go in firmly and evenly, no more than 24 feet apart. Posts more than 16 feet apart need stays no more than eight feet from each other or from a post. Any other fence built just as strong counts too.
This one is Washington law, not Kennewick law. All Washington findings
A lawful fence shall be of at least four barbed, horizontal, well-stretched wires, spaced so that the top wire is forty-eight inches, plus or minus four inches, above the ground and the other wires at intervals below the top wire of twelve, twenty-two, and thirty-two inches.
48 inheight above the ground of the top wire of a lawful fence
Also on agricultural fencing in Kennewick
- set in state lawIn Washington the damages claim hangs on the fence. A person who built a lawful fence around their land and kept it in repair can sue the owner of an animal that broke through it, collect the full damage and the costs of the suit, and hold the animal until it is paid. Proving the fence was lawful when the animal broke through is enough. The fence has to be there first, so the landowner who wants the animals out is the one who builds. RCW 16.60.015Washington · Statute
Documents behind this page
8 documents, of which 2 were published by Kennewick itself. Each was read on the date shown.
- Washington State LegislatureRevised Code of Washington, Chapter 16.60, Section 16.60.030, Partition fence, Erection, Notice
- City of KennewickKennewick City Code, Title 18, Chapter 18.18, Yards
- Washington State LegislatureRevised Code of Washington, Chapter 16.60, Fences, full chapter
- Washington State Building Code CouncilWashington Administrative Code, WAC 51-51-003, International Residential Code
- City of KennewickKennewick City Code, Title 18, Chapter 18.27, Accessory Buildings, Structures, and Uses
- Washington State Building Code CouncilWashington Administrative Code, WAC 51-51-0327, Section R327, Swimming pools, spas and hot tubs
- Washington State LegislatureRevised Code of Washington, Chapter 7.40, Section 7.40.030, Malicious erection of structure may be enjoined
- Washington State LegislatureRevised Code of Washington, Title 36, Chapter 36.86, County Roads and Bridges
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 Kennewick publishes, plus the Washington rules that apply where the city sets none. Fence laws in Washington 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