Fence laws in Olympia, Washington
What the Olympia municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Olympia sets no rule of its own, the Washington rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Olympia, Washington, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Washington splits a fence on the property line in half.
- How tall
- Olympia fixes the front yard before it sets a number for it, and the answer turns on which yard the fence stands in. The figure is 48 inches, for fence in the front yard.
- Permits
- A building permit is required for every Olympia fence over seven feet, and the code puts the responsibility for both the permit and the boundary on the owner, saying it is up to property owners to ensure fences are within property lines and that a permit is obtained where one is needed, and the answer turns on the height of the fence and whether an exception is sought. The figure is 7 feet, for height that triggers a building permit.
- 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
- Olympia states both ends of the measurement in one sentence and each end goes a different way.
- Corner lots
- Olympia protects three different views, and the answer turns on whether the obstruction is a fence, a gate or a common area boundary. The figure is 20 feet, for clearance required in front of a closed gate.
- Retaining walls
- Olympia regulates the shape of the ground near a boundary as tightly as it regulates the fence on it, under the heading site perimeter grading, and the answer turns on how close the wall or the regrading is to the property line. The figure is 30 inches, for retaining wall in a required yard.
- Materials
- Olympia is the only city on this site that writes deer into its fence code, and the answer turns on what the fence encloses and what it is made of. The figure is 8 feet, for deer fence around a farm or garden.
- 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 Olympia?
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Washington answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Washington 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.
This one is Washington law, not Olympia law. All Washington findings
When two or more persons own land adjoining which is inclosed [enclosed] by one fence, and it becomes necessary for the protection of the interest of one party said partition fence should be made between them, the other or others, when notified thereof, shall erect or cause to be erected one-half of such partition fence, said fence to be erected on, or as near as practicable, the line of said land.
How tall can a fence be in Olympia?
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Olympia answers this, but the answer changes depending on which yard the fence stands in.
Olympia fixes the front yard before it sets a number for it. For fencing purposes the front yard is the first ten feet of any lot, tract or parcel abutting a public street or right of way excluding alleys, and the section caps a front yard at ten feet in depth regardless of any other provision in the title. Inside that ten feet a fence stops at forty eight inches. Side yards, flanking side yards and rear yards take seventy two, and anything in the clear sight triangle takes thirty. A corner lot next to two rights of way has one front yard and one flanking side yard rather than two fronts. Fence pillars, posts and similar features may project two feet above whatever the maximum is, which is a generous allowance given that height is otherwise read excluding posts.
For the purpose of fencing, the front yard is considered to be the first 10 feet of any lot, tract, or parcel that abuts a public street or right of way, excluding alleys.
The answer turns on which yard the fence stands in.
- the first ten feet off the street
- Forty eight inches. 48 in
- a side, flanking side or rear yard
- Seventy two inches. 72 in
- inside the clear sight triangle
- Thirty inches. 30 in
- pillars and posts
- Two feet above the limit.
Also on fence height in Olympia
- 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 Olympia?
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Olympia answers this, but the answer changes depending on the height of the fence and whether an exception is sought.
A building permit is required for every Olympia fence over seven feet, and the code puts the responsibility for both the permit and the boundary on the owner, saying it is up to property owners to ensure fences are within property lines and that a permit is obtained where one is needed. Going above a maximum height is an administrative exception granted by the Department, and it needs all five of its conditions at once: that a variation of existing grade leaves the fence lower than the maximum when read from the high point within five feet of either side, or some other special circumstance of the site justifies it; that the circumstances are not the applicant own doing; that the exception is not a special privilege; that it will not be materially detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to nearby property; and that it is the minimum necessary. The application has to explain the purpose and include fence illustrations and a plan drawing showing the proposed fence, other structures, landscaping and the proposed grades against the existing ones.
A building permit is required for all fences exceeding seven feet in height.
18.40.060.C, C.7 and the note following it
The answer turns on the height of the fence and whether an exception is sought.
- a fence over seven feet
- A building permit. 7 ft
- a fence outside a required yard
- It may exceed the maximum heights.
- a fence needing extra height in a required yard
- An administrative exception, on five findings together.
Also on permits in Olympia
- set in state lawWashington 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. WAC 51-51-003Washington · Building code
Pool fence requirements in Olympia
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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 Olympia 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 Olympia
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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 Olympia 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 Olympia
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Olympia answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Olympia states both ends of the measurement in one sentence and each end goes a different way. At the top the fence is read to the top of the fence excluding posts, so a post standing above the boards is not counted, which matters because the same section separately lets pillars and posts project two feet above the maximum. At the bottom the point of ground measurement is the high point of the adjacent final grade, so an owner on the low side of a slope does not get to read the number from the worst spot, and ground raised during the project supplies the datum rather than the ground that was there before. The definition of fence being measured is wide, taking in walls and similar above-grade unenclosed structures forming a continuous or nearly continuous line exceeding six feet in length.
Fence height is measured to the top of the fence, excluding posts. Point of ground measurement shall be the high point of the adjacent final grade.
Also on how height is measured in Olympia
- set in state lawWashington 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. RCW 16.60.010Washington · Statute
Fence rules for corner lots in Olympia
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Olympia answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the obstruction is a fence, a gate or a common area boundary.
Olympia protects three different views. The clear sight triangle itself is required at the intersection of the street rights of way on any corner building site in a district that requires a front and a side yard, and its dimensions are set by Chapter 4 of the Engineering Design and Development Standards rather than by the code, with the zoning side supplying only the thirty inch height limit inside it. The second protection is about gates: no closed gate, garage door, bollard or other feature may obstruct a driveway or other private vehicle entrance within twenty feet of a street right of way, nor obstruct the view of a car coming out of a driveway or alley, and that twenty feet does not apply inside the downtown exempt parking area. The third is about common land, requiring the front yard fence of a tree, open space, park or stormwater tract to be at least twenty five percent unobstructed so a person can see through it.
no closed gate, garage door, bollard or other feature shall obstruct a driveway or other motor vehicle private ingress within 20 feet of a street right-of-way nor obstruct automobile views exiting driveways and alleys
The answer turns on whether the obstruction is a fence, a gate or a common area boundary.
- a gate across a driveway
- Twenty feet back from the right of way. 20 ft
- inside the clear sight triangle
- Thirty inches, with the triangle drawn by the engineering standards.
- a front yard fence on a common area tract
- At least a quarter of it see through. 25%
Also on corner visibility in Olympia
- 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 Olympia
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Olympia answers this, but the answer changes depending on how close the wall or the regrading is to the property line.
Olympia regulates the shape of the ground near a boundary as tightly as it regulates the fence on it, under the heading site perimeter grading. Inside a required yard no single retaining wall may exceed thirty inches measured from the lowest adjacent grade, and two walls standing within five horizontal feet of each other are added together against the same figure. Then the rule leaves walls behind and reaches the earth itself: no modification of grades, and no combination of retaining walls, may produce a grade change of more than thirty inches within five feet of a property line, or more than sixty inches within ten feet of an existing or proposed line. So an owner cannot raise a back yard against the neighbor and then put a full height fence on top of the new level, because the raising is limited before the fence is even considered.
Within required yard areas, no single retaining wall (nor combination of walls within five horizontal feet of each other) shall exceed a height of 30 inches as measured from the lowest adjacent grade
The answer turns on how close the wall or the regrading is to the property line.
- a retaining wall in a required yard
- Thirty inches from the lowest adjacent grade. 30 in
- regrading within five feet of a line
- Thirty inches of grade change. 5 ft
- regrading within ten feet of a line
- Sixty inches of grade change. 60 in
Also on retaining walls in Olympia
- 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 Olympia
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Olympia answers this, but the answer changes depending on what the fence encloses and what it is made of.
Olympia is the only city on this site that writes deer into its fence code. A legally established agricultural use may take its rear and side yard fences to eight feet provided at least the portion above six feet is of a deer fence type design, and a front yard fence around a defined garden bed may reach eight feet provided the whole thing is. The code then says what that means, giving wire with rectangular openings generally four inches by four inches as the example, and rules out chain link and chicken wire for those eight foot fences by name. Barbed and razor wire are prohibited on any premises within ten feet of a street, alley or other public place, except to provide security at a government owned property or a privately owned utility where the law mandates it. Electric fences are unlawful except low voltage solar ones installed on top of a six foot non-electric fence to protect farm or agricultural animals, or to secure an outdoor storage area under a separate set of provisions.
Rear and side yard fences for legally established agricultural uses may be permitted to a maximum height of eight feet from the ground; provided, at a minimum, the portion of the fence above six feet is composed of a fence material that is of a deer fence-type design.
18.40.060.C.1.b, C.1.c, C.9 and C.10
The answer turns on what the fence encloses and what it is made of.
- an agricultural use or a garden bed
- Eight feet, with deer fence wire above six. 8 ft
- chain link or chicken wire at that height
- Not allowed.
- barbed or razor wire near a street
- Only at a government site or a utility the law requires it for. 10 ft
- an electric fence for farm animals
- Low voltage and solar, on top of a six foot non-electric fence.
Also on materials in Olympia
- 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 Olympia
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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 Olympia 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 Olympia
- 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
7 documents, of which 1 was published by Olympia 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
- 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 OlympiaOlympia Municipal Code, Title 18, Chapter 18.40, Section 18.40.060, General standards
- 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 Olympia 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