Fence laws in Renton, Washington
What the Renton municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Renton sets no rule of its own, the Washington rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Renton, Washington, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Renton settles in one sentence something almost every other code leaves to an argument between neighbors: if a fence is placed any distance inside the property line, the owner remains responsible for the property on both sides of it. The figure is 3 feet, for landscaped setback at the base of a wall along a street.
- How tall
- Renton states its residential limit in inches and applies it to fences, hedges and retaining walls together, which most codes do not: seventy two inches anywhere in a residential zone, subject to the setback rules that follow, and the answer turns on the zone and which setback the fence stands in. The figure is 72 inches, for fence, hedge or retaining wall in a residential zone.
- Permits
- A Renton fence taller than six feet needs a building permit or a written exemption from the Building Official, which is a route most cities do not offer, and the answer turns on whether it is a fence or a retaining wall, and where the wall is measured from. The figure is 6 feet, for fence height that triggers a 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
- Renton reads a fence from the top elevation of the top board, rail or wire down to the ground, and where a wall stands in place of a fence it reads from the top surface of the wall to the ground on the high side.
- Corner lots
- Washington puts its clear view duty at the railroad tracks. The figure is 100 feet, for distance from a railroad grade crossing that has to be kept clear of brush and timber. It reaches brush, trees and signs within 100 feet of a railroad crossing on a county road only.
- Retaining walls
- A fence may not be built on top of a Renton retaining wall unless the two together come to no more than a standalone fence would have been allowed, so the wall normally eats the fence allowance, and the answer turns on whether a guardrail is required and whether the fence is transparent. The figure is 9 feet, for wall plus guardrail in a residential zone.
- Materials
- Renton names the materials for a retaining wall rather than for a fence: brick, rock, textured or patterned concrete, or another masonry product that complements the proposed building and site development, with anything else needing the Administrator to approve it, and the answer turns on whether the wall is retaining, and how transparent the fence is. The figure is 50 percent, for transparency that allows a fence on a retaining wall.
- 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 Renton?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Renton answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Renton settles in one sentence something almost every other code leaves to an argument between neighbors: if a fence is placed any distance inside the property line, the owner remains responsible for the property on both sides of it. So the strip left outside the fence does not become the neighbor problem and does not quietly change hands through use. The sentence sits inside the rule about fences and hedges next to retaining walls, which requires a two foot setback where the combined height would exceed what a standalone retaining wall is allowed, with that setback landscaped as if it were a terrace. A retaining wall abutting a public right of way also carries a three foot landscaped setback at its base.
If a fence is placed any distance within the property line, the property owner continues to be responsible for the property on both sides of the fence.
3 ftlandscaped setback at the base of a wall along a street
Also on fences on the property line in Renton
- 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 Renton?
Compare fence height across all 50 states
Renton answers this, but the answer changes depending on the zone and which setback the fence stands in.
Renton states its residential limit in inches and applies it to fences, hedges and retaining walls together, which most codes do not: seventy two inches anywhere in a residential zone, subject to the setback rules that follow. Inside any part of a front yard setback the figure drops to forty eight inches, and inside a clear vision area it drops again to forty two. A side yard setback keeps the full seventy two. The purpose clause explains what the city is trying to protect, listing sight distance at intersections, safe ingress and egress, the feeling of spaciousness along neighborhood streets, crime prevention through environmental design, and reducing conflict between abutting owners.
In any residential zone, the maximum height of any fence, hedge or retaining wall shall be seventy-two inches (72"), subject to further height limitations as specified in subsection D2 of this Section.
The answer turns on the zone and which setback the fence stands in.
- a residential zone generally
- Seventy two inches. 72 in
- any part of a front yard setback
- Forty eight inches. 48 in
- any part of a clear vision area
- Forty two inches. 42 in
Also on fence height in Renton
- 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 Renton?
Compare permits across all 50 states
Renton answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether it is a fence or a retaining wall, and where the wall is measured from.
A Renton fence taller than six feet needs a building permit or a written exemption from the Building Official, which is a route most cities do not offer. A retaining wall four feet or taller needs a building permit, and the code is careful about how that four feet is found: it is the vertical distance from the bottom of the footing to the finish grade at the top of the wall, expressly not the exposed height, so a wall that looks short from the yard can still need a permit. The section adds that this does not account for other things that may require a permit anyway, such as a surcharge or a fence on top. Separately the city may require a modification to the height and location of any fence, hedge or retaining wall where a traffic vision hazard exists or is created.
Fences: A fence taller than six feet (6') shall require a building permit or a written exemption from the Building Official.
The answer turns on whether it is a fence or a retaining wall, and where the wall is measured from.
- a fence over six feet
- A building permit, or a written exemption from the Building Official. 6 ft
- a retaining wall four feet or taller from the footing
- A building permit. 4 ft
- a fence creating a traffic vision hazard
- The city may require its height and location to be modified.
Also on permits in Renton
- 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 Renton
Compare pool barriers across all 50 states
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 Renton 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 Renton
Compare spite fences across all 50 states
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 Renton 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 Renton
Compare how height is measured across all 50 states
Renton answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Renton reads a fence from the top elevation of the top board, rail or wire down to the ground, and where a wall stands in place of a fence it reads from the top surface of the wall to the ground on the high side. Where the finished grade differs on the two sides of a fence, the height may be measured from the side with the highest elevation, so the neighbor standing above the fence is the one the number protects. A berm may not be built with a fence on it unless the berm and fence together come to less than the fence alone would have been allowed. A hedge is measured from the topmost portion of vegetation to the ground, and a retaining wall by exposed height, from the finish grade at the bottom of the wall to the finish grade at the top.
Fences: The height shall be measured from the top elevation of the top board rail or wire to the ground. In cases where a wall is used instead of a fence, height shall be measured from the top surface of the wall to the ground on the high side of the wall.
Also on how height is measured in Renton
- 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 Renton
Compare corner visibility across all 50 states
Washington answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Washington 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.
This one is Washington law, not Renton law. All Washington findings
The county legislative authority shall cause brush and timber to be cleared from the right-of-way of county roads in the proximity of a railroad grade crossing for a distance of one hundred feet from the crossing in such a manner as to permit a person traveling upon the road to obtain an unobstructed view in both directions of an approaching train or other on-track equipment.
100 ftdistance from a railroad grade crossing that has to be kept clear of brush and timber
Retaining wall rules in Renton
Compare retaining walls across all 50 states
Renton answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether a guardrail is required and whether the fence is transparent.
A fence may not be built on top of a Renton retaining wall unless the two together come to no more than a standalone fence would have been allowed, so the wall normally eats the fence allowance. Two exceptions open it up. Where the Building Official requires a guardrail, the wall and guardrail together may reach nine feet in a residential zone and twelve in a commercial or industrial one. And a fence at least fifty percent transparent may sit directly on the wall, chain link excluded. Where terracing is used instead, the terrace has to be as wide as the tallest retaining wall beside it and never less than two feet, measured from the back edge of the lower wall to the front edge of the next one up, with no part of a wall counted in that width, and every terrace permanently landscaped. The ground at the top and bottom of a wall that is not part of a terrace has to be level for one foot horizontally for every foot of wall height.
A fence shall not be constructed on top of a retaining wall unless the total combined height of the retaining wall and the fence does not exceed the allowed height of a standalone fence.
4-4-040.C.2.a, C.2.e and C.2.f
The answer turns on whether a guardrail is required and whether the fence is transparent.
- an ordinary fence on a retaining wall
- The two together may not exceed a standalone fence.
- a wall with a required guardrail
- Nine feet combined in a residential zone, twelve in commercial or industrial. 9 ft
- a terrace between two walls
- As wide as the taller wall, and never under two feet. 2 ft
Also on retaining walls in Renton
- 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 Renton
Compare materials across all 50 states
Renton answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the wall is retaining, and how transparent the fence is.
Renton names the materials for a retaining wall rather than for a fence: brick, rock, textured or patterned concrete, or another masonry product that complements the proposed building and site development, with anything else needing the Administrator to approve it. The fence material rule appears instead as a condition on where a fence may sit. A fence that is at least fifty percent transparent, viewed perpendicularly to its face, may be built directly on top of a retaining wall where a solid one may not, and chain link is expressly excluded from that allowance however open it is. That exception is also switched off in a front yard setback and in a clear vision area, which are the two places transparency would matter most for looks and least for safety.
Retaining walls shall be composed of brick, rock, textured or patterned concrete, or other masonry product that complements the proposed building and site development.
The answer turns on whether the wall is retaining, and how transparent the fence is.
- a retaining wall
- Brick, rock, textured concrete or masonry that suits the building.
- a fifty percent transparent fence on a retaining wall
- Allowed directly on top, but never chain link. 50%
- a front yard setback or clear vision area
- The transparency exception does not apply.
Also on materials in Renton
- 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 Renton
Compare agricultural fencing across all 50 states
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 Renton 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 Renton
- 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 Renton 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 RentonRenton Municipal Code, Section 4-4-040, Fences, Hedges, and Retaining Walls
- 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
- 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 Renton 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