Fence laws in Seattle, Washington
What the Seattle municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Seattle sets no rule of its own, the Washington rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Seattle, Washington, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Seattle requires a yard on every lot in a single family zone, twenty feet at the front or the average of the neighbors if that is less, twenty five feet or twenty percent of lot depth at the rear, and five feet at the side, and the answer turns on the yard, and whether the neighbor has signed a recorded agreement. The figure is 10 feet, for street side yard on a reversed corner lot.
- How tall
- Seattle allows a fence, freestanding wall, bulkhead or sign of six feet or less in any required yard, front yard included, so the city does not drop the limit at the street the way most codes do, and the answer turns on the ground the fence stands on and how open the part above six feet is. The figure is 6 feet, for fence in any required yard.
- 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
- Seattle measures a fence above existing or finished grade, whichever is lower, which is the strictest of the common formulas: an owner who raises the ground gains nothing, because the code keeps reading from the level before the fill went in. The figure is 18 inches, for deck height allowed in a required yard.
- 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
- Seattle splits retaining walls by what they are doing, and the answer turns on whether the wall raises grade or protects a cut, and how it is measured. The figure is 6 feet, for retaining wall used to raise grade.
- Materials
- Seattle sets no list of permitted fence materials and prohibits none by name, and the answer turns on what the structure is and where it stands. The figure is 50 percent, for openness required on an arbor.
- 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 Seattle?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Seattle answers this, but the answer changes depending on the yard, and whether the neighbor has signed a recorded agreement.
Seattle requires a yard on every lot in a single family zone, twenty feet at the front or the average of the neighbors if that is less, twenty five feet or twenty percent of lot depth at the rear, and five feet at the side. A fence may stand in any of those yards. A structure normally may not, and the exception is an agreement between neighbors rather than a variance: an accessory structure may be built in a side yard that abuts the rear or side yard of another lot once an agreement between the owners of record is recorded with the King County Recorder office. A principal structure may extend into one side yard where an easement leaves a ten foot separation from the building next door, and that easement is recorded too and has to provide access for normal maintenance. On a reversed corner lot whose key lot is in a single family zone, the street side yard widens to ten feet.
In the case of a reversed corner lot, the key lot of which is in a single-family zone, the width of the side yard on the street side of the reversed corner lot shall not be less than 10 feet.
The answer turns on the yard, and whether the neighbor has signed a recorded agreement.
- a fence or freestanding wall
- Allowed in any required yard.
- an accessory structure in a side yard
- Allowed once an agreement with the neighbor is recorded with the county.
- a street side yard on a reversed corner lot
- Ten feet rather than five. 10 ft
Also on fences on the property line in Seattle
- 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 Seattle?
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Seattle answers this, but the answer changes depending on the ground the fence stands on and how open the part above six feet is.
Seattle allows a fence, freestanding wall, bulkhead or sign of six feet or less in any required yard, front yard included, so the city does not drop the limit at the street the way most codes do. What it does instead is control the shape of the top. The six feet may be averaged along sloping ground in six foot long segments, but no part of the fence may pass eight feet, and the eight feet may not itself be averaged. Above six feet only architectural features are allowed: horizontal features no more than ten inches high, separated by at least six inches of open area measured up from the top of the fence, with the whole assembly including post caps no higher than eight feet and structural supports no closer than three feet on center. The Director may allow a variation provided no part exceeds eight feet and everything above six feet is predominantly open so light and air circulate freely.
Fences, freestanding walls, bulkheads, signs, and similar structures 6 feet or less in height above existing or finished grade, whichever is lower, may be erected in any required yard. The 6-foot height may be averaged along sloping grade for each 6-foot-long segment of the fence, but in no case may any portion of the fence exceed 8 feet.
The answer turns on the ground the fence stands on and how open the part above six feet is.
- any required yard, front included
- Six feet. 6 ft
- a fence on sloping ground
- Six feet averaged over each six foot segment, never past eight. 8 ft
- architectural features above six feet
- Ten inches high at most, over at least six inches of open air. 10 in
Also on fence height in Seattle
- 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 Seattle?
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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 Seattle 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 Seattle
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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 Seattle 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 Seattle
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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 Seattle 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 Seattle
Compare how height is measured across all 50 states
Seattle answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Seattle measures a fence above existing or finished grade, whichever is lower, which is the strictest of the common formulas: an owner who raises the ground gains nothing, because the code keeps reading from the level before the fill went in. The same phrase is used elsewhere in the chapter for decks, which may extend into required yards at eighteen inches or less above existing or finished grade, whichever is lower. The averaging rule then works on top of that datum, taking each six foot long segment of the fence on its own rather than the run as a whole, so a fence on a hill is expected to step down with the land instead of following it at a tilt.
Decks no higher than 18 inches above existing or finished grade, whichever is lower, may extend into required yards.
18 indeck height allowed in a required yard
Also on how height is measured in Seattle
- 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 Seattle
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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 Seattle 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 Seattle
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Seattle answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the wall raises grade or protects a cut, and how it is measured.
Seattle splits retaining walls by what they are doing. A bulkhead or retaining wall used to raise grade may go in any required yard at up to six feet measured above existing grade, and where a fence is then placed on top of a new one, the combined height is capped at nine and a half feet. A bulkhead or wall used to protect a cut into existing grade is limited instead to the minimum height necessary to support that cut, and where it is measured from the low side and passes six feet, an open guardrail of no more than forty two inches meeting the Building Code may sit on top. At six feet or less a fence may go on top of that wall to the same nine and a half foot combined ceiling. A guardrail no higher than forty two inches may also sit on a bulkhead or retaining wall that already existed on 20 February 1982.
Bulkheads and retaining walls used to raise grade may be placed in any required yard when limited to 6 feet in height, measured above existing grade. A guardrail no higher than 42 inches may be placed on top of a bulkhead or retaining wall existing as of February 20, 1982. If a fence is placed on top of a new bulkhead or retaining wall, the maximum combined height is limited to 9 1/2 feet.
The answer turns on whether the wall raises grade or protects a cut, and how it is measured.
- a wall raising grade
- Six feet, and nine and a half with a fence on top. 6 ft
- a wall protecting a cut
- The minimum height needed to support the cut.
- a guardrail on a tall wall measured from the low side
- Forty two inches, open, to Building Code. 42 in
Also on retaining walls in Seattle
- 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 Seattle
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Seattle answers this, but the answer changes depending on what the structure is and where it stands.
Seattle sets no list of permitted fence materials and prohibits none by name. What it does specify is the openness of the structures that sit alongside a fence in a required yard. An arbor may be built in any required yard with a footprint of no more than forty square feet and a height of no more than eight feet, and both its sides and its roof have to be at least fifty percent open, or if latticework is used, leave at least two inches between crosspieces. In a yard abutting a street the same rule applies to an arbor over a private pedestrian walkway with a footprint of no more than thirty square feet. Above six feet a fence itself is held to the same idea rather than to a material, since the Director may vary the standard only where everything above six feet is predominantly open so light and air circulate freely.
In any required yard, an arbor may be erected with no more than a 40-square-foot footprint, measured on a horizontal roof plane inclusive of eaves, to a maximum height of 8 feet. Both the sides and the roof of the arbor shall be at least 50 percent open, or if latticework is used, there shall be a minimum opening of 2 inches between crosspieces.
The answer turns on what the structure is and where it stands.
- an arbor in any required yard
- Forty square feet, eight feet tall, and half open. 50%
- latticework on an arbor
- At least two inches between crosspieces. 2 in
- the part of a fence above six feet
- Predominantly open, so light and air circulate freely.
Also on materials in Seattle
- 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 Seattle
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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 Seattle 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 Seattle
- 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 Seattle 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 SeattleSeattle Municipal Code, Title 23, Land Use Code, Section 23.44.014, 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
- 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 Seattle 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