Fence laws in Tacoma, Washington
What the Tacoma municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Tacoma sets no rule of its own, the Washington rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Tacoma, Washington, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- Tacoma warns that a front property line generally does not reach the sidewalk, and then sets the distance rather than leaving it to the survey: stairs, fences and handrails go no closer than two feet behind the back of the sidewalk, the future back of sidewalk, the future back of sidewalk alignment, or the edge of the roadway, whichever applies, and they also have to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act, the public right of way accessibility guidelines and any other federal, state and local requirement. The figure is 2 feet, for clearance behind the back of the sidewalk.
- How tall
- Tacoma sets no maximum fence height. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide this one.
- Permits
- Tacoma lets a fence go to seven feet with no permit at all, which is the highest such threshold of any city on this site, and attaches three conditions to it rather than a height alone: the fence has to be structurally sound, located entirely on private property, and not block the view of vehicular traffic entering or turning onto the street, and the answer turns on the height of the fence and whether it is masonry. The figure is 7 feet, for height below which no permit is needed.
- 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
- Tacoma leaves corner clearance to Traffic Engineering, which determines the clear sight triangle dimensions case by case. The figure is 3 feet, for tallest fence allowed in a clear sight triangle.
- Retaining walls
- Tacoma leaves retaining walls to the 2021 International Residential Code, published by the International Code Council, whose Sections R105.2 and R404 Washington leaves unamended. It reaches one and two family homes only.
- Materials
- Tacoma decides chain link by the position of the building rather than by the name of a yard, and the answer turns on the material, the district, and whether the fence can be seen.
- 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 Tacoma?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Tacoma answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Tacoma warns that a front property line generally does not reach the sidewalk, and then sets the distance rather than leaving it to the survey: stairs, fences and handrails go no closer than two feet behind the back of the sidewalk, the future back of sidewalk, the future back of sidewalk alignment, or the edge of the roadway, whichever applies, and they also have to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act, the public right of way accessibility guidelines and any other federal, state and local requirement. The city adds that an aerial photo with approximate property lines is only a general guide and that the one way to be certain of a boundary is a licensed survey, and it recommends talking to the neighbor before buying materials.
All stairs, fences and handrails shall be constructed no closer than 2 feet behind the back of sidewalk, the future back of sidewalk, the future back of sidewalk alignment, or the edge of the roadway.
2 ftclearance behind the back of the sidewalk
Also on fences on the property line in Tacoma
- 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 Tacoma?
Compare fence height across all 50 states
Tacoma law has no rule about this. The chapters that were read are listed below. Cities and counties decide it instead.
Washington 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.
This one is Washington law, not Tacoma law. All Washington findings
Documents read before writing that:
- RCW 16.60Washington State Legislature
- WAC 51-51-003Washington State Building Code Council
Do I need a permit for a fence in Tacoma?
Compare permits across all 50 states
Tacoma answers this, but the answer changes depending on the height of the fence and whether it is masonry.
Tacoma lets a fence go to seven feet with no permit at all, which is the highest such threshold of any city on this site, and attaches three conditions to it rather than a height alone: the fence has to be structurally sound, located entirely on private property, and not block the view of vehicular traffic entering or turning onto the street. Above seven feet, or for a masonry wall above four feet, a building permit is required, and the city explains why in the same sentence, that they can be quite dangerous if built incorrectly. The permit submittal is a simple site plan and a sectional drawing showing the type, size and spacing of posts, the depth below grade and the concrete diameter, the size and spacing of rails, the type and spacing of fence boards, the height and the method of attachment. A fence in a critical area or its buffer may also need a critical areas permit.
Any fence over seven feet in height, or any masonry wall over four feet in height requires a building permit, because they can be quite dangerous if built incorrectly.
Fences Allowed without a Permit and Fences Requiring a Permit
The answer turns on the height of the fence and whether it is masonry.
- a fence seven feet or less
- No permit, if it is sound, on private land and does not block sight lines. 7 ft
- a fence over seven feet
- A building permit.
- a masonry wall over four feet
- A building permit. 4 ft
- a fence in a critical area or its buffer
- A critical areas permit as well.
Also on permits in Tacoma
- 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 Tacoma
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 Tacoma 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 Tacoma
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 Tacoma 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 Tacoma
Compare how height is measured across all 50 states
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 Tacoma 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 Tacoma
Compare corner visibility across all 50 states
Tacoma does not set this. It leaves it to Traffic Engineering, which determines the clear sight triangle dimensions case by case.
Tacoma caps a fence or structure inside a clear sight triangle at three feet and then says plainly that the size of the triangle is not a fixed number: the dimensions are generally determined by the speed of the traffic on the abutting roadway and by whether traffic has to stop at the intersection. The city directs anyone with a corner lot, a lot with a driveway onto a street, a corner lot next to an alley, or a lot on an arterial to contact Traffic Engineering, so the answer for a particular property comes from that department rather than from a published figure. The no permit allowance for a fence up to seven feet is separately conditioned on not blocking the view of traffic entering or turning onto the street, which means the sight triangle question reaches even the fences nobody has to apply for.
Areas within clear sight triangles must be kept free from obstructions. Fences and structures over 3 feet high are not permitted within this area. The dimensions of clear sight triangles are generally determined by the speed of the traffic on the abutting roadway and whether or not traffic is required to stop at the intersection.
3 fttallest fence allowed in a clear sight triangle
The code hands this to Traffic Engineering, which determines the clear sight triangle dimensions case by case, which is not published in the code itself.
Also on corner visibility in Tacoma
- 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 Tacoma
Compare retaining walls across all 50 states
Tacoma does not set this. It leaves it to the 2021 International Residential Code, published by the International Code Council, whose Sections R105.2 and R404 Washington leaves unamended.
Washington 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.
This one is Washington law, not Tacoma law. All Washington findings
The 2021 edition of the International Residential Code as published by the International Code Council is hereby adopted by reference
The code hands this to the 2021 International Residential Code, published by the International Code Council, whose Sections R105.2 and R404 Washington leaves unamended, which is not published in the code itself.
Fence materials allowed in Tacoma
Compare materials across all 50 states
Tacoma answers this, but the answer changes depending on the material, the district, and whether the fence can be seen.
Tacoma decides chain link by the position of the building rather than by the name of a yard. It is prohibited between the front of a building and the public street, whether or not it carries site obscuring slats, with exceptions only for wetland preservation and recreational uses, and it may not serve as required utility screening in the X districts. Barbed and razor wire is limited to areas not visible from a public street or an adjacent residential use, so the test there is visibility rather than zoning. Electrified fences are allowed only in the M-1, M-2 and PMI industrial districts and prohibited everywhere else in the city.
Chain Link with our without site-obscuring slats is prohibited between the front of a building and public street except for wetland preservation and recreational uses.
The answer turns on the material, the district, and whether the fence can be seen.
- chain link in front of a building
- Prohibited, slats or no slats.
- barbed or razor wire
- Only where it cannot be seen from a street or a neighboring home.
- an electrified fence
- M-1, M-2 and PMI only.
Also on materials in Tacoma
- 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 Tacoma
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 Tacoma 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 Tacoma
- 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 Tacoma 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 Tacoma, Planning and Development ServicesFences tip sheet, setting out the Tacoma Municipal Code requirements
- 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 Tacoma 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