Fence laws in Vancouver, Washington
What the Vancouver municipal code says about fences, one topic at a time, with the section number and a link to the document behind every line. Where Vancouver sets no rule of its own, the Washington rule is shown in its place and marked as such.
Fence laws in Vancouver, Washington, question by question
The short version
- Who pays on the line
- A Vancouver fence or wall has to be wholly contained on the applicant own property, unless it sits on a property line and both abutting owners are in agreement, so the shared boundary fence exists here by consent rather than by right.
- How tall
- In the LS, MS and MH districts a Vancouver fence standing streetward of the front wall of the house is limited to five feet, and even that is conditional: the top foot has to be at least eighty percent open to views, with wrought iron and chain link given as the examples, and the answer turns on the district, which side of the house the fence stands on, and how open the top is. The figure is 5 feet, for fence in front of the house.
- Permits
- Vancouver sets two different building permit thresholds in one sentence, six feet for a fence and four feet for a wall, and adds a third trigger that has nothing to do with height: any wall supporting additional weight from a building or a parking area needs a permit whatever its size, and the answer turns on whether it is a fence or a wall, and whether it carries weight. The figure is 6 feet, for fence 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
- Vancouver measures a fence as the vertical distance from the ground level immediately under it to its top, and then adds the sentence that decides a sloping boundary: height is measured from the grade level adjacent to the inside edge of the wall or fence. The figure is 30 inches, for height at or below which the chapter does not apply.
- Corner lots
- Vancouver gives two ways to satisfy the vision clearance triangle at an intersection of roads or driveways, and the answer turns on whether the fence is low or open, and the topography. The figure is 30 inches, for height a solid fence may be in the triangle.
- Retaining walls
- Vancouver 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
- Barbed wire, razor wire and electrically charged fences are not permitted accessory to a residential use in any Vancouver zoning district, and are prohibited outright in the MX and RA districts, and the answer turns on the district and what the fence is accessory to. The figure is 2 feet, for wire allowed on top of an industrial security fence.
- 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 Vancouver?
Compare fences on the property line across all 50 states
Vancouver answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
A Vancouver fence or wall has to be wholly contained on the applicant own property, unless it sits on a property line and both abutting owners are in agreement, so the shared boundary fence exists here by consent rather than by right. Two further placement rules follow. A fence or wall may not be placed in any manner that hinders access to an easement. And a land use permit cannot be issued for a fence or wall in the public right of way at all, which closes the route a permit might otherwise open. Where a sound wall runs between two properties the code goes further still and requires all property owners to agree on its height and type before the city approves it.
Fences and walls must be wholly contained on the applicant’s property, or located on a property line when both abutting property owners are in agreement.
20.450.020.E.1, E.2, E.5 and G.3
Also on fences on the property line in Vancouver
- 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 Vancouver?
Compare fence height across all 50 states
Vancouver answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district, which side of the house the fence stands on, and how open the top is.
In the LS, MS and MH districts a Vancouver fence standing streetward of the front wall of the house is limited to five feet, and even that is conditional: the top foot has to be at least eighty percent open to views, with wrought iron and chain link given as the examples. In the other required side build to lines, side yards and rear yard setbacks a solid fence is limited to six feet. In the MX, RA, IC, IE, HI, PO and NA districts a fence inside the required setback area is limited to six feet whatever it is made of. A sound wall is the only thing that goes higher, and it needs the Planning Official to approve it.
In the LS, MS, and MH zoning districts, fences that are streetward of the front wall of the house in front build-to-line (primary streets) shall be limited to five (5) feet in height, so long as the top one (1) foot is constructed to be at least eighty (80) percent open to views (e.g., wrought iron, chainlink, etc.).
The answer turns on the district, which side of the house the fence stands on, and how open the top is.
- streetward of the front wall of a house
- Five feet, with the top foot eighty percent open. 5 ft
- a side or rear yard setback
- Six feet, solid. 6 ft
- the mixed use, industrial, office and open space districts
- Six feet inside the required setback. 6 ft
Also on fence height in Vancouver
- 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 Vancouver?
Compare permits across all 50 states
Vancouver answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether it is a fence or a wall, and whether it carries weight.
Vancouver sets two different building permit thresholds in one sentence, six feet for a fence and four feet for a wall, and adds a third trigger that has nothing to do with height: any wall supporting additional weight from a building or a parking area needs a permit whatever its size. On the land use side no permit is needed for an ordinary fence or wall, though the standards still apply, and a Type I site plan approval is required for any sound wall. Fences and walls thirty inches or less are exempt from the chapter altogether unless they are carrying that additional weight. A hedge in a vision clearance triangle has to be kept to thirty inches measured from street grade, and every other hedge on private property is not regulated by the title at all.
Building permits are required for all fences over six (6') feet in height. Building permits are also required for walls four (4') feet or over and for walls which support additional weight from a building or parking area.
The answer turns on whether it is a fence or a wall, and whether it carries weight.
- a fence over six feet
- A building permit. 6 ft
- a wall four feet or over
- A building permit. 4 ft
- a wall carrying weight from a building or parking area
- A building permit whatever its height.
- a sound wall
- Type I site plan approval.
Also on permits in Vancouver
- 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 Vancouver
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 Vancouver 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 Vancouver
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 Vancouver 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 Vancouver
Compare how height is measured across all 50 states
Vancouver answers this in its own law. The words that do it are quoted below.
Vancouver measures a fence as the vertical distance from the ground level immediately under it to its top, and then adds the sentence that decides a sloping boundary: height is measured from the grade level adjacent to the inside edge of the wall or fence. So the yard the fence encloses supplies the reading, not the street and not the neighbor. The same section groups fences with flag poles as other structures, separate from the way building height is measured. The exemption rule uses the same idea from the other end, taking anything thirty inches or less measured from grade outside the chapter entirely unless it is structurally supporting weight from a building or a parking area.
The height of other structures such as flag poles and fences is the vertical distance from the ground level immediately under the structure to the top of a structure, excluding exempted portions.
20.170.050.B, with the exemption at 20.450.020.D.1
30 inheight at or below which the chapter does not apply
Also on how height is measured in Vancouver
- 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 Vancouver
Compare corner visibility across all 50 states
Vancouver answers this, but the answer changes depending on whether the fence is low or open, and the topography.
Vancouver gives two ways to satisfy the vision clearance triangle at an intersection of roads or driveways. A fence or wall under thirty inches is generally allowed, with the qualification that topography may still restrict clear vision and defeat it. Or a fence that is eighty percent open, again with wrought iron and chain link as the examples, may stand in the triangle at any height provided it is maintained clear of vegetation that could block the view. So the choice is between being low and being see through, and the same eighty percent figure that buys the extra foot on a front yard fence buys the whole triangle here. A hedge in the triangle is held to thirty inches measured from street grade.
Fences and walls shall not interfere with vision clearance at an intersection of roads or driveways. Fences and walls under thirty (30) inches in height are generally allowed in a vision clearance triangle unless the topography causes a restriction of clear vision.
The answer turns on whether the fence is low or open, and the topography.
- a solid fence in the triangle
- Under thirty inches, unless the ground itself blocks the view. 30 in
- an eighty percent open fence
- Allowed, if kept clear of vegetation. 80%
- a hedge in the triangle
- Thirty inches, measured from street grade.
Also on corner visibility in Vancouver
- 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 Vancouver
Compare retaining walls across all 50 states
Vancouver 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 Vancouver 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 Vancouver
Compare materials across all 50 states
Vancouver answers this, but the answer changes depending on the district and what the fence is accessory to.
Barbed wire, razor wire and electrically charged fences are not permitted accessory to a residential use in any Vancouver zoning district, and are prohibited outright in the MX and RA districts. In the IC, IE, HI, PO and NA districts barbed and razor wire survive in one narrow form: as the top of a security fence accessory to a permitted non-residential use, where two feet of wire may be attached to the top of a six foot wall or fence provided it is vertical or angled in toward the enclosure rather than out over the sidewalk. Where a fence is used in a vision clearance triangle it has to be eighty percent open, wrought iron and chain link being the examples, and kept clear of vegetation that could restrict the view.
Within the IC, IE, HI, PO, and NA zoning districts, barbed wire and razor wire are only allowed as the top to a security fence accessory to permitted non-residential uses. In these cases, two (2) feet of such wire can be attached to the top of a six (6) foot wall or fence, as long as it is vertical or angled in toward the enclosure.
The answer turns on the district and what the fence is accessory to.
- anything accessory to a residential use
- No barbed wire, razor wire or electric fence in any district.
- a security fence on industrial, office or open space land
- Two feet of wire on a six foot fence, angled inward. 2 ft
- the MX and RA districts
- Barbed wire, razor wire and electric fences prohibited.
Also on materials in Vancouver
- 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 Vancouver
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 Vancouver 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 Vancouver
- 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 Vancouver 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 VancouverVancouver Municipal Code, Title 20, Land Use and Development Code, Section 20.450.020, Fences And Walls, as updated 31 July 2026
- 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 Vancouver 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