The usual answer
For the back and sides of an ordinary lot, most towns let a fence sit on the property line or anywhere inside it. There's no national rule, though: your city's zoning code decides, and it can be found on the city website or by calling the planning department.
Even where a fence is allowed right on the line, many people build it a few inches inside. That keeps every post and footing on your own land, makes the fence clearly yours, and avoids arguments about who owns it. Our guide on who pays for a fence between neighbors explains why that matters.
Near sidewalks and streets
Along the street, the property line often isn't where it looks. The strip between the sidewalk and your lawn, and sometimes a few feet beyond the sidewalk, can belong to the city. Building there can mean taking the fence down later at your own cost.
Some towns also set fences back from the line along the street. Coalville, Utah, for example, wants fences at least 1 foot back from the property line wherever it runs along a sidewalk or a public street.
In the front yard
Front-yard fences are usually allowed but kept low, so they don't wall off the street. Typical limits in the examples we checked:
| Town | Front yard | Side and back yards |
|---|---|---|
| West Linn, Oregon | 3 ft | 6 ft |
| Salem, Virginia | 3½ ft | 8 ft |
| Coalville, Utah | 4 ft | 6 ft |
Our guide on how tall a fence can be goes through height limits in more detail, and our table of fence rules by city lists 50 cities.
On a corner lot
At a street corner, drivers need to see around the bend. Most towns keep a triangle at the corner clear of anything tall, fences and hedges included.
Salem, Virginia, is typical. Its triangle runs 25 feet along each street from the corner, and nothing inside it may be taller than 3 feet. On a corner lot, check this before you plan the fence, because it can take a real bite out of the yard you can enclose.
Easements
An easement gives a utility or a neighbor the right to use a strip of your land, often along the back or side lot line for power, water or drainage. Fences are often allowed in an easement, but the utility can usually take down anything in its way when it needs access, and putting it back is your problem.
Easements are shown on your plat or survey. If one runs where the fence will go, ask the utility or the city before you build, and avoid setting heavy gate posts in it.
Finding the line
- The plat or survey from when you bought the house shows the lot's shape and size.
- Survey pins, metal markers at the corners, are often a few inches under the grass.
- A new survey is the only sure answer when you're building near a neighbor's driveway, fence or garden. It costs less than moving a finished fence.
Don't go by an old fence, a hedge or where the neighbor mows. Our guide on measuring your yard for a fence walks through the rest.
Fair questions
Can I put my fence right on the property line?
In many towns, yes, for back and side yards. Check your city's code, and think about building just inside the line anyway, so the fence is clearly yours.
Do I need my neighbor's permission?
Not for a fence entirely on your own land that follows the local rules. For a fence on the shared line, it's wise to agree in writing first, and in California the law expects shared costs and written notice.
How far from the sidewalk does a fence have to be?
It depends on the town. Some allow a fence at the property line, others want a gap, like Coalville's 1 foot. Remember that the property line is often behind the sidewalk, not at it.
What about a fence in the front yard of a corner lot?
Expect two limits at once: the front-yard height limit and the corner sight triangle. A low, open fence such as a 3-foot picket fence is the easiest to get approved.
Sources
- Coalville, Utah, Fences and Walls (city code, as published by Zoneomics): a city that sets fences back 1 foot from sidewalks, limits front-yard fences to 4 feet, and needs a permit above 6.
- City of Salem, Virginia, Fence height limits: a city where fences need no permit, with height limits by yard and a sight triangle at corners.
- City of West Linn, Oregon, Do I need a permit to put a fence in my yard?: an example of a city where a fence needs no permit but a front-yard fence is limited to 3 feet.
- Call 811: the national call-before-you-dig service, for when and how to have buried utilities marked.
- How we calculate: every suggested price behind this calculator, with the date it was last reviewed.
