Fence Regulations in North Hempstead, NY (2026)
4 verified fence regulations for North Hempstead, New York, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Height Limits
North Hempstead limits residential fences to four feet under Town Code § 70-100.2A, and bars any fence from standing between the street and a home's effective building line. Six-foot fences are allowed only in specific situations, such as along rear and side lines or next to a business, industrial, or park property. Corner lots face an added sightline rule under § 70-203C.
North Hempstead Fence Height Limits
Some RestrictionsNorth Hempstead Code § 70-100.2A
Fencing within residence districts shall: ... Not be located, at any point, in the area between a public or private street and the nearest effective building line... Be constructed with the dressed side facing the street or adjacent property... Not exceed four feet in height, except that: A six-foot fence shall be permitted: [1] Where a residential district immediately abuts a business or indus...
Fence Permit Requirements
North Hempstead treats a fence as a "structure," and its general permit statute bars erecting any structure without first filing an application with the Building Commissioner and obtaining a building permit. Fences are not on the code's short list of permit-exempt minor work.
North Hempstead Fence Permit Requirement
Some RestrictionsNorth Hempstead Code § 2-9(A)
No person, firm or corporation shall commence the alteration of any lot or parcel, including the erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, removal, improvement, demolition or conversion of any building or structure or tree, or part thereof, or change the nature of the occupancy of any building or structure or cause the same to be done or the removal of trees without first filing with the...
Retaining Walls
North Hempstead requires a Building Official permit before any retaining wall goes up, caps height at five feet in or within 50 feet of a residential district and eight feet elsewhere, and lets step-design walls proceed only with five feet of landscaped separation between tiers.
North Hempstead Retaining Wall Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsNorth Hempstead Code § 70-202.1
A. No retaining wall may be built within the Town unless the Building Official issues a permit for its construction. Application for the permit shall be made on a form promulgated by the Building Official... C. In a residential zoning district, or within 50 feet of a residential zoning district, no retaining wall may exceed five feet in height. In other districts, no retaining wall may exceed e...
Material Restrictions
North Hempstead bans barbed wire, spikes, chipped glass, and electric fencing on any fence under Town Code § 70-100.2B, along with any fence designed to injure someone who tries to climb it. The one exception: a seven-foot barbed, razor-wire, spiked, or electric fence in an industrial district, and only after the Board of Zoning and Appeals grants a conditional use permit.
North Hempstead Barbed Wire Fence Ban
Significant RestrictionsNorth Hempstead Code § 70-100.2B
In no case shall barbed wire, spikes, chipped glass, electricity or similar materials or devices be used in conjunction with or as part of any fence. No fence shall be permitted which is expressly designed with the intent to injure or malign anyone who attempts to climb such a fence. The exceptions to this rule are certain types of fences listed in § 70-100.2B(2). ... A fence which is seven fee...
Looking for Nassau County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement North Hempstead city rules.
Fence Regulations in Nassau County →