Fence Regulations in Provo, UT (2026)
4 verified fence regulations for Provo, Utah, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Height Limits
Provo caps sight-obscuring front-yard fences at 3 feet (6 feet if at least half open), side yards at 7 feet, and lets rear-yard fences exceed 7 feet only with a building permit. Corner-lot fences facing the street are capped at 7 feet and must clear the sight triangle.
Provo Fence Height Limits by Yard
Some RestrictionsProvo City Code 14.34.500(1)(a)-(d) (Fencing Standards for Residential Zones)
(a) Front Yard. Solid walls, fences or hedges which are sight obscuring may be built to a maximum of three (3) feet in height in any required front yard perimeter. Such walls, fences, or hedges may slope upward to connect to a higher side yard fence. The length of a sloped fence section shall not exceed one (1) section or a maximum of ten (10) feet. Walls, fences or hedges which are not sight o...
Fence Permit Requirements
Provo does not require a building permit for structural fences 7 feet or under. Any structural fence over 7 feet needs a building permit from the Building Inspection Division, and every fence, structural or vegetative, must avoid creating a traffic sight-distance hazard.
Provo Fence Permit: Required Over 7 Feet
Some RestrictionsProvo City Code 14.34.500(1) (Fencing Standards for Residential Zones)
Fencing in the One-Family Residential (R1), Residential Conservation (RC), Very Low Density Residential (VLDR), Low Density Residential (LDR), Medium Density Residential (MDR), High Density Residential (HDR), Campus Residential (CR), Neighborhood Mixed-Use (NMU), and Mixed-Use (MU) Zones shall comply with the following standards: (1) Structural fences seven (7) feet or less in height shall not ...
Retaining Walls
In Provo's Critical Hillside Overlay Zone, terraced retaining walls are limited to 3 walls of up to 8 feet each, spaced at least as wide as they are tall, faced in stone or earth-tone material, and permanently landscaped between terraces. Taller or additional walls need a licensed engineer's stamp.
Provo Terraced Retaining Wall Standards
Some RestrictionsProvo City Code 14.33A.100(5) (Slope Protection and Stability, Critical Hillside Overlay Zone)
(5) Notwithstanding the requirements in Subsection (4) of this Section, the use of terraced retaining walls is permitted to reduce the steepness of human-made slopes and to provide planting pockets conducive to revegetation. The following requirements apply for terraced retaining walls and vertical walls: (a) Terraces created between retaining walls shall be permanently landscaped or revegetate...
Material Restrictions
Provo City Code 9.14.020 makes it unlawful to erect or maintain a barbed wire fence anywhere in the city, with narrow exceptions for livestock lots and a six-foot-high top strand. Concertina and razor wire are banned outright except atop fences around publicly owned facilities.
Provo Bans Barbed Wire and Razor Wire Fences
Significant RestrictionsProvo City Code 9.14.020 (Am 1990-43, Am 1997-22)
It shall be unlawful to erect or maintain a barbed wire fence, or to cause the same to be erected or maintained. Provided, however: (a) Barbed wire may be used at the top of a fence not otherwise constructed with barbed wire if the barbed wire is not closer than six (6) feet to the ground. This Subsection (1)(a) shall not apply to a fence located on a common boundary between residential lots. (...
Looking for Utah County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Provo city rules.
Fence Regulations in Utah County →