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Fence Regulations in Sammamish, WA (2026)

7 verified fence regulations for Sammamish, Washington, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Height Limits

Sammamish caps residential fences at 4 feet in front yards and 6 feet in side and rear yards, with a lower 3.5-foot limit inside the sight-distance triangle at corners. Fences up to 8 feet may be approved with a permit and a recorded neighbor agreement.

Sammamish Fence Height Limits

Some Restrictions

Permit Requirements

Standard fences within Sammamish's height limits (4 feet front, 6 feet side/rear) generally do not need a building permit, but a fence taller than 6 feet, or any fence reaching the 8-foot maximum by exception, requires a Type I Construction Permit and a recorded neighbor agreement.

Sammamish Fence Permits

Some Restrictions

Neighbor Fence Rules

Sammamish does not set a general shared-cost rule for boundary fences, but its code makes neighbor cooperation mandatory for tall fences: a fence over 6 feet (up to 8 feet) on a shared side or rear lot line requires a recorded agreement, including a maintenance agreement, with the adjoining owner.

Sammamish Fence Neighbor Rules

Some Restrictions

Retaining Walls

In Sammamish, a fence on top of a rockery, retaining wall, or berm is limited so the fence portion does not exceed 6 feet measured from the top of the wall, and the combined fence-plus-wall height is capped (10 feet in lower-density residential zones). Separate engineering and permits apply to the wall itself.

Sammamish Retaining Walls and Rockeries

Some Restrictions

Fence Requirements

Sammamish defines a fence as a barrier that encloses space or separates lots, made of materials such as stone, brick, concrete block, wood, metal, mesh, or rails. Hedges and vegetation are not fences. Fences must respect height limits, the corner sight-distance triangle, and special shoreline and critical-area rules.

Sammamish Fence Requirements

Some Restrictions

Material Restrictions

Sammamish prohibits barbed wire and razor wire fences in residential zones (R-4 through R-18) except where needed for security at a non-residential use. Electric fences may be installed only as complete, factory-assembled units certified by an approved testing agency.

Sammamish Fence Material Restrictions

Some Restrictions

Approved Materials

Sammamish allows a wide range of fence materials including stone, brick, concrete block, wood, metal, mesh, rails, and composites. There is no general aesthetic material mandate for residential fences, but barbed wire, razor wire, and non-certified electric fences are barred in residential zones.

Sammamish Fence Materials

Few Restrictions

Looking for King County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Sammamish city rules.

Fence Regulations in King County