Fence Regulations in Scranton, PA (2026)
4 verified fence regulations for Scranton, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Height Limits
Scranton residential fences top out at four feet in a front yard and six feet in a side or rear yard, dropping to four feet along an alley. Non-residential lots allow ten-foot fences, cut to six feet next to a home or an alley.
Scranton Fence Height Limits By Yard And Zone
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 445-23.A(1), (2)
The maximum height of a fence panel in a front yard shall be four feet. ... The maximum height of a fence panel in a side or rear yard shall be six feet, except when abutting alleys, where the maximum height shall be four feet.
Fence Permit Requirements
Scranton requires a zoning permit before building or altering a fence worth more than $500 in fair market value, while a fence under that threshold needs no zoning permit at all, unless it sits in the Floodplain or Airport Hazard Overlay, where a permit is required regardless of cost.
Scranton Fence Zoning Permit Threshold
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 445-74B(1)(a)[2]; § 445-74B(1)(b)[1]
A zoning permit shall be required prior to: ... The placement, erection, construction, improvement, or alteration of a structure, or portion thereof, including a fence, that has a fair market value exceeding $500, except that a zoning permit shall be required prior to all construction or development located in the Floodplain Overlay and the Airport Hazard Overlay, regardless of cost; ... No zon...
Retaining Walls
Scranton's zoning code permits a retaining wall built for the geotechnical needs of a lot, but the City's construction code amendments require a building permit before that wall goes in, the same as a fence or a water tank.
Scranton Retaining Wall Permit Requirement
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 445-23C and § 201-2D
Retaining walls necessary to support the geotechnical needs of a lot shall be permitted. ... A permit is required for the exceptions listed in § 403.1(b) (relating to scope), and the following construction: (1) The following building construction, replacement or repairs: (i) Fences. (ii) Retaining walls.
Material Restrictions
Scranton bars any fence with sharp, pointed pickets or barbed wire on property abutting a street, and its zoning code separately limits every fence in the City to a defined list of durable materials, excluding items like razor wire, plywood, sheet metal, and corrugated metal.
Scranton Bans Barbed Wire and Sharp-Picket Fences
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 412-1 and § 445-23A(7)
No person shall erect or build on property abutting on any street, avenue, court or place a fence made of iron, wood or any other material that shall have sharp, pointed pickets or which has barbed wire. ... All fences must be constructed of wood, chain link, stone, rock, concrete block, masonry brick, brick, decorative wrought iron, or other material(s) which are similar in durability. Unaccep...