Fence Regulations in Bernalillo County, NM (2026)
4 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
Verified from official government sources
Height Limits
Bernalillo County's zoning ordinance caps most fences and walls built within a required setback at eight feet, while requiring a solid six-foot wall or fence wherever a nonresidential zone touches a single-family residential zone. Corner lots must also keep fences, hedges, and signs out of the sight triangle so drivers and pedestrians have a clear view at intersections.
Bernalillo County Fence Height & Sight Triangle Rule
Some RestrictionsBernalillo County Code, App. A (Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance), § 19; § 22.B.3; § 4.G
Where a nonresidential zone which is hereafter developed for a business purpose abuts a residentially zoned property, special buffer landscaping is required to minimize noise, lighting and sight impact of the nonresidential activities in the residential area. ... B.In a nonresidential zone, a solid wall or a solid fence at least six feet high shall be erected on sides abutting a single family r...
Fence Permit Requirements
Bernalillo County requires a permit before building a fence in the unincorporated county, but exempts fences and freestanding masonry walls that stand six feet or under, so most residential yard fences never need paperwork.
Bernalillo County Fence Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsBernalillo County Code § 10-36 (Uniform Administrative Code § 105.1-105.2)
105.1 Required. Except as specified in subsection 110.2, no building, structure or building service equipment regulated by this Code and the Technical Codes shall be erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, improved, removed, converted, or demolished unless a separate appropriate permit for each building, structure or building service equipment has first been obtained from Bern...
Retaining Walls
Bernalillo County exempts a retaining wall from a building permit only if it stands three feet or less from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall and does not hold back a surcharge load or store Class IO, II, or IIIA liquids. Anything taller, or any wall carrying those loads, needs a permit and often a licensed engineer's design.
Bernalillo County Retaining Wall Permit Rule
Some RestrictionsBernalillo County Code § 10-33 (Uniform Administrative Code §§ 105.1, 105.2(4), 107.1.1)
105.1 Required. Except as specified in subsection 110.2, no building, structure or building service equipment regulated by this Code and the Technical Codes shall be erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, improved, removed, converted, or demolished unless a separate appropriate permit for each building, structure or building service equipment has first been obtained from Bern...
Material Restrictions
Where a buffer fence is required between commercial or industrial land and a single-family residential zone in unincorporated Bernalillo County, it must be 'visually solid' construction: masonry, decorative block with limited openings, or dense evergreen hedging. Open-style fencing like chain-link doesn't qualify.
Bernalillo County Fence Material Rules
Some RestrictionsBernalillo County Code, App. A (Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance), § 5
Solid Wall or Fence. A wall, fence or similar enclosure which is visually solid and is kept in good repair. It may include evergreen hedges, trees planted six feet or less apart depending on the type of trees, decorative walls which may have openings and provided the total area of all the openings in such walls does not exceed 25 percent of the total area of the surface of these walls and furth...
Fence Regulations by City in Bernalillo County
1 cities in Bernalillo County have their own fence regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Bernalillo County ordinances
See every category we cover for Bernalillo County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Bernalillo County Ordinance Hub →