7 rules for unincorporated Escambia County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
In unincorporated Escambia County, residential fences may reach 3 feet in the front yard (4 feet if transparent) and 8 feet in side and rear yards. In the City of Pensacola the limits are 4 feet 6 inches front and 6 feet 6 inches side and rear.
Escambia County LDC § 5-9.4(a)
Maximum heights for fences constructed in residential districts, except those on Pensacola Beach, shall be: ... Front yard 3 feet [opaque] / 4 feet [transparent which do not obstruct light, air and visibility]; Side yard 8 feet; Rear yard 8 feet.
A standard residential fence in unincorporated Escambia County does not need a building permit, but it still needs land-use (zoning) approval from Development Services. County Code § 14-89(3) exempts light-frame fences under 10 feet from a building permit while keeping the land-use review requirement.
Escambia County Code § 14-89(3)
Work exempt from permit: ... (3) Fences of light-frame construction not over ten feet high. Exemption does not include land use approval from development services.
Escambia County LDC § 5-9.4(b) lets fences go to the street right-of-way and to common (shared) property lines, but no fence may block visual clearance along a right-of-way or interfere with site drainage. The county does not set cost-sharing between neighbors; that is a private civil matter.
Escambia County LDC § 5-9.4(b)
Fences shall be permitted to the street right-of-way or marine/estuarine/riverine setback (MERS) line and common property lines. No fence shall be permitted to obstruct visual clearance along a right-of-way. ... No fence or hedge shall be constructed or installed in such a manner as to interfere with drainage on the site.
In Escambia County a retaining wall over 4 feet tall (measured from the bottom of the footing to the top) needs a building permit, and any wall supporting a surcharge or impounding liquids needs one at any height. Walls 4 feet or under are permit-exempt under County Code § 14-89(5).
Escambia County Code § 14-89(5)
Work exempt from permit: ... (5) Retaining walls that are not over four feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge or impounding Class I, II or IIIA liquids.
Escambia County LDC § 5-9.4(a) measures fence height by averaging readings taken at 8-foot intervals along the property line, including any berm or sloping ground. Barbed-wire and electrified fences are limited to rural (A, RR, RMU) districts; below-ground electric fences are allowed in all residential districts.
Escambia County LDC § 5-9.4(a)
Height shall be measured and averaged at regular intervals along the property line. The final height shall be determined by averaging the dimensions obtained at eight-foot intervals along the property line. Height includes height of the berm and sloping grounds.
The City of Pensacola bans electrical fences and fences with cutting edges such as razor, ribbon or concertina wire (Code § 12-3-63). In unincorporated Escambia County, barbed wire and above-ground electric fences are allowed only in rural (A, RR, RMU) districts, not standard residential neighborhoods.
City of Pensacola Code § 12-3-63(a)(2)
No electrical fences or fences with cutting edges, including, but not limited to, fences using razor, ribbon or concertina wire, shall be permitted within the city.
Escambia County LDC § 5-9.4(c) lists the fence materials suitable for use in unincorporated areas: masonry, chain link, chain link with slatting, wood, cast iron, aluminum, plastic, and precast concrete. Barbed and electrified fencing is restricted to rural districts under the same section.
Escambia County LDC § 5-9.4(c)
Permitted fence materials. Suitable fence materials are as follows: Masonry, chain link, chain link with slatting, wood, cast iron, aluminum, plastic, and precast concrete.
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