6 rules for unincorporated Gloucester County, New Jersey.
Verified from official government sources
New Jersey sets no statewide fence-height limit, so height is fixed by each Gloucester County municipality's zoning ordinance. Deptford, Washington Township, Monroe, Glassboro, Harrison, and Franklin Township each cap residential fences, commonly six feet in rear and side yards and four feet in front.
A standard residential fence six feet or under needs no Uniform Construction Code permit anywhere in New Jersey. In Gloucester County the only approval is a municipal zoning permit, issued by Deptford, Washington Township, Monroe, Glassboro, Harrison, or Franklin Township to confirm height and setback.
New Jersey imposes no statute forcing neighbors to share a boundary fence's cost, so cost-splitting in Gloucester County is voluntary. The binding neighbor rule is common law: a fence built maliciously to injure an adjoining owner is a spite fence a court can order removed.
A retaining wall over four feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing, needs a New Jersey Uniform Construction Code permit and engineered design. Shorter unloaded walls are exempt. Gloucester County municipalities enforce this through their construction and zoning offices.
Every residential pool in Gloucester County must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high with a self-closing, self-latching gate that opens outward. The requirement comes from New Jersey's Swimming Pool and Spa Code under the Uniform Construction Code and is enforced statewide.
N.J.A.C. 5:23 (New Jersey Swimming Pool and Spa Code, 2018 ISPSC) §§ 305.2.1, 305.3
The top of the barrier shall be not less than 48 inches (1219 mm) above grade where measured on the side of the barrier that faces away from the pool or spa. Pedestrian access gates shall open outward away from the pool or spa, shall be self-closing and shall have a self-latching device.
No New Jersey statute restricts residential fence materials, so wood, vinyl, aluminum, and chain-link are all allowed across Gloucester County. Any limits come from a municipality's zoning ordinance, which may bar barbed wire or electric fencing in residential zones or govern the finished side.
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