Fence Regulations in Josephine County, OR (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Josephine County, Oregon.
Verified from official government sources
Height Limits
In rural Josephine County, outside the Grants Pass and Cave Junction urban growth boundaries, sight-obscuring fences and walls may reach 7 feet in a residential interior yard, but any fence, wall, hedge or vegetation over 3 feet tall is barred from the vision clearance triangle at corner lots and alley intersections under JCC §§ 19.73.020 and 19.73.030.
Josephine County Fence Height And Vision Rules
Some RestrictionsJosephine County Code §§ 19.73.020, 19.73.030(A)
On all corner lots and lots located at the intersection of alleys and streets, vision clearance areas shall be triangular in shape with the following minimum distances establishing two legs of the triangle: 15 feet for corner lots and seven and one-half feet for lots at the intersection of alleys and streets. No fences, walls, hedges or vegetation exceeding three feet in height when measured fr...
Fence Permit Requirements
In rural Josephine County outside the Grants Pass and Cave Junction urban growth boundaries, a fence that stays within the height limits set in Chapter 19.73 JCC (Fences, Walls and Screens) is not a structure and needs no development permit. A fence that exceeds those limits is, by the code's own definition, a structure and must go through the standard development permit process.
Fence Permits in Rural Josephine County
Some RestrictionsJosephine County Code § 19.72.020
§ 19.72.020. Structure height and setback requirements. ... A. The following minimum requirements shall be applied to all permitted, administrative, conditional, and accessory structures allowed by this title unless specified otherwise. Fences which meet the height requirements set forth in Chapter 19.73 JCC (Fences, Walls and Screens), utility poles, flagpoles, or irrigation system components ...
Retaining Walls
In rural Josephine County outside the Grants Pass and Cave Junction urban growth boundaries, a retaining wall in any residential, commercial or industrial zone cannot exceed four feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing. Retaining walls sit alongside a separate seven-foot sight-obscuring fence limit, and both give way to the county's corner-lot vision clearance triangle.
Josephine County Retaining Wall Height Limit
Some RestrictionsJosephine County Code § 19.73.030(A)-(B)
In any residential zone, a retaining wall not over four feet in height as measured from the bottom of the footing, and a sight-obscuring fence or wall, not to exceed seven feet in height, may be located or maintained in any interior yard except where the requirements of the vision clearance area, pursuant to JCC § 19.73.020, apply ... In any commercial or industrial zone, a retaining wall not o...
Material Restrictions
In unincorporated Josephine County, a sight-obscuring fence cannot be built from root balls, hay bales, junk, appliances, inoperable vehicles or equipment, plastic sheeting, or tarps. JCC § 19.73.030(C) bans these temporary or portable materials on both permanent and temporary screening fences in every zone the chapter covers.
Josephine County Sight-Obscuring Fence Materials
Some RestrictionsJosephine County Code § 19.73.030(C)(1)
Permanent or temporary sight-obscuring fences shall not be constructed of temporary or portable materials such as, but not limited to, root balls, hay bales, junk, appliances, inoperable vehicles or equipment, plastic sheeting, or tarps.
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