6 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Madison County, Alabama.
Verified from official government sources
Madison County zones its unincorporated area, so the county zoning resolution—not a blank slate—governs fences outside city limits. No Alabama statute caps residential fence height; corner-lot visibility triangles and that resolution set the limits.
Madison County runs both a zoning office and a Building Inspection Department for unincorporated land, so fence work is checked against the county zoning resolution. Call Alabama 811 before digging; cities handle their own permits.
Alabama shares boundary-fence cost by statute. Ala. Code §35-7-3 makes a partition fence between improved lands the joint expense of both adjoining occupants, so a neighbor who ties in pays a proportionate share.
Ala. Code §35-7-3
Partition fences between improved lands are to be erected and repaired at the joint expense of the occupants; or if any person makes a fence a partition fence by joining to or using it as such, he must pay to the person erecting it his proportion of the expense, taking into consideration the condition of such fence at the time it is so joined to or used.
Madison County's Building Inspection Department enforces the adopted building code on unincorporated land, so a retaining wall above the code threshold—generally four feet—needs a permit and engineering. Cities enforce their own codes; drainage harm creates civil liability.
Madison County enforces a residential pool barrier. Its Building Inspection Department requires pools to meet the International Residential Code, Appendix G, Section AG105—a barrier at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates.
No Alabama statute restricts residential fence materials, and Madison County's zoning resolution does not dictate them. Wood, vinyl, chain-link, aluminum, and wrought iron are all lawful. City ordinances or recorded HOA covenants supply the only material limits.
2 cities in Madison County have their own fence regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Madison County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Madison County Ordinance Hub →