7 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Richland County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
In unincorporated Richland County, residential fences and walls in a required front yard may not exceed 4 feet, and fences in side or rear yards may not exceed 7 feet. Retaining walls are excluded. Inside Columbia, Forest Acres, or Blythewood, the city's own code governs.
Unincorporated Richland County generally requires a building permit for fences over 7 feet tall or for fences and walls built of masonry or concrete, which need structural review. Standard residential wood or wire fences within the height limits usually do not need a permit, but must still meet zoning setbacks.
Richland County's zoning code sets fence height and location but does not decide who pays for a shared boundary fence. Cost-sharing and finished-side ('good neighbor') questions are private property matters governed by South Carolina common law and any recorded agreements or HOA covenants, not by county ordinance.
Retaining walls are excluded from the residential 7-foot fence height limit in unincorporated Richland County, but masonry or concrete walls generally require a building permit and structural review. Larger walls may also involve grading and stormwater review under the county's land-disturbance program.
A compliant fence in unincorporated Richland County stays within the 4-foot front and 7-foot side/rear height limits, keeps clear of corner sight-triangles, sits on your own side of the property line, and meets zoning setbacks. Pools and certain uses have their own mandatory fencing rules.
Richland County LDC Ch. 26 (Sec. 26-172, swim/tennis club standards)
Swimming pools shall be protected by a fence or equal enclosure, a minimum of four (4) feet in height and equipped with a self-closing gate provided with hardware for permanent locking.
Richland County's LDC does not ban common residential fence materials like wood, vinyl, chain-link, or aluminum, but masonry and concrete walls require a building permit and structural review. Screening and buffer fences for certain uses must be opaque and meet minimum heights.
Richland County LDC Sec. 26-176(f)(6) (buffer screening)
The fence must be a minimum of eight (8) feet in height... The wall must be a minimum of six (6) feet in height.
Common residential fence materials—wood, vinyl, aluminum, and chain-link—are allowed in unincorporated Richland County within the height limits. Masonry and concrete walls need a building permit and structural review. Required buffer screening must be opaque, and its finished side must face away from the property being screened.
Richland County LDC Sec. 26-176(f)(6)
The fence must be a minimum of eight (8) feet in height (finished side facing away from screened property).
1 cities in Richland County have their own fence regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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