Fairfax, VA Fence Regulations: Fence Requirements (2026)

The City of Fairfax generally allows residential fences to be installed along the property line without a specific setback from that line, but there are several practical constraints. Fences may not be installed in the public right-of-way, which often extends several feet beyond the back of the sidewalk or curb, so the fence may need to be pulled in from what homeowners think is their front boundary. Utility easements typically allow the utility to remove a fence without compensation to access infrastructure, so fences crossing easements are built at owner risk. Corner lots must respect sight-distance triangles at intersections and driveways, with maximum 30 inch height allowed within the triangle, typically a 25 by 25 foot area. Drainage easements have similar constraints. Installing a fence on a neighbor property, even by inches, creates a civil trespass matter that the city does not resolve; a professional boundary survey from a Virginia licensed land surveyor is the only reliable way to confirm the line. Disputes with neighbors over shared fences are handled through private civil remedies because Virginia has no statutory shared fence cost framework.