Bessemer, AL Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

7, Walls and fences, sets two rules that govern every residential fence project in the city. First, a general safety standard: 'No fence, wall, planting or structure shall be located so as to constitute a hazard to pedestrian or vehicular traffic on the public right-of-way,' with the Bessemer Police Department and the city engineer of public safety assisting in determining whether a hazard exists, a provision that functions as the ordinance's corner-visibility check even though it does not fix a numeric sight-triangle distance. Second, a height cap specific to front yards: 'No wall or fence in a required front yard shall exceed a height of three and one-half feet, except as required for a retaining wall,' and any fence built to that height must be 'a decorative fence and approved by the building official' before installation, not simply left to the homeowner's judgment.

Because the cap applies only within the required front yard set by Table 2 for the applicable district, taller fences, up to the six-foot height typical in most cities, are permitted once the fence is behind the front-yard line, in the side or rear yard. 7's own limits rather than the general yard-modification allowances for awnings or eaves.