Beaufort County, SC Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- CDC § 5.4.40
- T-zone/C3 front yard
- 4 ft maximum
- T-zone/C3 side/rear yard
- 6 ft maximum
- C4/C5/S districts
- up to 8 ft front, side, rear
- Corner visibility
- kept out of sight triangles, § 5.4.70
- T1/T2 rural exemption
- single-family lots exempt entirely
Summary
Beaufort County caps residential fences at four feet in front and corner side yards and six feet in side and rear yards across its Transect Zones and the C3 Zone, measured from natural grade, with an eight-foot cap in the C4, C5 and S districts and a separate rule keeping fences out of corner sight triangles.
All fences and walls shall conform to the following standards unless exempted by Subsection C below, and except as otherwise provided in Section 5.4.70 (Visibility Clearance). In all cases, heights are measured from natural grade. A. Transect Zones and C3 Zone. Fences or walls shall not exceed a height of four feet in front yards and corner side yards located between the side street right-of-way and the side of a structure, or a height of six feet in side and rear yards. B. C4, C5, and S Zones. Except for fences or walls providing required screening, fences and walls in the C4, C5, and S districts shall not be permitted in front and corner side setback areas, shall not exceed a height of eight feet in the remainder of front and corner side yards, and shall not exceed a height of eight feet in rear yards.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 55 Update 1 | Community Development Code: Supplement 16).
Full Breakdown
40 (Height Requirements for Fences and Walls) sets the county's baseline fence heights. In the Transect Zones and C3 Zone, Subsection A limits fences and walls to four feet in front yards and in corner side yards between the side street right-of-way and the side of the structure, and six feet in side and rear yards, with heights always measured from natural grade. Subsection B allows the C4, C5, and S districts to go higher: fences there cannot sit in front or corner side setback areas at all unless they provide required screening, may reach eight feet in the remainder of the front and corner side yards, and up to eight feet in rear yards.
70 (Visibility Clearance), which requires fences and walls to be placed outside any required sight triangle or other area needed for visibility, covering the corner-lot and driveway sightline concern directly. 5.
Violations & Fines
A fence built taller than these limits, or placed inside a required sight triangle under Section 5.4.70, is a violation of Article 9 of the Development Code. Code Enforcement sends a written notice of violation under Section 9.4.40 describing the excess height and the deadline to cut it down or remove the fence; an owner who does not comply can be issued a Uniform Summons Ticket for county court. Section 9.5.10 makes the violation a misdemeanor carrying up to a $500 fine or 30 days imprisonment, with each day the oversized fence stays up treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can my backyard fence be in Beaufort County?
Are there taller fence limits for commercial districts?
Does the county have a corner-lot sight-triangle rule for fences?
Is my rural property exempt from the county's fence height limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Beaufort County
How Beaufort County compares: Cities That Allow the Tallest Residential Fences·Compare Beaufort County to another location·View the South Carolina fence regulations overview
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