Cabarrus County, NC Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Cabarrus County's Development Ordinance regulates fence height for all lots in the unincorporated county at Section 6-9, Height limitation on fences in residential districts. Rear and side yard fences are limited to seven feet, while any fence in the front yard cannot rise above five feet. The ordinance carves out one exception: fences built specifically for recreational use are exempt from both height caps. Property owners on corner lots must also respect the sight-preservation triangle set out in Section 6-8, Visibility at intersections: nothing, including a fence, may be planted, placed or erected between two and one-half feet and ten feet above the street centerline grade inside the required 10-foot by 70-foot triangle measured from the existing or planned right-of-way.

A fence that blocks that zone violates Section 6-8 even if it meets the Section 6-9 height limit. Fences built in a regulated floodway carry an added restriction: they cannot impede the flow of water or the natural function of the floodway, per the closing sentence of Section 6-9. The Cabarrus County Planning and Development Department, which administers Chapter 6 of the Development Ordinance, reviews fence compliance during site-plan and zoning review for new construction, and property owners should confirm their property line before building since no survey is required by the county for a residential fence.