Jefferson County, MO Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

050, last amended by Ordinance No. 10-0145 in February 2010), sets different height ceilings for each yard of a residential lot. In the front yard setback, a fence tops out at four feet in the "R-40," "R-20," "R-10" and "R-7" districts, but rural and large-lot residential parcels zoned "RA-5" or "LR-2" can go to eight feet in the front setback if the portion above four feet is built two-thirds open, one-third closed, such as a picket or split-rail style. Rear-yard fences can run up to eight feet along any rear lot line that abuts another lot or a public or private thoroughfare, and side-yard fences can also reach eight feet, except that on a corner lot no fence over four feet is allowed forward of the front setback line, protecting sight distance for drivers and pedestrians.

No fence in any yard may be built inside a required landscape area unless the County approves it as part of a development plan. Commercial and industrial parcels follow a looser rule under Subsection B: a fence or wall may go up on any side or rear property line, but it still cannot sit inside the required front setback or come closer to a street than a building would be allowed. Owners planning a taller fence, or one on a corner lot, should confirm placement against the recorded setback lines for their zoning district, since fences are treated as accessory structures under Article VIII's general standards.