Clarkstown, NY Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Section 290-20B lists 'Permitted obstructions in required yards, courts and usable open space,' and item (5), Fences and walls, is the Town's general fence-height standard. A solid fence or freestanding wall, one with no significant openings, may run up to four and one-half feet high directly on a lot line with no setback required. Anyone who wants a taller solid fence or wall can build it, but only by pulling it back from the lot line a distance equal to two-thirds of the fence's own height, so a six-foot solid wall would need a four-foot setback.

The code carves out one boost: where a Town agency or another provision of Chapter 290 requires screening, such as buffer areas around certain special-permit uses or screening required around larger parking lots, a solid fence or wall may go up to six feet with no setback at all. Separately, a nonsolid fence, an open style like chain-link or split-rail that lets light and view through, may reach six feet anywhere on the lot regardless of setback. The rule sits inside the bulk regulations rather than a stand-alone fence chapter, so it's enforced the same way as other yard and setback requirements, through the Building Inspector's permit review and, on appeal, the Zoning Board of Appeals.