Dunwoody, GA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Section 27-267 sets the baseline: in residential zoning districts, fences and walls located in a street yard cannot exceed four feet. Where a residential lot backs onto a collector or arterial street, fencing within that street yard can go up to eight feet, but a lot that fronts a collector or arterial street is still capped at four feet in the front yard itself. The community development director can approve an administrative permit under Article V, Division 7 letting a residential corner lot's side yard fronting a street carry a fence up to six feet, addressing the corner-lot situation directly.

Every other fence or wall in the city, meaning side and rear yards away from a street, is capped at eight feet unless another part of the zoning ordinance states a different limit. Height is measured from the natural adjacent grade on the lowest side of the fence to its top, so a sloped lot is measured from its low point, not an average. Section 27-289 backs the height limits with a separate visibility rule: no fence, wall, structure, sign, or plant material may sit within 15 feet of where two street rights-of-way, or a street and a railroad right-of-way, would intersect if extended.

A building permit is required before installing any fence or wall in a front yard or a side yard fronting a street, issued by the community development department within one business day of a complete application at no cost under section 27-266.