Harford County, MD Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Harford County Code § 267-24B sets height ceilings for fences and walls placed inside required yards in unincorporated Harford County. In a front yard, a residential fence or wall is limited to 4 feet above ground elevation, but that limit rises to 6 feet where the fencing is an integral part of the unit design or applied consistently throughout the project. Continuing care retirement communities get a higher allowance still: up to 8 feet with coordinated, consistent fencing, provided strategically located gates are built in for emergency access.

Two carve-outs raise the front-yard limit to 6 feet outright: a fence on a double-frontage or corner lot may reach 6 feet as long as it does not extend past the front facade of the dwelling, and a fence along an arterial road may reach 6 feet with approval from the County Department of Public Works or the State Highway Administration. Rear and side yard fences and walls are capped at 8 feet, except tennis court fencing, which may go up to 12 feet. Security fences protecting business, industrial or institutional uses are capped at 10 feet above ground, unless a taller fence is needed to satisfy buffer yard requirements found elsewhere in Chapter 267.

Every fence and wall covered by this section first needs the zoning certificate required by § 267-24B's opening sentence, issued by the Department of Planning and Zoning.