Under the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO, a residential fence six feet or under needs no building permit; anything over six feet triggers a permit and engineer-stamped plans. No zoning setback applies to the fence itself.
The joint Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Unified Development Ordinances (UDO, NCGS Ch. 160D) and the Inspections Department govern fences on unincorporated county land. The six-foot mark is the key threshold: fences at or below six feet need no building permit, while taller fences require a permit plus scaled building plans (fence elevation and footing design) sealed by an engineer. There is no dimensional setback from the property line for the fence, but corner-lot sight triangles and easements still constrain placement. Homeowner-association covenants may impose stricter limits; the county does not enforce those.
Building a fence over six feet without the required permit and engineered plans is a UDO/building-code violation; Inspections can issue stop-work orders and require permitting or removal.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Forsyth County's height limits rules stack up against other locations.
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