Spokane County, WA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Chapter 14.812 of the Spokane County Code sets fence height in the unincorporated county through two linked sections. SCC 14.812.100(1) fixes the base heights: residential fences are allowed up to six feet and nonresidential fences up to eight feet. A stricter cap applies in the front or flanking street yard of a residential lot, where a sight-obscuring fence tops out at three feet and a non-sight-obscuring fence at four feet. A residential fence taller than six feet requires a variance from the hearing body.

The code builds in two flexibilities. Inside a planned unit development, a fence can exceed the stated limit when it is designated on an approved preliminary site plan. Hedges, shrubbery or other materials serving the same function as a fence can be used in place of a fence, but only if they are not part of the required landscaping. Section 14.812.100(1)(e) then ties every fence to the clear view triangle, so a fence that meets the height table can still be illegal at a corner.

SCC 14.812.200 is the sight line rule. Sight obstructions, including fencing and structures, are not permitted inside a clear view triangle as determined by the Spokane County Division of Engineering. For two intersecting local access streets, the triangle is found by measuring one hundred fifteen feet from the center of the intersection along the centerline of each street and joining the two points with a straight line, which forms the hypotenuse. At arterial intersections the Division of Engineering points designers to pages 654 to 680 of the AASHTO geometric design policy and will help a project designer who does not have the guide. Trees inside the triangle must have their branches removed at the trunk from ground level to a minimum of eight feet above ground level, and shrubs or other vegetation must be kept no higher than three feet above the grade of the adjacent street centerline.