Kirkwood, MO Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Section 5-39 measures fence height from the topmost point of the fencing material straight down to the ground, and (b) sets the citywide default at six feet, with fence posts permitted to run up to six inches taller than the fencing material itself. Subsection (c) drops that limit to 48 inches for any fence located in front of the front building line of a residentially zoned or residentially occupied lot; on a corner, through, or other multiple-frontage lot, the 48-inch cap applies only to the street frontage the house is actually addressed on, leaving other frontages under the six-foot rule.

Two use-specific exceptions raise the general cap: fences around tennis courts may run up to 15 feet if built of open-mesh construction, and fences enclosing an institution, public park, public playground, a school site, or a commercial or industrial use may go up to 10 feet. A front-yard fence also has to satisfy the separate openness rule in § 5-40, staying at least one-third open unless it is a stone or brick wall 36 inches or under, and § 5-41 keeps any fence at least 12 feet back from a street curbline and 25 feet back from the point where two street curbs or edges intersect.

The Building Commissioner enforces these limits through the § 5-36 permit process, and the Board of Adjustment can grant a height variance under § 5-45 for undue hardship.