La Plata County, CO Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

La Plata County does not print a residential fence height table. Section 70-19, Fences and walls, is marked RESERVED in the Land Use Code, and most of the county outside the Animas Valley is unzoned. The height cap that does exist sits in § 70-17, Landscaping and buffering, and applies to fences and walls that a county permit requires as a buffer. Under § 70-17(VI)(I) those fences and walls must be opaque, non-reflective, and not more than eight feet high, and height is the distance from the top of the fence or wall to the finished grade of the lot directly under it.

Section 70-17 adds design rules for buffer fences. Exposed structural framework faces the interior of the property being developed. A fence or wall running more than one hundred feet along a collector or arterial road needs features such as brick or stone columns, varied alignment or setback, or plantings to avoid a tunneling effect. No fence or wall can obstruct visibility at access points. Fences and walls must be wildlife friendly to the maximum extent feasible, and any fence or wall enclosing one acre or greater must allow safe passage of wildlife. Chain link fencing, with or without slats, cannot be used for buffering adjacent to residential development, and retaining walls over four feet in total height need a professional engineer's design.

Sight distance is a separate limit. Section 70-17 states that no fence, wall, entrance fixture, landscaping, tree or other sight obstruction to motorists or pedestrians can encroach upon the required sight distance at intersections. Section 70-6(I)(A)(6) exempts fences and screening from the setback table.

On the building side, § 18-35 (105.2) lists fences not over 8 feet high as work that needs no building permit, subject to § 105.2.4.