Las Cruces, NM Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Sec. 38-60 of the Las Cruces Land Development Code governs every wall or fence in the city, residential and nonresidential alike, regardless of zoning district; a wall or fence is not required except in mobile home and RV parks. Subsection C sets the dimensional limits. A residential lot is capped at a four-foot fence or wall in the required front yard and eight feet in the required rear and side yards. Corner lots get relief on the secondary frontage: an eight-foot fence is allowed there, set behind the primary front-yard setback, but the property must still satisfy the clear sight triangle standards in chapter 32, article VI, so the taller fence cannot block sightlines at the intersection.

Decorative arches or entryways in the required front yard may reach eight feet even though the fence around them tops out at four, provided the arch itself is no wider than eight feet and only one arch is used per front yard. Nonresidential properties get a six-foot allowance in the front yard and the same eight-foot rear/side and corner-lot rules as residential land. 3, from the lowest non-artificially raised grade on that side of the barrier, and the Community Development Director can grant a height adjustment where substantial topographic variation makes that measurement impractical.

Retaining walls follow separate design standards in chapter 32 and require Community Development Department approval before construction. Any zoning violation, including a fence built over these limits, is enforced under Sec. 38-15 and 38-16: each day of noncompliance is a separate offense, the Municipal Court can fine the owner and grant injunctive relief, and a property owner may appeal a Planning and Zoning Commission order to the City Council and then to district court under Sec. 38-14.