Lynnwood, WA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential vision-obscuring cap
- 6 ft (8 ft with adornment)
- Commercial/industrial cap
- 8 ft
- Street lot line setback
- 15 ft
- Intersection sight triangle
- two 30-ft sides
- Driveway sight triangle
- two 15-ft sides
Summary
Lynnwood caps vision-obscuring fences, hedges and walls at six feet in residential zones (eight feet with a decorative arbor or trellis on top) and at eight feet in commercial or industrial zones, while barring any vision-obscuring fence within 15 feet of a street lot line or inside an intersection or driveway sight-distance triangle.
A. Height and Composition Standards. 1. Vision-obscuring fences and hedges are solid or partially open fences and hedges more than four feet in height, but not exceeding six feet in height or eight feet in height with an attached adornment (i.e., arbor, trellis, or other decorative features attached on the top of a fence) in residential-zoned areas and not exceeding eight feet in height in commercial- or industrial-zoned areas. ... B. Location Standards. 1. Vision-obscuring fences, hedges, and walls may be located on all portions of a residential-zoned lot, except: a. Within 15 feet of a street lot line. b. Within an intersection sight distance triangle.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3512, passed May 26, 2026).
Full Breakdown
0330(A) defines vision-obscuring fences and hedges as solid or partially open fencing more than four feet tall, capping them at six feet in residential zones, or eight feet with an attached adornment such as an arbor or trellis on top, and at eight feet outright in commercial or industrial zones; height is measured from the ground elevation on the fence's higher side. 165 says otherwise. Multifamily lots may place a four-to-six-foot vision-obscuring fence anywhere outside the sight triangles with administrator approval, and commercial zones allow fences up to eight feet on interior lines as long as they sit no closer to the right-of-way than the nearest building, or up to six feet elsewhere with administrator sign-off.
0320 top out lower for solid fencing (four feet) but allow open, driver-visible fencing to six feet residentially (eight with an adornment) and eight feet commercially or industrially.
Violations & Fines
A vision-obscuring fence, hedge or wall built above the six-foot residential or eight-foot commercial/industrial cap, or placed within 15 feet of a street lot line or inside an intersection or driveway sight-distance triangle, violates LMC 8.40.0330 and is enforced through the code compliance process in Chapter 8.90 LMC; a disputed fence determination can be appealed to the hearing examiner under LMC 8.40.0310(E), which may order the fence modified or removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can a privacy fence be in a Lynnwood residential yard?
Can I add a trellis to build my fence higher?
How close to a street corner can I build a solid fence in Lynnwood?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lynnwood
How Lynnwood compares: Cities That Allow the Tallest Residential Fences·Compare Lynnwood to another location·View the Washington fence regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Height Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle height limits.