Marietta, GA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

04 sets fence and wall height by location rather than a single citywide number. In every district except LI, HI and PID, a fence in the front yard on a public or private street is capped at 4 feet and must be ornamental or decorative, not just utilitarian wire or stockade panels. Move to a major side yard, or the rear yard of a double-frontage lot, and the cap rises to 6 feet, still with the ornamental requirement. Subdivision entrance fences and walls along a right-of-way get a separate allowance up to 8 feet if built of high-grade metal, wood, brick, stone or stucco with columns no farther than 40 feet apart, maintained by the owner or HOA and approved by city staff before construction.

Every other yard situation tops out at 8 feet. 04(E): a front yard fence on an arterial or collector street is capped at 6 feet and must be ornamental, with 8 feet allowed elsewhere. No fence anywhere may sit closer than 2 feet to a public right-of-way, and its finished side, the side without visible posts and rails, must face outward toward the street or neighbor. Barbed wire, spikes or an electric charge are barred entirely from a street-fronting yard on residential, commercial, CBD or office property, and everywhere else must stay at least 6 feet above the ground and add no more than 20 inches to the fence's total height.