Methuen, MA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Fence rules in the City of Methuen come from the Methuen Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance adopted by the Methuen City Council. Two visibility provisions in § 6.2 do most of the work.

Section 6.2(J), traffic visibility for driveways, lets a fence, hedge, wall, sign or other structure or vegetation be maintained on any lot, provided that in the front yard area no such structure or vegetation is over 2 1/2 feet in height above the adjacent ground within five feet of the front lot line. The exception is a showing that the vegetation or structure will not restrict visibility in a way that hinders the safe entry or exit of a vehicle from any driveway to the street. The burden sits with the owner: the height cap applies unless that showing is made.

Section 6.2(I), traffic visibility across corners, sets a clear zone at intersections. It is measured between the property lines of intersecting streets and a line joining points on those lines 20 feet distant from their point of intersection. For a rounded corner, the measurement uses the point of intersection of the tangents. Inside that zone, no building or structure in any residence district may be erected, and no vegetation other than shade trees may be maintained between a height of three feet and seven feet above the plane through the curb grades. A fence is a structure, so a solid fence in the zone cannot occupy the three-to-seven-foot band.

A separate fence figure appears in § 6.2(L), the screening and space buffer rule for Industrial and Business Districts that abut residential districts. A solid wall or fence five feet to six feet in height, complemented by suitable plantings, can be substituted for the planted buffer strip at the discretion of the permitting agent, and fences there shall not exceed six feet in height. Shrubbery and other growth planted on the property are not subject to the six-foot limit.

Section 7.5(A)(4)(b)[2] applies the corner rule to signs near a corner as well.