Mount Vernon, NY Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Residential front-yard fences may be wrought iron, aluminum or masonry that is at least 25% open, up to four feet high; a solid masonry wall alone or combined with another type tops out at three feet. Side and rear yards allow six-foot fences and masonry walls, and if the lot exceeds 7,000 square feet with more than 75 feet of frontage, a fence at least 75% open construction may reach eight feet in those side or rear yards. In business districts, wrought-iron, aluminum or 25%-open masonry fences may run up to six feet in a street-facing yard (four feet if solid masonry facing the street) and up to eight feet in other yards; industrial districts allow at least 25%-open fences up to eight feet in any yard, though a front yard facing a residence district must meet the business-district standard instead.

Citywide, every fence must sit entirely inside the lot lines, the more finished side must face the neighboring property or street, a fence separating a residential lot from a nonresidential one may reach eight feet, and a public-utility or government-use fence may also reach eight feet. Tennis-court enclosures get a separate allowance of up to 10 feet if at least 75% open. 5 feet tall inside the sight triangles at driveway crossings (30 feet along the street, 15 feet along the driveway) and street intersections (40 feet along each street edge), so a legally sized fence can still be an illegal placement if it blocks that corner sightline.