New Braunfels, TX Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

New Braunfels sets fence and wall standards in Section 144-5.3-2 of the Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 144). The maximum height for a fence or wall is eight feet for one- or two-family lots and also eight feet for non-residential, multifamily, and park areas. Fence height is calculated as the vertical distance from the lowest adjacent ground level (inside or outside the fence) to the top of the tallest element of the fence, not counting ornamental features affixed to the top of a post, pillar, or column. In a required front yard, no fence or wall may be constructed taller than 36 inches, except that a fence at least 50 percent open may be up to four and one-half (4.5) feet tall. A fence may extend from the front or rear corners of a building through the side yard at the maximum allowed height. Ornamental features may sit atop a screening fence as long as they obstruct less than 50 percent of the opening at the top. Special rules apply to parks (generally 36 inches, or 50 percent open) and to residential buffer walls required where larger multifamily or non-residential development abuts single- to four-family residential land (a solid masonry wall 6 to 8 feet tall). Fences are prohibited within drainage easements. Always confirm against the current code, which the city has been updating through a Land Development Ordinance rewrite.