Martin County, FL Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Sec. 204 governs fences, walls and hedges everywhere in unincorporated Martin County. Two general safety rules apply first: no fence, wall or hedge may be erected within six feet of a fire hydrant or other emergency apparatus, and none may create a visual obstruction to vehicular traffic. The setback exception in Sec. B then does the real work for most homeowners: a fence, wall or hedge that stands six feet or less, measured from the adjacent natural grade, is exempt from the setback line that would otherwise apply in that zoning district, meaning it can generally run right up to the property line.

That exemption shrinks sharply on a corner lot, however. Within the sight triangle, the area formed by measuring 25 feet along both the front and side lot lines from the point where they meet at the street intersection, a fence, wall or hedge is limited to 30 inches in height, again measured from natural grade, so drivers can see around the corner. Materials are also restricted: fences and walls cannot be built with broken glass, spikes, exposed nails, barbed wire or electrical elements, though in nonresidential areas a one-foot wire extension is allowed on top of a fence that is already six feet tall, and barbed wire is not barred in agricultural areas. Adding that wire extension counts as adding to the fence's height for setback purposes.