Oyster Bay, NY Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

1 sets the baseline: a fence or wall not sitting inside a required yard can rise to 10 feet, while one built inside a required yard is held to four feet in any yard abutting a street and six feet in any other required yard. Three districts get more room: in the R1-5A, R1-2A and R1-1A Districts, and in every nonresidence district, a fence or wall up to six feet is permitted in any yard, front, side or rear, without the four-foot street-yard cap. Go over six feet in a nonresidence district and the fence needs either a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals or a site plan approval from the Town Board or the Planning Advisory Board.

Height is measured from the existing grade, and along a street or front lot line it is measured from the elevation of the center line of that street. 5 feet, other than tree trunks, inside the triangle formed by the two street right-of-way lines and a line connecting points 30 feet from their theoretical intersection. In a nonresidence district, a fence with a finished side has to turn that finished face toward the street or the neighboring property, and any landscaping the code requires along that fence goes on the side facing into the lot unless the fence runs along a street.