Pawtucket, RI Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Section 410-47C(2)'s height table sets a maximum residential fence height of six feet along side and rear lot lines, but the front-facing 'yard with street frontage' is split by fence type: a closed fence, meaning one where more than 50% of the side area is opaque or covered, tops out at three feet, while an open fence, defined as one where 75% or more of the side area can be seen through, such as chain link, is allowed up to four feet. Riverfront Development district fences are capped at six feet on every yard, while Commercial fences may reach eight feet, and Manufacturing, Public Cemetery and Public Open district fences may run up to ten feet, all measured the same way across street-facing, side and rear yards.

Section 410-47C(3) layers a driveway-specific rule on top of the yard limits: any closed fence must step down to three feet for a distance of eight feet from the property line, on either the front or side lot line, wherever it sits next to a driveway, so a driver backing out can see approaching pedestrians and traffic. Corner lots get an additional restriction under the table's footnote 3, which requires all fencing on a corner to meet the street-corner visibility setback in Section 410-55, an eight-foot triangle at intersecting lot lines where no fencing or vegetation may exceed three feet above the curb grade.

On a corner lot with multiple street-facing yards, the Zoning Director decides with the Planning Department which lot line counts as front, side or rear for height purposes.