Roanoke, VA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Roanoke's Zoning Ordinance regulates fence and wall height under Sec. 2-410(b), part of the citywide supplemental use standards that apply regardless of zoning district. The rule starts with a safety limit: no fence or wall over 36 inches tall, measured from graded ground level, may stand inside a sight distance triangle at a street corner or driveway, protecting sightlines under Sec. 2-410(b)(1). Outside that triangle, height is set by a district-by-district schedule in Sec. 2-410(b)(3). In the RA, R-12, R-7, R-5, R-3, RM-1, RM-2, RMF, IN, MX, and MXPUD districts, a fence between the building line and the street frontage the front door faces is capped at 48 inches; along a secondary frontage where the entrance does not face, the cap rises to 6 feet, and any required side or rear yard also allows 6 feet, except that where one of these residential districts abuts a Downtown, Recreation and Open Space, Commercial-Neighborhood, Commercial-General, Commercial-Large-Site, Light or Heavy Industrial, Industrial PUD, Institutional PUD, or Airport district, the fence may rise to whatever height the abutting district allows along that shared line.

In the Downtown, Recreation and Open Space, Commercial-Neighborhood, Commercial-General, Commercial-Large-Site, Institutional PUD, Urban Flex, and Urban Center districts, any required yard permits 8 feet, and in the Light Industrial, Heavy Industrial, Industrial PUD, and Airport districts, any required yard allows 10 feet. Owners planning a taller fence on a corner lot or near an industrial boundary should check the district-specific table before building, since the allowance often turns on what district touches the property, not only the applicant's own zoning.