Sammamish caps residential fences at 4 feet in front yards and 6 feet in side and rear yards, with a lower 3.5-foot limit inside the sight-distance triangle at corners. Fences up to 8 feet may be approved with a permit and a recorded neighbor agreement.
The City of Sammamish regulates fence height by where the fence sits on the lot. According to the City's Residential Fences handout (No. 220), which cites SMC 21.06.010.E, a fence in a front yard may be up to 4 feet tall, while a fence in a side or rear yard may be up to 6 feet. Within the 15-foot by 15-foot sight-distance triangle at a corner or driveway, fences are limited to 3.5 feet so they do not block visibility. Corner lots and odd-shaped lots with more than one front yard may place a 6-foot fence in the front setback along the street frontage that does not provide access to the property, as long as it stays outside the sight-distance triangle. Taller fences are possible by exception: requests for fences up to 8 feet tall and not exceeding 32 feet in length are considered with a Type I Construction Permit when the fence runs along a shared side or rear lot line and a recorded neighbor agreement is in place. Because Sammamish is an incorporated city, these are city rules, not King County rules. Height is generally measured from existing grade; properties in shoreline jurisdiction face additional limits under SMC Title 25.
Building or maintaining a fence taller than the limit for its yard location, or blocking the sight-distance triangle, can trigger a code enforcement case. The City may require the owner to lower or remove the noncompliant fence; an over-height fence built without the required permit and recorded neighbor agreement may have to be modified at the owner's expense.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in King County.
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