Hartford County, CT Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Connecticut delegated all zoning power to municipalities through the zoning enabling act, Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 8-2. Counties have no operational government and no zoning authority. Each Hartford County town's planning and zoning commission adopts fence-height regulations as part of its zoning regulations. Common patterns: Hartford Zoning Regulations limit fences in residential front yards to 4 feet and in side and rear yards to 6 feet. West Hartford Zoning Regulations Section 177 follows the same 4-foot front / 6-foot rear convention, with sight-triangle restrictions on corner lots. Manchester Zoning Regulations Article II, Sec. 5 caps residential fences at 4 feet in the front yard and 6 feet behind the front building line. New Britain Zoning Regulations Sec. 290 limits residential fences and walls to 4 feet in the front setback and 6 feet elsewhere. Bristol Zoning Regulations also use the 4 ft front / 6 ft rear pattern. East Hartford Zoning Regulations follow the same conventions. Most Hartford County towns require a building permit for any fence over 6 feet, in line with State Building Code adoption under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 29-252. Connecticut has a 'spite fence' civil cause of action under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 47-43, which lets a neighbor sue when a structure over 6 feet is maliciously erected to annoy. Boundary-fence cost-sharing is governed by Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 47-41 through 47-49 (civil law, not ordinance). Sight-distance triangles at intersections are typically enforced under each town's subdivision and zoning regulations.