Lehigh County, PA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Pennsylvania has no general statewide fence-height law. Under the Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247 of 1968, 53 P.S. §10603), municipalities may regulate the location, height, bulk, and setback of fences and walls through their zoning ordinance. Lehigh County does not maintain a countywide zoning ordinance for parcels inside the 25 municipalities that have adopted their own zoning. The City of Allentown adopted a comprehensive new Zoning Ordinance (No. 16166) on October 15, 2025; under the prior and current Allentown zoning code, fences in residential zone districts are limited to 4 feet in any front yard (measured from the front lot line to the front building line) and 6 feet in side and rear yards. Solid (opaque) fences are typically capped at 4 feet in the front yard to preserve sight lines. In commercial and industrial districts, fences may go up to 8 feet, with barbed wire generally permitted only above 6 feet on industrial parcels. Corner-lot fences must comply with the Allentown 'sight triangle' provision - typically a 25-foot triangle from the curb intersection in which no fence over 30 inches is allowed. Other Lehigh County municipalities (Whitehall, Salisbury, Lower Macungie, Upper Macungie, South Whitehall, Hanover, Upper Saucon, etc.) have substantially similar rules but with district-specific variations - for example, agricultural districts often allow fences up to 8 feet without permit, while planned residential districts may impose stricter materials standards. Most municipalities require a zoning permit before fence installation; some add a building permit for fences over 6 or 7 feet (per Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, IRC §R105.2 typically exempts fences not over 7 feet from building permits, but local zoning permits may still apply). Spite fences (intentionally built to harass a neighbor) can be challenged civilly under Pennsylvania common-law nuisance principles.