Story County, IA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Story County Code of Ordinances § 88.07, Fences and Walls, sets district-based height limits for unincorporated Story County. In the A-1, A-2, A-R, R-1, R-2 and RMH districts, on any residentially used lot, fences and walls up to eight feet are allowed in the side and rear yards; within the required front yard setback, the limit drops to four and a half feet, though it can be raised to six feet if the fence is built non-view-obscuring, no more than 50 percent opacity. In every other zoning district, fences and walls up to eight feet are allowed anywhere in the yard.

Fences must be built with their best side facing the neighboring property and their structural framework on the inside, must sit within the owner's property lines, and must be maintainable from that same property. Razor wire, barbed wire and concertina wire are banned as fencing material in the A-R, R-1, R-2 and RMH districts, though § 88.07(6) exempts fences governed by Iowa Code Chapter 359A, the state's electric-fence law for livestock enclosures. In-ground swimming pools need at least a four-foot fence designed to prevent a child's unintentional access, plus a zoning permit application under § 92.11 before construction; above-ground pools under four feet, or with secured stairways and ladders, don't need a permit. Separately, § 88.06 bars any fence, hedge, wall, sign or tree from blocking a driver's view within a sight triangle formed by points 150 feet from the center of an intersection, measured 3.5 feet above the roadway.