Stratford, 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 Fairfield County town's planning and zoning commission adopts fence-height regulations as part of its zoning regulations. Common patterns: Stamford Zoning Regulations Sec. 7.4 limits fences in residential front yards to 4 feet and in side and rear yards to 6 feet, with sight-line restrictions on corner lots. Bridgeport Zoning Regulations Sec. 12-12-1 follows the same 4-foot front / 6-foot rear convention. Norwalk Building Zone Regulations Sec. 118-1430 caps residential fences at 6.5 feet behind the front building line and 4 feet in the front yard. Greenwich Building Zone Regulations Sec. 6-141(a)(13) limits residential fences and walls to 4 feet in the front setback and 6 feet elsewhere, with masonry walls subject to special permit above 4 feet. Danbury Zoning Regulations Sec. 4.A.5 also uses 4 ft front / 6 ft rear. Most Fairfield 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.