Loudoun County, VA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Front-yard fence limit
- 3.5 feet (§7.01.04.B.1.a)
- Side/rear fence limit
- 8 feet residential (§7.01.04.B.2.b)
- Visibility Triangle height cap
- 3.5 feet within 25-ft sides
- Zoning Permit
- Not required for fences (§10.04.A.2)
- Enforcing office
- Loudoun County Zoning Administrator
- Appeal path
- Board of Zoning Appeals, §10.14
Summary
In unincorporated Loudoun County, a fence or wall in a residential front yard cannot exceed 3.5 feet, per Zoning Ordinance §7.01.04.B.1.a. Elsewhere on a residential lot fences and walls top out at 8 feet under §7.01.04.B.2.b. Near any road or driveway intersection, the county's 25-foot Visibility Triangle further caps anything obstructing sightlines at 3.5 feet.
Fences and walls, including retaining walls, provided that no such structure in a residential front yard exceeds 3 1/2 feet in height... Fences and walls, including retaining walls, provided that no such structure may exceed 8 feet in height in residential areas... No impediment to visibility is to be placed, allowed to grow, erected, or maintained within the area described below, which is known as the Visibility Triangle... The sides of each Visibility Triangle are the portions of the road right-of-way lines extending from the apex along each road right-of-way and are each 25 feet in length... Material impediment to visibility within the Visibility Triangle must not exceed 3 1/2 feet in height.
Full Breakdown
04, Buffers, Setbacks, and Yards. a permits fences and walls, including retaining walls, in any setback or yard on the condition that a structure in a residential front yard does not exceed 3 1/2 feet in height. 04, Visibility at Intersections, which applies wherever VDOT does not already control the intersection. At a road intersection the ordinance draws two Visibility Triangles, one on each side, with sides running 25 feet along each right-of-way line from the point where the rights-of-way meet; inside that triangle, material impediment to visibility must not exceed 3 1/2 feet in height.
A comparable triangle governs driveway and alley intersections with public roads, with a 20-foot side along the driveway and a 25-foot side along the road right-of-way. 2 (unless the lot sits in the Floodplain, Mountainside, Limestone, Historic, River and Stream Corridor Resource, or Steep Slopes overlay districts), most homeowners can build without applying, but the height and visibility-triangle limits still apply and are enforced on complaint by the Zoning Administrator.
Violations & Fines
A fence that exceeds 3.5 feet in a required front yard, tops 8 feet elsewhere, or blocks sightlines inside a Visibility Triangle is a Zoning Ordinance violation the Zoning Administrator can act on after inspection, typically by ordering the owner to lower, relocate, or remove the noncompliant section. Owners who believe a lot's unusual shape or grading makes strict compliance unreasonable can seek relief under the Administrative Modification or Variance process in Section 10.03.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can my front-yard fence be in Loudoun County?
Can I build an 8-foot fence in my backyard?
Do I need a permit to build a fence?
What is the Visibility Triangle and how does it limit my fence?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Loudoun County
How Loudoun County compares: Cities That Allow the Tallest Residential Fences·Compare Loudoun County to another location·View the Virginia fence regulations overview
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