Skagit County, WA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SCC 14.22.030
- Razor wire zones
- commercial, industrial, aviation-related only
- Barbed wire height cap
- 5 feet above grade elsewhere
- Exempt uses
- agriculture, public facility, marijuana, utility, wireless
- Also exempt
- wildlife fencing
- Setbacks
- set separately in SCC Chapter 14.28
Summary
SCC 14.22.030 confines razor wire to commercial, industrial and aviation-related zones and caps barbed wire fencing at five feet above grade everywhere else in unincorporated Skagit County, with exceptions for farms, essential public facilities and wildlife fencing.
(1) Razor wire is only allowed in commercial, industrial, and aviation-related zones, unless permitted as part of an essential public facility or utility development.
(2) Barbed wire fencing material may not be installed more than five feet from grade. This provision does not apply:
(a) In commercial, industrial, and aviation-related zones;
(b) When permitted as part of an agricultural use, essential public facility, marijuana production/processing facility, utility development, or wireless facility; and
(c) To wildlife fencing.
Full Breakdown
010. 030, splits the two wire types differently. Razor wire is allowed only in commercial, industrial and aviation-related zones, unless it is part of an essential public facility or a utility development, meaning a residential or agricultural property cannot install it. Barbed wire fencing is allowed more broadly but is capped at five feet above grade, a limit that does not apply in commercial, industrial and aviation-related zones, when the fencing is part of an agricultural use, an essential public facility, a marijuana production or processing facility, a utility development or a wireless facility, or when the fencing is wildlife fencing. 200, so a fence that clears the material rule can still be noncompliant on placement grounds.
Violations & Fines
Installing razor wire outside an allowed zone, or barbed wire higher than five feet without a qualifying exemption, violates SCC 14.22.030 and is enforceable as a Title 14 violation, drawing a civil penalty of $100 per day per violation under SCC 14.09.330(2)(a) and potential removal under a stop-work or abatement order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put barbed wire on my residential fence in unincorporated Skagit County?
Is razor wire ever allowed on a farm fence?
Does the fence material rule cover hedges?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Skagit County
Compare Skagit County to another location·View the Washington fence regulations overview
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