Carrollton, TX Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Fence Regulations Ordinance, Ch. 154
- Enforcing office
- Development Services Department
- Max fine
- $2,000 per day (§10.99(A)(2))
- Appeal window
- 30 days to Property Standards Board
- Electric fence exception
- Low-voltage interior wire for pets only
- Effective
- Ordinance 3563, adopted 8/20/2013
Summary
Carrollton bans several fence materials outright: electrically charged fencing, chicken wire, hog wire, welded or woven wire fabric, chain, cut or broken glass, corrugated or galvanized metal panels, plywood, fiberglass panels, and slats threaded through chain-link. The only electric-fence exception is a single-strand, low-voltage wire installed inside a yard to contain pets. The Development Services Department enforces Chapter 154's Fence Regulations Ordinance, with violations punishable by up to $2,000 per day.
The following types of fences are prohibited. It is unlawful for any person to erect, maintain or permit a fence that: (A) Is electrically charged in any manner, except that single-strand wires designed to conduct electricity through an approved low-voltage regulator shall be allowed along the fence's interior for the purposes of securing pets within a fenced yard. (B) Is constructed with rope, string, wire products including but not limited to chicken wire, hog wire, wire fabric, and similar welded or woven wire fabrics, chain, live bamboo, netting, cut or broken glass, paper, corrugated metal panels, galvanized sheet metal, plywood or fiberglass panels or any other materials that are not manufactured specifically as fencing materials... (D) Is constructed with slats of any material (including, but not limited to: metal, fiberglass, and bamboo) threaded through a chain-link fence... (F) Is constructed with metal panels.
Full Breakdown
09 of Carrollton's Fence Regulations Ordinance (Ordinance 3563, adopted August 20, 2013) makes it unlawful for any person to erect, maintain or permit a fence built from prohibited materials. Electrically charged fencing is banned outright except for a single-strand, low-voltage wire installed along a fence's interior specifically to keep pets contained. Wire products are barred by name: rope, string, chicken wire, hog wire, welded or woven wire fabric, chain, live bamboo, netting, and cut or broken glass, along with paper, corrugated metal panels, galvanized sheet metal, plywood, and fiberglass panels.
09(F) bans metal panels outright. 09(B)(1) allows a dog window up to two square feet cut into a fence and covered with corrosion-resistant material. 08, which limits Single-Family and Duplex Residential Districts to wood, vinyl, wrought iron, brick/stone, and chain-link, and allows chain-link only for replacement fences or interior lot lines, not street-facing lines. Industrial and Freeway Districts may add barbed wire atop a chain-link fence, but never where it is visible from an arterial thoroughfare or highway. 05(A) reinforces the ban, requiring that no fence material be used except those listed and regulated in the chapter. 19(A). 99(A)(2)(q), a conviction is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Building or maintaining a fence with a banned material, an electrified fence without the low-voltage pet exception, or metal panels threaded through chain-link is a misdemeanor under Chapter 154. Because fences fall in section 10.99(A)(2)(q)'s zoning and safety tier, a conviction carries a fine up to $2,000, with each day the violation continues charged as a separate offense. Owners may appeal a Development Services notice to the Property Standards Board within 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put an electric fence around my Carrollton yard?
Is chain-link fencing legal in Carrollton's residential neighborhoods?
Why was my chicken-wire garden fence cited by code enforcement?
What happens if I appeal a fence-material violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carrollton
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Carrollton to another location·View the Texas fence regulations overview
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