Franklin County, NC Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

UDC § 6.7.2.A makes barbed wire a default prohibition and lists exactly four exceptions: industrial districts, agricultural uses, protection of public utilities, and security fencing installed under § 5.3.1, the outdoor storage standard for parking recreational vehicles and boats. Ordinary residential lot fencing does not fall into any of those categories, so a homeowner cannot add barbed wire to a standard yard fence even if it sits along a rear lot line otherwise allowed to reach 6 feet under § 6.7.1.A. Where barbed wire is lawfully used under one of the four exceptions, § 6.7.2.B requires it to be fully screened year-round by vegetation of an appropriate height, meaning the wire itself must stay hidden rather than merely set back.

Section 6.7.2.C carves out one further exception to the screening rule itself: jails and detention centers do not have to screen their barbed wire, since the code recognizes that visible security fencing serves a purpose at those facilities. The barbed wire standard sits alongside the general fence material rule of § 6.7.1.B, which limits fences generally to high-quality materials such as brick, stone, decorative block, wrought iron or vinyl-coated chain link. Violations of either the prohibition or the screening requirement are enforced under UDC Article 3, with the Administrator issuing a correction order and, if uncorrected, pursuing a civil penalty up to $500 or a Class 3 misdemeanor charge.