Haverford, PA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Haverford Township Code § 182-727(D) lists the material and construction limits for fences, walls and retaining walls. Subsection (D)(5) is a flat ban: no barbed wire, metal spike or other dangerous fence shall be hereafter erected or maintained. The word maintained matters, because an existing barbed-wire or spiked fence is not protected by its age and violates the section as long as it stands. The catch-all phrase other dangerous fence gives the Zoning Officer room to apply the ban to any fence built in a hazardous way, not only the two types named.

Subsection (D)(6) governs masonry: no unfinished masonry units may be used in the construction of any wall facing an adjacent property and/or street right-of-way. Raw concrete block on the neighbor side or the street side fails this rule, so a block wall needs a finished surface on any face that looks toward an adjoining owner or the public way.

Subsection (D)(2) adds a fire safety screen at the permit stage. The Zoning Officer shall not grant a permit for the erection of any fence or wall which constitutes a fire hazard, either of itself or in connection with the existing structures in the vicinity, nor which will interfere with access by the Fire Department to buildings in the vicinity or which will constitute a hazard to street traffic or to pedestrians.

The finished-side rule in § 182-727(D)(3) applies to every fence, and temporary fences around construction work under the Building Code are excepted by § 182-727(D)(1) as long as they are removed immediately after the project. The text of § 182-727 does not list other prohibited materials by name, so wood, vinyl, metal and masonry fences are tested against these dangerous-fence, fire-hazard and finish rules and against the height and location limits in the same section. Every fence still needs Zoning Officer approval and a permit under § 182-727(A).