Lancaster County restricts no fence materials. Municipalities do. The most common restriction is on barbed wire and razor wire: Manheim Township bars them on residential fences and allows them only for commercial or industrial security, six feet or higher off the ground. Check your local zoning ordinance.
Fence-material rules are municipal, not county, under MPC §603. Manheim Township prohibits fences “constructed of barbed wire, razor, or other sharp components capable of causing injury” unless required for commercial or industrial security, and then only where the sharp portion sits at least six feet above ground. Barbed wire counts toward the 8-foot maximum on commercial and industrial fences. Some Lancaster County boroughs and Amish-farm townships have looser rules for agricultural fencing. Because material restrictions differ across the 60 municipalities, confirm what's allowed — especially for barbed wire, electric, or chain-link fences — with your local zoning officer.
Prohibited materials (e.g., barbed or razor wire on a residential fence) are a municipal zoning violation, subject to a removal order and daily fines under the local ordinance.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Lancaster, PA
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Lancaster, PA
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See how Lancaster's material restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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