Lynchburg, VA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Sec. 17-20 states flatly that barbed wire shall not be used in the construction of any fence unless such wire is at least seven feet above the adjacent ground level, which as a practical matter keeps it off residential yard fencing and limits it to security fencing well above head height. Sec. 17-21 separately bans any pointed fence erected within the city that would be a hazard to public safety, regardless of height. Electric fences get the most detailed treatment, in Sec. 17-22. An electric fence is defined as one designed to conduct electric current along one or more wires so that a person or animal touching any wire will receive an electric shock, and the section only allows them under a specific set of standards: construction must conform to International Standard IEC 60335-2-76, the energizer must run off a commercial storage battery not exceeding 12 volts DC charged primarily by a solar panel, the electric fence must be completely surrounded by a separate non-electrical fence or wall meeting Zoning Ordinance standards, and it can only be installed along the perimeter of non-residential storage areas, meaning ordinary residential yards cannot have one at all.

Height is capped at two feet above the surrounding perimeter fence, warning signs reading Warning - Electric Fence must appear at intervals of not less than 30 feet, and the owner must install a Knox remote power box or equivalent device and notify the police and fire departments of the fence's location once it goes up. Separately, Sec. 17-23 requires any retaining wall in the city to be adequately designed and drained so as to resist all lateral pressure to which it may be subject.