Lynnwood, WA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Electric fences
- banned citywide except LI/P-I
- Electric fence approval
- administrator, miscellaneous/essential-facility permit
- Barbed wire
- banned except atop 6-ft utility/industrial fence
- Self-storage fences
- chain-link prohibited (LMC 8.35.0375)
- Electric fence standard
- must meet state/city electrical code
Summary
Lynnwood prohibits electric fences citywide except in the LI and P-I zones with administrator approval, and bans barbed wire fencing entirely unless it tops a six-foot solid or chain-link fence around a public utility, industrial plant site or similar use the administrator has approved.
A. An electric fence encompasses any fencing material with any amount of electrical current used for deterrence. B. Electric fences are prohibited throughout the city of Lynnwood, except in the LI and P-I zones and may be allowed only by the administrator through the application for a miscellaneous permit or as part of an essential public facility permit. ... No fences incorporating barbed wire are permitted except that barbed wire may be used on top of a six-foot-high solid or chain link fence surrounding a public utility, an industrial plant site, or similar site (as determined by the administrator).
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3512, passed May 26, 2026).
Full Breakdown
0340, Electric fences, defines an electric fence as any fencing material carrying any amount of electrical current used for deterrence. Subsection (B) prohibits electric fences throughout the city of Lynnwood except in the LI and P-I zones, and even there allows them only if the administrator approves through a miscellaneous permit application or as part of an essential public facility permit; subsection (C) requires any allowed electric fence to conform to state or city electrical codes. 0350, Barbed wire fences, is a flat ban: no fence incorporating barbed wire is permitted, with a single carve-out allowing barbed wire on top of a six-foot-high solid or chain-link fence surrounding a public utility, an industrial plant site, or a similar site as the administrator determines.
0375(A)(1)(a). Together these provisions mean an ordinary Lynnwood residential fence can never be electrified or topped with barbed wire, no matter the zone, unless the narrow industrial or utility-site exception applies.
Violations & Fines
Installing or maintaining an unapproved electric fence outside the LI or P-I zones, or any barbed wire fencing not confined to the top of an approved six-foot solid or chain-link fence at a utility or industrial site, violates LMC 8.40.0340 or 8.40.0350 and is enforced through the code compliance process in Chapter 8.90 LMC, which can order the fence removed or brought into conformance; a self-storage operator who installs chain-link fencing instead of the required decorative material also violates the separate standard in LMC 8.35.0375(A)(1)(a).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put an electric fence around my Lynnwood property?
Is barbed wire fencing allowed on a residential property in Lynnwood?
Are chain-link fences banned everywhere in Lynnwood?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lynnwood
Compare Lynnwood to another location·View the Washington fence regulations overview
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Material Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle material restrictions.