Mount Vernon, NY Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

B(3)(f) is a flat, citywide prohibition: electrically charged fences, barbed-wire fences and any other fence built from sharp materials are not permitted, with no carve-out for residential, business or most other districts. The single exception applies only in the I-Industrial District, and it comes with three conditions that all have to be met together: the barbed wire or razor wire must be mounted at least eight feet above the ground, it must not be visible from any residence district within 250 feet of the property, and the City Council itself has to approve it before installation.

B(3): every fence and wall has to sit completely inside the lot lines, and if one side of a fence looks more finished than the other, the finished side has to face the neighboring property or street rather than the fence owner's own yard. Those general rules apply on top of the material ban, so an industrial property that clears the barbed-wire exception still has to keep the rest of its fence inside its lot lines and present its finished face outward toward the neighbor or street.