Tangipahoa Parish, LA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum post thickness
- 4 inches (square, split, or round)
- Maximum post spacing
- 10 feet center to center
- Barbed wire strands required
- 5 four-point wires
- First wire height
- 10 inches above ground
- Legal authority
- R.S. 33:4875
- Electric fence rule
- Not addressed in parish code
Summary
Tangipahoa Parish's own fence code does not ban barbed wire or electric fencing; instead Sec. 12-34 sets the material and construction spec for a 'lawful fence' in the parish, requiring posts at least four inches thick set no more than ten feet apart and five strands of four-point barbed wire at specified heights. No separate residential fence-material ban appears in the code.
Lawful fences within the limits of the parish shall be composed of the following materials and built as follows: ... (1)All fences shall be built of strong posts split, sawed or round. All square posts shall be at least four inches square. All split posts shall not be less than four inches wide on each face and round posts not less than four inches in diameter. All posts shall be well and firmly set, not more than ten feet apart from center to center.(2)There shall be strung on these posts not less than five four-point barbed wires, of which the first shall be strung at ten inches above the surface of the ground; the second wire shall be strung eight inches above the first wire; the third wire, eight inches above the second wire; the fourth wire, ten inches above the third wire; and the fifth wire, 12 inches above the fourth wire.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 12, Article II of the Tangipahoa Parish Code addresses fence materials through Sec. S. 33:4875. Rather than prohibiting materials such as barbed wire or electric fencing, the section defines what materials and construction make a fence 'lawful' within the parish: posts must be strong, split, sawed or round, at least four inches square if square, at least four inches wide on each face if split, and at least four inches in diameter if round, set firmly no more than ten feet apart center to center.
On those posts, the parish requires not less than five four-point barbed wires strung at specific heights: the first ten inches above the ground, the second eight inches above the first, the third eight inches above the second, the fourth ten inches above the third, and the fifth 12 inches above the fourth, all stretched tight. The section also allows an existing hog-mesh fence 26 inches high to qualify as lawful if three additional four-point barbed wires are added above the mesh at four, six, and 12-inch intervals.
This is a boundary and livestock fence specification, tied to the parish's animal-restraint rules in Chapter 10, rather than a zoning or aesthetic ordinance for residential yards; the parish has no zoning districts, and no separate provision in the code restricts fence materials for house lots.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 12-34 itself carries no separate fine; a fence built with thinner or fewer posts, or fewer than five properly spaced barbed wires than the section specifies, is not a 'lawful fence' for boundary and livestock-restraint purposes. Because animal owners must properly restrain animals under Sec. 10-130, a boundary fence that fails this specification can factor into a Sec. 10-132 trespass violation, punishable by up to $500.00 or 30 days in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tangipahoa Parish ban barbed wire fences?
Does the parish regulate electric fences?
Can an old hog-wire fence still be lawful?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tangipahoa Parish
Compare Tangipahoa Parish to another location·View the Louisiana fence regulations overview
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