Norman, OK Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

NCC 36-552 bans specific fence materials wherever a fence sits along a side or rear residential property line: it may not be constructed of corrugated fiberglass, corrugated metal, or unpainted sheet metal, nor contain any barbed wire. The same restriction is repeated for the mandatory screening fences that commercial, industrial, and multifamily developments must build along any boundary abutting single-family or two-family property. Painted sheet metal is not barred by name, only unpainted sheet metal, corrugated fiberglass, and corrugated metal panels, so a painted metal panel fence can still pass inspection where a bare or corrugated one would not.

Chain link is not on the prohibited list either, and neither are wood, masonry, brick, or vinyl privacy panels, which remain the common compliant choices citywide. The barbed-wire ban is absolute for these residential-adjacent fence lines: there's no height or use exception written into the section the way there is for fence height, so barbed wire cannot be added to the top of an otherwise compliant eight-foot fence. Any masonry or brick wall built on one of these lines that needs a permanent foundation also can't be placed inside a utility easement without written consent from every affected utility franchise holder, a separate requirement layered on top of the material rules.