Okaloosa County, FL Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed materials
- Wood, metal, wire, or masonry only
- Banned in residential districts
- Barbed wire, razor wire, chicken wire
- Applies to
- R-1, R-2, R-3, SR zoning districts
- Right-of-way fences
- Need agency permission to cross easements
- Specialty fencing
- Pools, junkyards, livestock follow separate state law
Summary
Okaloosa County requires fences in every zoning district to use customary materials such as wood, metal, wire, or masonry, and bans barbed wire, razor wire, and chicken wire outright in residential districts. The Land Development Code also flags six categories of specialty fencing, from game preserves to swimming pools, where separate state statutes control the material instead of the county's general rule.
4.Fences: Fences are permitted in any zoning district subject to the following restrictions:a.Fences may be installed or constructed along or within any property line.b.Fences must be constructed using customary fencing materials such as wood, metal, wire, or masonry.c.Use of barbed wire, razor wire, or chicken wire is prohibited in residential districts.d.Fences shall not exceed eight feet in height.e.No fence shall be placed across any public right-of-way or public easement unless permission is granted by the agency of jurisdiction.f.Certain uses may be subject to state fencing laws including, but not be limited to: game preserves (Section 379.302, Florida Statutes); open pits (Section 768.10, Florida Statutes); waste disposal (Section 62-701, FAC); junkyards (Section 339.241, Florida Statutes); swimming pools (Chapter 515, Florida Statutes); livestock fences (Chapter 588, Florida Statutes).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23).
Full Breakdown
Land Development Code § 2.21.05.4 sets the baseline fence rule for accessory structures: fences "must be constructed using customary fencing materials such as wood, metal, wire, or masonry," and may be built along or within any property line. Inside that baseline rule sits a flat residential ban: "Use of barbed wire, razor wire, or chicken wire is prohibited in residential districts." The prohibition applies countywide to any lot zoned residential (R-1, R-2, R-3, SR), regardless of whether the fence encloses a yard, garden, or animal pen, and it does not carry an exception for agricultural-style fencing once the parcel sits in a residential district.
The code also flags that certain uses answer to state fencing statutes instead of, or on top of, the county's material rule: game preserves fall under § 379.302, Florida Statutes; open pits under § 768.10; waste disposal sites under Rule 62-701, Florida Administrative Code; junkyards under § 339.241, Florida Statutes; swimming pool enclosures under Chapter 515; and livestock fences under Chapter 588. A property owner fencing a junkyard or a pool, for example, has to satisfy the state's specific material and height standard in addition to the county's "customary materials" language. No fence of any material may cross a public right-of-way or easement without permission from the agency that holds jurisdiction over it, per § 2.21.05.4(e).
Violations & Fines
A fence built with barbed wire, razor wire, or chicken wire on a residential lot is a Land Development Code violation that Growth Management's Code Enforcement Division can cite, ordering removal or replacement with a permitted material. Fencing that also falls under a state statute, such as a pool enclosure under Chapter 515 or a junkyard fence under § 339.241, can draw separate state enforcement on top of the county's material citation if it fails both standards at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a barbed wire fence around my Okaloosa County backyard?
What fence materials does the county actually allow?
Does a swimming pool fence follow this same rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Okaloosa County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Okaloosa County to another location·View the Florida fence regulations overview
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