Plainfield, NJ Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Subsection D of § 17:9-29 of the Plainfield Municipal Code bars fence and wall materials that endanger people or animals: no fence or wall shall be constructed or installed with barbed wire, metal spikes, or topped with concertina or razor wire, broken bottles or similar materials so as to be dangerous to humans or animals. The section covers fences and walls in all districts of the City of Plainfield, so the ban is not limited to residential lots.

Chain link has its own rules. It is prohibited in front yards in all zone districts under subsection A(3), and in the side and rear yards of residential properties under subsection B(3). Chain link fences existing in front yards on the date the chapter passed can be continued and replaced, but no new chain link fences are allowed in front yards. For nonresidential property, the chain link prohibition in the section names front yards.

Subsection C adds a construction rule: all fences or walls must be built so that the finished side, with no fully exposed structurally supporting members, faces outward away from the property on which the fence sits. Board-on-board and stockade are classed as solid fences, which matters in residential front yards where at least fifty percent of a fence must be nonsolid and open.

Every fence in the City needs an approved development permit before construction, reviewed by the Zoning Officer, so the material question is settled at the permit stage rather than after the fence goes up.