Portsmouth, VA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Sec. 2-305(D)(2)(d) lists flatly prohibited fence materials citywide: debris, junk, rolled plastic, sheet metal, pallets, plywood, razor wire, and concertina wire. Two more materials get their own subclauses because they come up more often: barbed wire is prohibited in all zoning districts unless specifically approved in accordance with a security plan, and electric fencing is prohibited in all zoning districts with the exception of invisible fences used for containing pets. Getting barbed wire approved isn't a rubber stamp. Sec. 2-305(E) requires a formal site security plan reviewed by the Zoning Administrator, who must find that the applicant considered other security measures, that the property faces a genuinely elevated theft or safety risk, and that the wire won't hurt the visibility or value of neighboring properties.

Even then, the barbed wire itself is capped at three strands, cannot be razor or concertina wire, and cannot extend over the right-of-way or an adjacent property, and any fence using it must also clear a Special Exception under Sec. 2-535. Chain link fencing isn't banned outright but is restricted by district and appearance: it cannot be opaque or carry slats anywhere in the city, must be black or green vinyl-coated in industrial districts, and is prohibited entirely in the city's historic districts and in the D1 T3 through D1 T6 downtown sub-districts.