Renton, WA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

RMC 4-4-040(D)(4) restricts electric and barbed wire fencing in every residential zone to a special administrative fence permit, and only for the specific circumstance of keeping large domestic animals on the property. The permit is conditioned on the owner adding fencing or an Administrator-approved barrier along the property lines, on top of the electric or barbed wire itself, so a neighbor or passerby cannot come into direct contact with the electrified or barbed section. This sits inside the broader chapter 4-4-040 fence, hedge, and retaining wall standards, which also bar chain link fencing outright in one specific residential scenario: when an owner uses the height exception that lets a fence run 48 to 72 inches in a secondary front yard or a rear yard abutting a street, RMC 4-4-040(D)(2)(e)(i) requires wrought iron, cedar wood, or similar material and states plainly that chain link is prohibited in that setback.

Outside residential zones, the code treats electric and barbed wire differently: RMC 4-4-040(E)(5) and (E)(6) permit both outright in industrial zones (with signage and National Electrical Code compliance for electric fencing, and a six-foot minimum fence height before barbed wire can be added on top), and allow both by special administrative fence permit in commercial zones. That commercial/industrial allowance does not extend to residential parcels without the animal-keeping justification.