Ridgewood, NJ Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Village of Ridgewood Code § 190-124F(6) sets materials and construction standards for fences and walls. Where the two sides of a fence or wall differ, the finished or preferred side, meaning whichever best conceals posts, rails and supports or carries paint or stain, must face the street and abutting properties. Walls cannot be faced with unfinished, painted or stained poured concrete, concrete block or cinder block unless the surface is textured to simulate natural stone or built as split-face block. Front-yard fences cannot exceed 60% solid, measured perpendicular to the fence, unless the fence is required as a buffer or screen, in which case it may be completely solid, and front-yard fences are also capped at six inches thick.

Subsection F(6)(d) then flatly prohibits any fence, freestanding wall or retaining wall that could present a danger or hazard to the public welfare, expressly naming fences or walls that are electrified, contain broken glass, razor wire or barbed wire, or carry other sharp edges. This sits alongside the separate fence-height rules in § 190-124F(3) and the pool-enclosure exception, so a material that is otherwise allowed under the height rules can still be barred outright under this hazard clause.