Rio Rancho, NM Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Rio Rancho Municipal Code Section 154.77(B) lists acceptable fence materials as common construction materials including wood, masonry, adobe, chain link, wire mesh, or other materials approved by the Development Services Department (DSD). Barbed wire, concertina wire, or similar material is only appropriate in the E-1/Estate Residential District (where it may be used to confine horses) or in the M-1 and C-2 districts; it is not allowed in ordinary residential neighborhoods. Broken glass in or on fences is strictly prohibited. Electrical fencing, defined in Section 154.77(A) as a fence with wires charged with electricity to confine domestic animals or livestock, may be placed only on the inside of a fence so it is not accessible from adjacent property, and it requires a conditional use permit (Section 154.77(F)(5)). The code's definition of a fence (Section 154.77(A)) is a vertical structure taller than one foot and not more than 20 inches wide forming a barrier; plantings such as hedges are not regulated as fences under this material section. These are city ordinances specific to Rio Rancho; New Mexico's adopted building code governs structural and electrical safety but does not dictate which decorative or security materials a city must permit, leaving material policy to the municipality.