Rock Hill, SC Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

6(A)(11) requires fences and walls to be built from wood, brick, masonry, stone, wrought iron, decorative metal materials, or products designed to resemble those. Vinyl-coated, dark-colored chain-link is allowed, but only in the rear yard of any district, in the front or side yard of a single-family or duplex lot where the surrounding neighborhood's predominant front-yard material is already chain-link, or in industrial front/side yards where the owner demonstrates a security need through a security plan. Subsection (12) flatly prohibits metal-slat fencing, barbed wire, above-ground electrified fencing, and any fence made of debris, junk, rolled plastic, sheet metal or plywood.

If 50% or more of a nonconforming fence is replaced, the replaced section must be brought into conformance with these material rules under subsection (13). There is one carve-out: in the Rural Residential (RR) and Rural Commercial (RC) districts, barbed wire and electrified fencing are allowed on fences enclosing livestock as long as they're screened from public-road view, per subsection (17). Business districts, Master Plan districts, and public agencies can also apply for a security exception under subsection (16) to use barbed wire or electrified fencing, taller fences, or fencing in yards where otherwise prohibited; the Planning & Development Director approves it on a finding of significantly greater theft or damage risk with no significant adverse effect on surrounding property values.