Pierce County, WA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

d, "Fences and Retaining Walls," fences and retaining walls may be erected within required setbacks to a maximum height of 6 feet, or a maximum height of 8 feet for security fencing necessary for a Utility Use, Industrial Use, or an Agricultural Use, provided all applicable sight distance requirements of Title 17B PCC are met. That means a homestead fence topped with barbed wire is not treated as a prohibited material outright; instead the barbed wire strand itself counts toward the ceiling. " For a fence built on a rockery, retaining wall, or berm, the measurement instead starts from the ground on the high side of that rockery, retaining wall, or berm.

Practically, a residential fence already at 6 feet cannot legally add barbed wire on top without exceeding the cap, since the wire raises the measured height past the limit unless the property qualifies for the 8-foot security-fencing allowance tied to a Utility, Industrial, or Agricultural use. Ordinary residential lots do not qualify for that 8-foot allowance, so barbed wire is effectively unusable on a standard 6-foot residential fence. Sight distance compliance under Title 17B PCC is a separate, mandatory condition even for a compliant height, since a fence that blocks a driver's sightline at a driveway or intersection can be ordered altered regardless of its height. C, including a showing of special circumstances unique to the property and no significant adverse environmental impact.