Douglas County, CO Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

§ 1-715(8) of the Douglas County Zoning Resolution states plainly that barbed, electrically charged, concertina, or razor wire is prohibited in the SR Suburban Residential District, the zoning that covers the great majority of unincorporated subdivisions, including Highlands Ranch. The ban is total for the district: unlike some rural zoning, § 1-715 carves out no allowance for keeping livestock or for security fencing, so a homeowner cannot install any of the four barred wire types regardless of lot size or use. Residential fence options instead run through the rest of § 1-715: a solid wood, vinyl, chain-link, or masonry fence or wall up to six feet, four feet in a street setback under Subsection 2, or a woven-wire or ornamental-iron fence that is at least 80% open, which can go higher than six feet with no maximum under Subsection 3, though a permit is required past six feet either way.

The county treats its zone districts differently on this point: its separate A-1 Agricultural One District rule, § 1-313(5), reads, 'Barbed wire or electrically charged fences shall be allowed. Any electrically charged fence shall be clearly and conspicuously posted to warn those outside the fence that it is electrically charged. Concertina or razor wire is prohibited,' allowing barbed wire and electric fencing on agricultural-zoned land with warning signage, while banning only concertina and razor wire there. That agricultural allowance does not extend into SR-zoned residential subdivisions.