Surprise, AZ Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

E of the Land Development Ordinance flatly prohibits chain link, razor wire, barbed wire, and electrified wire fencing anywhere in the city, subject only to three narrow carve-outs. Chain link may go up for an approved temporary use, or at public facilities and recreational amenities such as sport courts, baseball fields, batting cages, and golf ranges, where it may even exceed the standard fence height limits. 5; razor wire and electrified wire carry no exception at all and cannot be installed on any residential, commercial, or industrial lot in Surprise.

5, which cap residential fence height at six feet, or eight feet including an architectural embellishment or decorative cap, and require fence height to be measured from the top of the footer rather than from artificial fill added just to gain extra height. View fences, which allow visibility through the material, are the preferred approach where full screening is not specifically required elsewhere in the code. Any fence or wall, prohibited-material or not, still needs a building permit under LDO Chapter 105, and for subdivisions and multi-family or non-residential development a wall plan identifying materials, colors, and locations must be submitted with the plat or site plan.

Fences also cannot block pedestrian or multimodal connections, and gates onto adjacent parcels require the neighboring owner's authorization. Owners with existing barbed or electrified fencing should confirm status with Community Development, since the ordinance carries no blanket grandfather clause for these specific materials.