Tuscaloosa, AL Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Section 25-150(a) of the Tuscaloosa Zoning Ordinance lists materials that may not be used in fences and walls: fabric, rolled plastic, or plastic tarps; fiberboard; plywood; sheet metal; in the MFR, MFRU, Business, and Institutional districts, chain link on fences located in the front yard; razor wire, concertina wire, and similar security fencing materials; and barbed wire or above-ground electrically charged wire, except for the confinement of livestock or domestic animals as part of an agricultural use. There is a narrow safety valve for non-residential uses: under the Security Exemption (Sec. 25-152), a landowner with property in a Business or Industrial district who needs heightened security may submit a security exemption plan to the Director of Planning proposing barbed wire, razor wire, concertina wire, or electrically charged wire atop a fence (or a taller fence). The Director may approve it only on finding the site faces significantly greater danger of theft or damage, or a significant public-safety hazard, than surrounding land; if denied, the applicant may seek a variance under Sec. 25-43. These material rules work alongside the residential 'open front' requirement in Sec. 25-150(b), which restricts front-setback fences in residential districts to mostly open materials such as wrought iron, pickets, or chain link.