Upper Darby, PA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Fence material standards sit in § 550-39D, Fence materials, within the township's 2022 fence ordinance. Subsection D(2) is an outright prohibition: no fence may be constructed, erected or maintained that contains barbed wire, metal spikes, razor ribbon, or other dangerous materials, a ban that applies townshipwide with no residential/nonresidential distinction. Electrified fencing gets its own flat prohibition under D(8). Chain-link is treated differently: D(6) allows it only in rear and side yards, with an exception carved out for the R-3 and R-4 Residence Districts, where the higher-density housing pattern apparently made the township comfortable allowing more chain-link.

D(4) sets the baseline material list for ordinary residential fences, landscape walls and decorative posts: wood, stone, brick, vinyl and wrought iron, unless another part of the chapter says otherwise, while D(3) gives nonresidential properties a broader palette that adds concrete and wire mesh to that list. Metal fences made of a metal fabric, chain-link included, must be galvanized or otherwise rust-treated and built from wire at least 11 gauge or heavier under D(5), unless a separate, thicker pool-fence gauge standard applies instead. Front yard fences carry an added transparency rule under D(1): they must be open enough that the property's street address stays visible, unless the address is posted on the fence itself or elsewhere in view from the street.