Volusia County, FL Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned materials
- Barbwire and electric fencing
- Applies to
- R-1–R-9, OCV/OMV/OTC/OUR, SWC/SWR, MH-1/2/5/6/7
- Exception
- Public utility uses and structures
- Easements
- No wall allowed in any platted easement
- Exempt zones
- Agricultural, conservation, public use (§72-282(4))
- Governing section
- Volusia County Code § 72-282(5)
Summary
Volusia County bans barbwire and electric fencing across every standard residential zoning classification, from R-1 through R-9 to the county's mobile-home and office-residential districts. The only carve-out is fencing around public utility uses and structures. The same section separately bars any wall from being built inside a platted easement, regardless of classification.
Prohibited fencing. Except for public utility uses and structures, barbwire or electric fences are prohibited in the R-1 through R-9, OCV, OMV, OTC, OUR, SWC, SWR, and MH-1, MH-2, MH-5, MH-6 and MH-7 classifications. No wall shall be erected in any platted easements.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 108 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Section 72-282(5) of the county's supplementary zoning regulations flatly prohibits barbwire and electric fences in the R-1 through R-9 single- and two-family residential classifications, the OCV, OMV, OTC and OUR office and use districts, the SWC and SWR classifications, and the MH-1, MH-2, MH-5, MH-6 and MH-7 mobile-home classifications. Public utility uses and structures are the sole exception, reflecting the fact that utility substations and similar infrastructure legitimately need barbwire or electrified perimeter security that a residential yard does not. The prohibition sits inside the same section that sets fence heights and materials (section 72-282), so a homeowner reviewing height limits for a side or rear yard is reviewing the identical section that bans these two materials outright; there is no separate barbwire ordinance to search for.
The subsection also prohibits erecting any wall, of any material, inside a platted easement anywhere in the unincorporated county, a rule that applies regardless of zoning classification and is not limited to the barbwire/electric carve-out. Because the ban is written by classification rather than by lot type, it reaches virtually every subdivision lot in unincorporated Volusia; residents in the excluded classifications (agricultural, conservation and public-use zones, which section 72-282(4) exempts from this section entirely) are the main properties where barbwire fencing legitimately shows up, typically for livestock containment.
Violations & Fines
A prohibited barbwire or electric fence is a straightforward zoning code violation, handled the same way as any other Chapter 72 breach: the zoning enforcement official issues a notice and correction period, and an uncorrected violation goes to the county's code enforcement board. Under section 1-7, a court conviction carries up to a $500 fine and 60 days in jail; the enforcement board can separately fine up to $1,000 per day for a first violation and $5,000 per day for a repeat one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a barbwire fence around my rural residential property in Volusia County?
Is electric fencing ever allowed in a Volusia County subdivision?
Can I build a wall inside my platted easement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Volusia County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Volusia County to another location·View the Florida fence regulations overview
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