Wilmington, NC Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Section 18-554 of the zoning ordinance governs fences, walls, and screens across the city. Subsection (b) bans any open wire fence capable of inflicting injury from casual contact, the code's own example is barbed wire, below a height of six feet in any zoning district; taller sections of that kind of fencing are allowed, and ordinary hurricane or chain-link fencing may go up in any yard. Subsection (e) goes further for front yards specifically: chain link, woven wire, and electric or barbed wire fences are prohibited in front yards in every zoning district, with narrow exceptions for bona fide farms, electric and gas substations, and government facilities.

The same subsection separately bars fences and walls built of exposed concrete block, tires, junk, or other discarded materials anywhere in the city, not just front yards. Height limits layer on top of the material rules: front-yard fences, walls, or screens are capped at four feet, with the board of adjustment able to grant a variance up to six feet along thoroughfares if at least half the fence above four feet is open enough to see through; side and rear yard fences top out at eight feet.

A fence, wall, or screen must also be installed with its finished side facing neighboring properties and the right-of-way, kept in a sturdy, upright, repaired condition, and must not block emergency access. None of the height limits apply to fencing around electric or gas substations, water or sewer facilities, government facilities, or chain-link around tennis courts and ball-field backstops. Separately, Sec. 11-5 bars any barbed-wire fence within one foot of a city street right-of-way anywhere in the city unless the city engineer approves it.