The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County code does not restrict materials for standard single-family residential fences in the unincorporated county. Wood, vinyl, chain-link, and similar materials are allowed; over-six-foot fences need engineered footing plans.
For ordinary residential fences, the county's published fence requirements set no list of permitted or prohibited materials — the controlling issues are height (the six-foot permit threshold), staying on your property, and avoiding easements and sight triangles. Any fence over six feet requires engineer-sealed plans showing the footing design, which effectively imposes structural standards on tall or masonry fences. HOA covenants, not enforced by the county, are the most common source of material or color restrictions. Non-residential and buffer/screening situations can carry additional UDO landscaping or opacity standards.
There is no material-based penalty for residential fences; enforcement centers on unpermitted over-six-foot fences and encroachments into easements or sight triangles.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Home backyard composting is allowed in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County. There is no ordinance requiring or banning it, but a compost pile must not become a nuis...
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Neither Winston-Salem nor Forsyth County has a specific ordinance banning or mandating artificial turf for home lawns. Its use is governed by general zoning,...
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Since 2024 Winston-Salem lets residents replace lawns with registered Natural Landscape Areas of native plants. Turf grass must stay under eight inches, area...
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Collecting rainwater is legal in North Carolina, and no county or city may prohibit cisterns or rain barrels used for irrigation. Forsyth County sets no ban....
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North Carolina has no statewide homeowner watering ban, and there is no permanent year-round schedule in Winston-Salem/Forsyth. Mandatory odd/even watering d...
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Winston-Salem defines 'rank noxious vegetation' over eight inches as a nuisance, including non-native grasses, invasive plants, poisonous plants, and untende...
See how Forsyth County's material restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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