York County does not enact a county-wide fence ordinance. Zoning and fence regulation in Pennsylvania is performed by individual boroughs and townships, each with their own codes. Pennsylvania state law (29 P.S. § 41 et seq.) governs partition (shared boundary) fences, primarily for agricultural property; for typical residential boundaries, neighbors are not required to share fence costs unless livestock is involved or both parties agree.
Pennsylvania's home-rule structure places zoning and fence regulation at the borough or township level — York County itself does not adopt a county-wide fence ordinance. The York County Planning Commission confirms that each zoning polygon in the county represents the currently adopted zoning designation "provided by local municipal ordinances," so the actual fence rules (height, setback, permit) for any address depend on which municipality (e.g., York City, Spring Garden Township, Dover Borough) it falls in. At the state level, Pennsylvania's historic partition fence law (29 P.S. § 41 et seq.) requires adjoining landowners to maintain an equal share of "line or division fences," with township-appointed fence viewers resolving disputes. However, courts have limited this to agricultural property where livestock containment is at issue; a 1999 decision exempted purely residential landowners from being forced to share boundary-fence costs when one neighbor neither wants nor needs the fence. For shared boundary fences placed directly on the property line, Pennsylvania caselaw holds both owners share construction and maintenance only by agreement. Property surveys are strongly recommended before installation to avoid encroachment disputes that may later be governed by the Doctrine of Consentable Lines.
Because the county does not enforce a fence ordinance, violations are pursued either (a) by the relevant municipality under its zoning code, or (b) civilly between neighbors as a property dispute (trespass, nuisance, encroachment, or unjust enrichment for shared maintenance). The Pennsylvania partition fence statute allows a township to appoint fence viewers to resolve disputes and assign maintenance shares; for residential cases with no livestock, courts typically decline to compel cost-sharing.
See how York County's neighbor fence rules rules stack up against other locations.
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