Spokane County, WA Fence Regulations: Neighbor Fence Rules (2026)

200, in the Modifications to Development Standards chapter of the Spokane County Zoning Code, opens with the base rule: buildings may not be constructed in any required yard except for five listed exceptions. Two exceptions bracket the fence rule: eaves, cornices, chimneys, fireplaces and similar ornamentations may project into a required yard up to two feet, and platforms, terraces and steps may extend up to two feet into a required side yard. The operative fence exception is subsection 3: any structure under one hundred twenty square feet, a category that includes essentially every residential fence, may be located directly on a side or rear lot line rather than observing the yard setback that would otherwise apply to a building in the same zone.

The chapter also addresses two other boundary situations relevant to neighbors. Under subsection 4, a corner-lot residence that keeps its required front-yard setback along both the front and flanking street gets a rear yard measured as a twenty-five-foot radius from the inside lot corner, rather than a straight setback line. Under subsection 5, a flanking-yard setback along a state highway can be reduced or eliminated if the Washington State Department of Transportation agrees in writing that access to the highway is prohibited; once approved, the normal side-yard setback of the zone applies instead. 812, which still controls fence placement near intersections and driveways regardless of where the lot line falls.