The Unified Development Code sets fence heights and materials but not private cost-sharing; in unincorporated Shelby County boundary-fence disputes and shared costs fall under Tennessee partition-fence law and property lines rather than the county code.
In unincorporated Shelby County the Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code (UDC Section 4.6.7) regulates fence height, materials, and setbacks but does not address who pays for a shared boundary fence or how neighbors split costs. Those matters follow Tennessee's partition-fence statutes (Tenn. Code Title 44, Chapter 8) and property law. A fence must sit on the owner's own property unless neighbors agree in writing to a boundary-line fence. The UDC affects neighbors indirectly: Sub-Section 4.6.7E(6) requires that any fence side with exposed posts and rails not face public streets in residential and open districts, and clear-sight-triangle rules (Section 4.4.7) limit fences near corners and driveways. Boundary and encroachment disputes are civil matters, not handled by the county.
The county enforces UDC height, material, and sight-triangle standards, not private ownership disputes. A fence encroaching on a neighbor's land or blocking a required sight triangle can trigger a Code Enforcement correction notice; cost-sharing and boundary disagreements are civil claims.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Shelby County's neighbor fence rules rules stack up against other locations.
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