Auburn, WA Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

ACC 18.31.020(B)(3) sets a bright-line trigger for when a fence needs a building permit in Auburn: any fence exceeding 84 inches in height. Below that threshold, most residential fences can go up without city permit review, subject to the height caps by setback found in ACC 18.31.020(C). The permit trigger interacts with how fence height is measured: under ACC 18.31.020(B)(5), if a fence sits upon or is elevated by a retaining wall, its height is measured starting from the base of the retaining wall, not the fence's own base, so a shorter fence on top of a tall wall can still cross the 84-inch line and require a permit.

The code flags this explicitly: 'building permits may be required for fences erected on retaining walls.' The retaining wall provisions in ACC 18.31.025 add another permit trigger that interacts with fences: even a retaining wall under 48 inches, which is otherwise exempt from setback restrictions, may still require a building permit under ACC 18.31.025(C)(4) if trees or other landscape features could impact the wall, for example through root intrusion, or if the wall will bear a surcharge load. Gates built into a fence carry their own access requirements rather than a separate permit trigger: ACC 18.31.020(F)(1) requires vehicle gates to be set back far enough inside the lot to create a vehicle refuge area so a waiting car does not block the street, and ACC 18.31.020(F)(2) requires any locking gate that cannot be opened from the outside to provide emergency access acceptable to the fire marshal.