Bellevue, NE Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Bellevue Code of Ordinances § 8-18.5(A)(2) deletes Section 301.2.1(2) of the 1997 Uniform Administrative Code, the item that had exempted fences six feet or shorter from the city's building permit requirement, in its entirety. With that exemption gone, the Uniform Administrative Code's permit-exempt list no longer covers fences of any height, so anyone erecting a fence in the City of Bellevue, Nebraska must first apply for a building permit through the Permits and Inspections Department, which keeps a record of every application under § 8-19.

Permit fees track the city's Master Fee Schedule referenced in Tables 3-A through 3-H (§ 8-18.5(A)(4)), and when submittal documents are required a plan review fee of 25 percent of the building permit fee applies (§ 8-18.5(A)(5)). A fence built before the permit is pulled exposes the property owner to an investigation fee under § 8-18.5(A)(6): twice the normal fee if the owner comes forward voluntarily, or four times the fee once the department issues a stop-work order. Once issued, a fence permit expires under § 8-20 if the work is not started within 180 days or is abandoned for 180 days, and a permittee gets only one extension before a new full fee applies.

The permit process is separate from Bellevue's outright limits on fence materials: § 8-29 bans barbed wire and electrified fence wire within the city with narrow exceptions.