Boca Raton, FL Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Sec. 19-66 lists work that needs a permit beyond the base Florida Building Code requirements, and item (6) is direct: "To erect or replace a fence of any height. " Item (7) adds the same permit requirement for walls of any height, built to Florida Building Code Chapter 16. There is a narrow repair exception: Sec. 00 from needing a new permit, but any change to materials, width, height, or location voids that exemption regardless of cost. Fences proposed within a public right-of-way, alley, canal, railroad right-of-way, or public easement face an additional layer under Sec.

28-1356(d): no building permit may be issued for such a fence, wall, or structure without prior written approval from the city manager or designee and, where applicable, the agency or utility holding jurisdiction over the easement. That approval is explicitly a revocable license, not a property interest, and the city may revoke it on 30 days' notice, or immediately if the fence is found to create a safety or traffic hazard. A related easement-fence pathway in Sec. " These permit rules were most recently carried forward by Ord. No. 5455, Sec. 2 (5-22-18) for Sec. 19-66 and Ord. No. 5636 (12-13-22) for Sec. 28-1356.