Yes. In unincorporated Chatham County, Sec. 5-1.1 of the zoning ordinance flatly requires a building permit for any wall or fence: 'No wall or fence shall be erected or constructed without a building permit.' Temporary construction-site fences may be approved separately for under 18 months.
The county zoning ordinance leaves no exemption for residential fences: Sec. 5-1.1 states that no wall or fence may be erected or constructed without a building permit. Applicants confirm height, location, materials and vision-clearance compliance with the county before building. Sec. 5-1.6 lets the Zoning Administrator approve temporary fences for construction sites or similar activities for a specified period of less than 18 months. Inside the City of Savannah, the NewZO takes a different approach, waiving a permit for wood or chain-link fences 7 feet or under while requiring a fence permit for taller fences, masonry, or any fence with a footing.
Building a fence without the required permit is a zoning violation. The county may issue a stop-work order, require an after-the-fact permit or removal, and pursue citations and fines through code enforcement.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Chatham County, GA
Chatham County has no standalone hoarding statute, but it curbs hoarding through hard numeric pet limits (8 cats, 6 dogs per acre) and its cruelty/neglect pr...
Chatham County, GA
Chatham County's animal-control chapter sets no specific wildlife-feeding ban. Wild, game, and protected species are handled by the Georgia Department of Nat...
Chatham County, GA
Chatham County and Savannah have no ordinance banning residential backyard composting. Home compost is allowed, but a pile that creates odor, attracts rodent...
Chatham County, GA
Neither Chatham County nor the City of Savannah bans artificial turf on private residential yards. There is no specific county ordinance regulating synthetic...
Chatham County, GA
Chatham County sits on Georgia's coast, where salt-marsh grasses and other native tidal vegetation are protected under the state Coastal Marshlands Protectio...
Chatham County, GA
Georgia encourages rainwater harvesting. Under the state Water Stewardship Act, capturing and reusing rainwater and stormwater is allowed any day at any time...
See how Chatham County's permit requirements rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.