Atlantic County, NJ Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Section 72-3F of the Atlantic County Code makes it unlawful to place any structure or other fixture, equipment, or improvement within any County right-of-way, of a permanent or temporary nature, including but not limited to any building, footings, billboard, signs, irrigation improvements, or fencing, excluding US DOT-approved mailboxes, without first obtaining a written permit from the County Engineer. Section 72-5C separately prohibits installing a fence, wall, or retaining wall within the right-of-way outright, carving out only narrow exceptions for US DOT-approved mailboxes, driveways and walkways built under an approved site plan, authorized public-utility fixtures, agricultural activities, and approved ground covers; a private yard fence extending into the County right-of-way does not fit any of those exceptions and needs the Section 72-3 permit, and where the fence will not be owned and maintained by the County, a Section 72-4 agreement, before it goes in.

Applications are submitted to the Atlantic County Division of Engineering, 201 New Road, Northfield, NJ 08225, with a detailed plan showing the fence's location relative to the right-of-way line, existing improvements, and a $100 initial application fee plus a Schedule A permit fee. This county-level rule governs only the strip of land the County owns or controls for its roads; a fence elsewhere on private property is regulated by the municipality, not the county.