Escambia County, FL Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Sec. 14-89(a)(3) exempts "fences of light-frame construction not over ten feet high" from the building permit otherwise required by Sec. " The county's exemption preamble reinforces the point for every listed exemption, fences included: exemptions "shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of this code or any other laws or ordinances of Escambia County," including work in a special flood hazard area, and an owner or contractor still owes duties under the floodplain management ordinance regardless of the permit exemption.

A fence over ten feet, or built with heavier-than-light-frame materials, falls outside Sec. 14-89(a)(3) entirely and needs a standard building permit application under Sec. 14-84 and Sec. 14-93 before construction starts. On leasehold Pensacola Beach, fence approval runs through a separate track: LDC Sec. 4(e)(7) requires that applications for fence approval include cross sections, elevations and materials, that an unfurnished survey by a registered Florida surveyor means the fence is built at the lessee's own risk, and that fence construction receive a final inspection by Santa Rosa Island Authority staff before it is considered approved.