Eugene, OR Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Front yard fence max
- 42 inches
- Interior yard fence max
- 6 feet
- Corner lot exception
- up to 6 ft in one front setback
- R-1 deer fencing max
- 8 feet, wire only
- Electric/barbed wire
- banned as nuisance, EC 6.010(d)
- Violation penalty
- up to $1,000/day, EC 9.0275
- Governing section
- EC 9.2751(14)
Summary
Eugene doesn't run a separate fence-permit process. EC 9.2751(14) sets the standard directly: fences up to 42 inches are allowed in the required front yard, up to 6 feet in interior side and rear yards, and corner-lot fences can reach 6 feet in one of two front setbacks. Electric and most barbed-wire fencing are banned as public nuisances under EC 6.010(d).
(14) Fences. (a) Types. The type of fence (including walls or screens) used is subject to specific requirements stated in the landscape standards beginning at EC 9.6200 Purpose of Landscape Standards. The standards apply to walls, fences, and screens of all types including open, solid, wood, metal, wire, masonry or other material. Use of barbed wire and electric fencing is regulated in EC 6.010(d) Fences. (b) Location and Heights. 1. Except as provided in subsection (c) below, fences up to 42 inches in height are permitted within the required front yard setback. For corner lots or double frontage lots, a fence between 42 inches and 6 feet in height is permitted within one of the two front yard setbacks, so long as for corner lots, this fence cannot extend past a line created by an extension of the front wall of the dwelling. 2. Except as provided in subsection (c) below, fences up to 6 feet in height are permitted within the required interior yard setback. 3. The height of fences that are not located within the required setback areas is the same as the regular height limits of the zone. 4. Fences must meet the standards in EC 9.6780 Vision Clearance Area.
Full Breakdown
2751(14), which apply uniformly across the R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-4 zones. Within the required front yard setback, a fence can rise to 42 inches without any special review. Corner lots and double-frontage lots get a partial exception: a fence up to 6 feet can go in one of the two front setbacks, provided on a corner lot it doesn't extend past an imaginary line drawn along the front wall of the house. In the interior yard, the standard height jumps to 6 feet. Outside any required setback, a fence can go as high as the zone's regular building height limit, so a backyard fence set back far enough from the property line isn't capped at 6 feet the way one closer to the line is.
6780 Vision Clearance Area at intersections and driveways. 2751(14)(c) allows open-wire deer fencing up to 8 feet in the front and interior yards to protect garden beds, using field fence, hog panel or thin wire strand, with chain link and plastic barred as deer-fencing material. 010(d) treats an electrically charged fence, or a barbed-wire fence along a sidewalk or public way, as a public nuisance citywide, with narrow exceptions for barbed wire atop a hazardous-area fence or on fencing in the AG Agricultural District. 8015 rather than a routine permit.
Violations & Fines
A fence built taller than these limits, or of a banned material like electrified wire, is a land use code violation. EC 9.0275 punishes any violation of Chapter 9's land use standards with a fine of up to $1,000 for each day the violation continues, confinement in jail up to 100 days, or both. Code Compliance can also order removal. Owners who want to keep an oversized fence must apply for an Adjustment Review under EC 9.8015 instead of removing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Eugene require a permit to build a fence?
How tall can a fence be in Eugene's front yard?
Are electric or barbed wire fences legal in Eugene?
What happens if a fence violates Eugene's height standards?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Eugene
Compare Eugene to another location·View the Oregon fence regulations overview
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