Everett, WA Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required for
- Erection or re-erection of any fence
- Issuing department
- Everett building department
- Governing section
- EMC 16.56.030
- Enforcing officer
- Chief of police (EMC 16.56.040)
- Penalty framework
- Chapter 1.20 EMC, general code compliance
- Daily violation rule
- Each day of noncompliance is a separate offense
Summary
Before erecting or re-erecting any fence in Everett, Washington, property owners must obtain a building and/or electrical permit from the city building department. Everett Municipal Code § 16.56.030 sets the requirement without an exemption for short, temporary or replacement fences. The police chief enforces the fence chapter, and violators face the city's general code-enforcement penalties under Chapter 1.20 EMC.
16.56.030 Permits required. A building and/or electrical permit shall be obtained, from the building department, prior to erection or re-erection of any fence. (Prior code § 2.40.030.) ... 16.56.040 Enforcement. The chief of police and/or the chief's duly authorized representative shall be the enforcing officer of this chapter. ... 16.56.050 Penalty for violations. Any person or persons violating this chapter or any rule or regulation adopted hereunder shall be subject to the enforcement procedures established pursuant to Chapter 1.20 EMC.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4194-26, passed July 29, 2026).
Full Breakdown
030, so it predates Everett's current codification. The same chapter regulates two specific fence types that also fall under this permit duty. 020 bars barbed wire fences citywide unless the fence sits in the A-1 Agricultural Use Zone, is placed atop a woven-wire or solid wooden fence at least six feet tall for security purposes, or encloses at least twenty-two thousand square feet used solely for pasturing or sheltering permitted animals. 20 EMC," the city's unified code-compliance ordinance adopted by Ord. 3901-22 in 2022.
Violations & Fines
Erecting or re-erecting a fence without the building and/or electrical permit required by EMC 16.56.030 is enforced by the chief of police under EMC 16.56.040 and penalized through the citywide procedures in Chapter 1.20 EMC per EMC 16.56.050. Under EMC 1.20.060(E), "any person violating the code is responsible for a separate offense for each and every day or portion of any day" the violation continues, and EMC 1.20.060(I) presumes the property owner responsible whenever the owner had actual or constructive knowledge of the unpermitted fence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to replace an old fence in Everett?
Who enforces Everett's fence permit rule?
What happens if I build a fence without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Everett
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Fence Permit Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle fence permit requirements.