Mesa County, CO Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- Fence or wall over 7 feet in height
- Under 7 feet
- No LDC building permit required
- Post/pillar allowance
- +1 ft at intervals 8 ft or more apart
- Required buffer fences
- Separate permit under Section 8.02(E)(1)(c)
- Issuing department
- Mesa County Building Department
Summary
A fence or wall in unincorporated Mesa County only needs a building permit once it exceeds seven feet in height. At that point, the Land Development Code treats it as a structure requiring planning clearance and a building permit from the Building Department, separate from any buffer-fence permit for screening between differing land uses.
SECTION 8.03 | FENCES Any fence or wall that exceeds seven (7) feet in height shall be considered a structure requiring a planning clearance and building permit.
Full Breakdown
03, Fences, of the 2020 Land Development Code, amended April 23, 2024, opens with a bright-line rule: any fence or wall that exceeds seven feet in height is considered a structure requiring a planning clearance and building permit. 03(B) material standards, wire, wrought iron, plastic, wood or similar, does not need this Land Development Code permit. 03(A)(2) allows pillars or other support posts to exceed the maximum fence height by up to one foot at intervals no closer than eight feet apart, without triggering the seven-foot threshold.
02(E)(1)(c), Buffer and Screening Requirements, states that no person shall construct or maintain a fence or a wall without first obtaining a building permit from the Building Department when the fence is one of the required buffer fences under Table 8-7, for example the six-foot fence required between an industrial or high-impact commercial use and adjacent residential property. 03(D) additionally requires all fences and walls, permitted or not, to be maintained in good repair, with homeowners' associations responsible for fences in a subdivision's common areas.
Because Chapter 8 development standards apply only within Mesa County's jurisdiction, this permit threshold reaches unincorporated parcels; Grand Junction, Fruita and Palisade issue fence permits under their own municipal codes.
Violations & Fines
Building a fence or wall over seven feet without first obtaining planning clearance and a building permit is a violation of Section 8.03 and Section 11.02(A), Use, Structure or Sign Without Permit or Approval. The county issues a written notice with 30 days to obtain the permit or remove the excess height under Section 11.06(A); each day the unpermitted fence remains after that period is a separate violation under Section 11.03.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build a fence in unincorporated Mesa County?
Can fence posts be taller than the fence itself without a permit?
Do required screening fences between commercial and residential property need a separate permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mesa County
Compare Mesa County to another location·View the Colorado fence regulations overview
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