Island County, WA Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Island County Code section 17.04A.080.A.2 bars anyone from making regulated changes to the landscape or building any new structure that affects a historic resource within the reserve without first getting a certificate of appropriateness, whether or not the work also needs a building or land use permit. Fences fall squarely inside that rule. Under section 17.04A.100, a Level A certificate, the fastest track, is a ministerial decision issued directly by the Planning Director for retaining walls and fences less than six feet in height. There is no HPC hearing for a six-foot-and-under fence; staff can approve it administratively once the application is complete.

Once a fence tops six feet, it moves to the other end of the review scale. Section 17.04A.120.C.12 lists retaining walls and fences greater than six feet in height as a Level C activity, meaning the Historic Preservation Commission itself must review the application at a noticed public meeting before the Planning Director, or the HPC itself if the site holds a contributing structure, can issue the certificate. Applicants for a Level C certificate submit color photographs, a complete description of the work, a scaled site plan, and construction material samples under section 17.04A.130, and are encouraged to request a pre-application conference with the HPC.

This permitting layer applies only inside the reserve's review areas 1 and 2 on Whidbey Island; a fence built elsewhere in unincorporated Island County is not subject to the Ebey's Reserve certificate of appropriateness process.