Lacey, WA Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Lacey Municipal Code § 14.04.015 amends the International Building Code as adopted in LMC 14.04.010, and one of its amendments rewrites item 2 of the Section 105.2 list of work exempt from permit. The rewritten item reads: fences not over 7 feet (2134 mm) high, except fencing regulated by Section 419, subsection 3, Fencing. A fence in the City of Lacey, Thurston County, that stays at or under 7 feet therefore falls inside the exemption, and a taller fence falls outside it. This page covers the permit rule only.

The exception points to a fencing rule that applies to rental complexes. In the same LMC section, the amendment printed as Section 425 applies to all rental unit complexes consisting of five or more dwelling units and requires each unit to have listed crime prevention devices and design considerations. Item 3 of that section, Fences, has three sentences. All fences constructed must be constructed to provide through-visibility. Sight-obscuring fencing is not permitted. Fences in Group R, Division 2 Occupancies are not exempt from building permit requirements. For an apartment complex of five or more units, that means a fence of any height needs a building permit, and the fence cannot be solid or sight-obscuring.

The permit itself follows the general building permit process. The building official examines applications within a reasonable time after filing, and rejects a nonconforming application in writing stating the reasons. Section 105.3.1.1 lists the prerequisites the building official checks before issuing any permit, including approval of the landscaping plans and any requirements imposed as a condition of a land use approval. Violating the adopted building code is a misdemeanor under LMC 14.04.020.

The rental complex rules tie to the registration program. Complexes of five or more dwelling units in the same complex register annually under Chapter 14.02 and, for a property with five or more dwelling units, registration is a prerequisite to a certificate of occupancy under LMC 14.04.015.