Macon-Bibb County, GA Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Section 1.02 of the Comprehensive Land Development Resolution defines 'Fence' as 'a structure, barrier, wall or enclosure, sturdily constructed of permanent materials such as wood, metal or wire gauge chain-links, stone (brick), etc., that is used to mark a boundary, define a specific area, or enclose a site.' Because a fence is defined as a structure, it falls under Section 27.06[1], which bars any use, occupancy or work on land or a structure from beginning until the required permit issues, and specifically requires a permit for 'construction or erection of a new structure' and for any 'modification or alteration of an existing structure that changes its size, footprint, function or height.' A permit is also required before grading, filling or clearing vegetation done to prepare a site for the fence.

Once issued, the permit (or certificate of appropriateness, if the property sits in a design review district under Chapter 28) must be displayed at the construction site for the duration of the work, and where the underlying use needs a business license, the zoning permit has to be posted together with it. Section 4.11 layers additional standards on top of the permit requirement: a fence cannot sit outside the lot lines it serves, must stay at least 10 feet back from the public right-of-way outside design review districts, cannot exceed 4 feet in front yards or 8 feet in side and rear yards in residential districts (8 feet in any yard for commercial or industrial districts), and cannot use barbed wire or razor ribbon in a residential district.