Monroe Township (Middlesex County), NJ Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Chapter 39 lists the fence permit checklist under the Department of Planning and Zoning at $25, charged in addition to a zoning permit and fee. The zoning permit application fees in that schedule, amended 5-4-2026, are $100 for nonresidential uses and $25 for residential uses, while § 108-3.4 still prints $100 and $10. Under § 108-3.4(B)(1), no structure can be erected or altered until the Zoning Officer issues a zoning permit, and § 30-3 adds that a zoning permit is required in addition to a building permit. The Building Subcode schedule also lists a fence over 6 feet with the footnote that it is subject to review and approval of Zoning regardless of dimension.

Section 108-8.2 sets the standards. Fences hereafter erected, altered or reconstructed must be open fence not exceeding three feet above ground level in a front yard, five feet on a lot of six or more acres of farmland, or six feet in any side or rear yard. On corner lots in residential zones only, a six foot fence can stand in the front yard parallel to the side of the building if it is set back 10 feet from the street right-of-way in the R-5, R-7.5, R-10 and R-20 Zones, or 15 feet in the R-30, R-60 or R-3A Zones, and the Township Engineer certifies it does not encroach on the required site triangle. Open wire fences up to eight feet are allowed in rear or side yards of commercial and industrial zones. Apart from the corner lot exception, a fence goes up within six inches of the property line, with its framework facing the inside of the lot, and never encroaches on a public right-of-way. Barbed wire (unless the lot is more than six acres), canvas, cloth, electric, expandable and collapsible fences are prohibited in every zone district.