New Braunfels, TX Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Section 14-5 of the Code states plainly that no person may 'erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, modify, excavate, fill, or change any fence' without first obtaining any necessary permit from the building official. 2, 'Work exempt from permit,' that lists the fences New Braunfels does not require a permit for: ordinary fences that are not swimming pool barriers, are seven feet tall or under, and are not located in a drainage easement. That structure flips the exemption into a requirement for three specific situations. A fence serving as a swimming pool barrier needs a permit regardless of height, tying into the pool barrier code the city separately enforces.

3-2(a), because the building code's permit threshold sits a foot below the zoning code's height ceiling. 3-2(g) separately prohibits fences in drainage easements outright, so that permit is denied on the merits. 3-2(e) requires the fence or wall to comply with all permit and plan review submittal requirements, including an engineered foundation where the adopted building code calls for one. The exemption also does not apply anywhere a special flood hazard area covers the property, so a fence on mapped floodplain land needs a permit even if it would otherwise qualify as height-exempt.