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

OMC 18.40.060(C) puts fence compliance on the property owner in the City of Olympia: the owner must ensure fences sit within property lines and that a building permit is obtained when required. A bracketed note in the same subsection supplies the numeric trigger, stating that a building permit is required for all fences exceeding seven feet in height. The note adds that fences and hedges can exceed the maximum heights if located outside of required yards, with a pointer to the Design Guidelines.

What counts as a fence is wider than a backyard picket line. Under the section, fences include walls and similar above-grade unenclosed structures forming a continuous or nearly continuous line or row exceeding six feet in length. The definitions chapter, OMC 18.02.180, defines a fence as a physical barrier used to prevent entrance or exit, or to mark a boundary, and a hedge as a row of shrubs or low-branching trees planted close together that forms a sight-obscuring or obstructing barrier below seven feet above the ground.

A taller fence inside a required yard goes through the administrative exception in subsection (C)(7), decided by the Department. The application must include an explanation of the exception sought and its purpose, plus fence illustrations and a plan drawing that depicts the proposed fence location and height, other structures, landscaping and proposed grades in relation to existing grades.

Electric security fences have their own permit path. Plans go to the Community Planning and Development Department for review and approval before installation, permitting follows the construction and burglar alarm codes of the City, and a building permit is required for an electric fence exceeding seven feet in height.