Pocatello, ID Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Section 15.28.010 of Chapter 15.28, Fence Construction, bars anyone from erecting or constructing, or causing to be erected or constructed, any fence within the city without a permit from the Building Department issued before the work starts. If a contractor builds the fence, the permit may be issued in the contractor's name, but section 15.28.010 is explicit that this does not relieve whoever hired the contractor of the obligation to make sure a permit has actually been issued before construction begins, so the property owner carries the compliance risk either way.

The fee for building a fence is set annually by City Council resolution rather than fixed in the code text. Section 15.28.020 spells out what the application needs: it goes to the Building Department accompanied by the section 15.28.010 fee, and the Department issues the permit once it approves a site plan. That site plan must show the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the property owner and fence contractor; the project address; a statement of the materials to be used; and a diagram with the property lines and dimensions of the site plus the proposed fence location, the length of each fence line, the height of each section, and where materials change from section to section.

Because height and setback placement are built into the application diagram, the Building Department is effectively checking the numeric limits in section 15.28.030, including the 7-foot maximum height and the reduced height allowed within front and side setbacks, at the permit stage rather than only after the fence goes up.