San Antonio, TX Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Under Sec. 10-38 of the San Antonio Code of Ordinances, a Residential Fence Permit costs a flat $25.00, separate from the tiered valuation-based fees charged for new home construction. The permit is issued through the Development Services Department (DSD) as part of the city's residential building permit process, alongside related flat fees such as the $25 residential re-roof permit.

Sec. 10-6(e), the chapter's "work exempt from permit" clause, narrows who can skip that step. It allows only "minor repairs to fences not over six (6) feet high," and it defines minor repair with a specific threshold: replacing up to 25 percent of a fence's overall contiguous length. Repair or replacement work at or beyond that quarter-mark, or any work on a fence taller than six feet, falls outside the exemption and needs a permit.

The exemption language is explicit that it does not authorize unsafe or noncompliant work: exemptions from permit requirements "shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of this chapter or any other laws or ordinances of the city or state." Even exempt minor fence repairs still have to meet the underlying construction standards of Chapter 10; only the separate step of filing for and paying for a permit is waived.

Applicants file with DSD on a form describing the work, the property by legal description or street address, and the intended use, along with a statement of the work's valuation, as required for permits generally under this chapter.