Sandoval County, NM Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Fencing sits inside the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance's Building Permit provisions at Section 15(G). Under Section 15(G)(2)(g), fencing over six feet in height is one of the specific project types the Zoning Officer requires plan submission for, alongside new construction, additions, and retaining walls; the applicant must file a building permit application, a site plan, and a wall plan. The permit trigger tracks the ordinance's own height limits in Section 14(E): freestanding walls and fences in a required front yard setback max out at three feet, while fences behind the front setback and in rear and side yards may reach six feet without triggering the taller-fence permit path; walls along reverse-frontage lots or adjacent to multi-family, commercial, or industrial uses may go up to eight feet.

Open wire fences around schools, other public facilities, or tennis courts may exceed those caps with Zoning Officer or conditional-use approval. Corner lots carry extra restrictions: fences and walls over three feet can't sit within a sight triangle measured ten feet along the common lot line and twenty feet along the property line from a corner. Fence height is measured from the higher adjacent finished grade, averaged within fifty feet of the fence. Any application missing the required plans is deemed incomplete and will not be accepted by the Zoning Officer.