Sedona, AZ Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Section 15.05.040(D) SCC amends International Residential Code Section R105.2's exempt-work list: Item 2 exempts fences not over thirty inches (30") high and not located within flood hazard areas as determined by the City or County flood hazard administrative authority, and Item 3 exempts retaining walls to the same 30-inch height as long as they don't support another structure and sit outside a flood hazard area. Cross the 30-inch line, or sit inside a mapped flood hazard area, and the fence or wall needs a building permit.

Section 15.05.040(B) adds a design standard that applies once a permit is required: new Section R101.2.1 requires fences, yard walls and retaining walls to be designed in accordance with the minimum requirements of the City of Sedona prescriptive fence, wall and retaining wall details located within the City of Sedona Fence Building Permit Packet, or, if the builder wants something outside those prescriptive details, the structure must be backed by structural calculations from an Arizona-registered design professional. The parallel commercial-code exemption at Section 15.05.020(C)(2) sets the identical 30-inch threshold for freestanding fences and walls under the International Building Code.