Sherman, TX Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Sherman does not exempt ordinary backyard fences from permitting. Section 14.04.004(f) says fences and screening devices shall be required to have a building permit, be inspected by the city and meet the requirements of the article. Subsection (b)(6) adds that a detailed site plan for a fence or screening device shall be submitted to the development services department for review, so the site plan comes with the permit application rather than after it.

The permit review checks the same standards that govern every fence in the City of Sherman, Texas. Nothing may sit inside the sight triangles at intersections: at street intersections that is the area formed by the right-of-way lines and a line connecting points twenty-five feet from the intersection, and the city engineer can require a larger triangle on curved roads. At street and alley intersections the triangle is measured at points ten feet from the intersection. The director of engineering can approve variances to the sight distance rules based on design speed, traffic control and other site conditions.

Height limits are also checked at review. A fence, hedge or screening device cannot exceed four feet in a front yard, and a screening fence along a required side or rear yard property line in a residential district cannot exceed eight feet. Patio screens and walls may exceed six feet inside the allowable main building area but cannot exceed ten feet, and security fences in commercial and manufacturing districts can reach ten feet within the required building area. Gates designed for vehicle access in agricultural areas must be set back at least twenty feet from the property line.

Barbed wire next to streets and alleys and electric fences need separate approval from the director of development services or the development services director, as § 14.04.004 explains, in addition to the building permit.