Southampton, NY Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Section 330-109A(4) is the general permit exemption for fences: any fence or wall of four feet or less is exempt from building permit requirements, provided it is built of standard materials used for such purposes, matching the four-foot cap that already applies to front-yard fences under § 330-109A(1). Fences built to the taller six-foot side, rear or absolute residential ceiling, or to the six-foot and 10-foot nonresidential ceilings in § 330-109B, fall outside this exemption and are subject to the Building Inspector's normal permit process.

Electrical fences are treated separately and more strictly under § 330-109D: delivering an electric shock, charge or current to an animal or person through a fence is strictly prohibited in all zones unless the Planning Board authorizes it, though D(1) waives that Planning Board step where the property is used for keeping livestock, including horses. Even then, D(2) requires every electrical fence, whether Planning Board authorized or livestock-exempted, to carry a permit from the Building Inspector, and D(3) requires conspicuous shock-warning notices on any electrical fence.

The one carve-out from both approval layers is underground electrical dog fences, which D(4) exempts from both Planning Board approval and a Building Inspector permit.