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

Fences in the City of Troy, Rensselaer County, New York, are handled in one short section of the zoning chapter, § 285-76. It opens by saying that, unless specifically noted, the rest of Chapter 285 does not apply to fences and freestanding walls. Subsection A then states the permit rule: a work permit must be obtained for any new or replacement fence or freestanding wall.

The permit comes from the Director, the administrative official the zoning chapter defines as the Director of Code Enforcement. Chapter 141 supplies the money side in § 141-9(B). An approved fence permit is not issued until a fee has been paid to the Director of Code Enforcement, and the fee table has three tiers by length: $50 for up to 100 linear feet, $100 for 101 linear feet and up, and $150 for 201 plus linear feet.

Height is part of what the permit covers. In zones other than B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, IND, INST and CON, a fence can reach a maximum of eight feet, except that new fences located between the front property line and the front line of the main building in R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts shall not exceed four feet. In the listed business, industrial, institutional and conservation zones the cap is 10 feet, and any fence or wall more than eight feet high is reviewed by the Planning Board and carries whatever terms the Board sets.

Corner lots add a sight-line rule that § 285-76(B) points to. Under § 285-73, no building, fence, wall, hedge or other structure or planting more than three feet in height can be placed within the triangle formed by the intersecting curblines and points 30 feet from their intersection.

An aggrieved person can appeal a decision under the zoning chapter to the Zoning Board of Appeals (§ 285-43). The Board's decisions are reviewable only by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, and the appeal must be filed within 30 days after the Board's decision is filed.