Upper Darby, PA Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Section 550-39J of the Upper Darby Zoning Code establishes the Township's fence permitting system. " There is no size or material exemption in the text: any new fence or any replacement of an existing one triggers the permit requirement. The application fee, set in § 550-39J(3), is calculated as $40 plus an additional $20 for each $1,000 of the cost of the work or fraction thereof, so a modest backyard fence and a larger perimeter installation are charged on a sliding scale tied to project cost rather than a single flat rate.

The Township explains its rationale in § 550-39J(1): it is recovering the administrative cost of Zoning Officer review, not generating general revenue. Related structures are folded into the same permitting track: § 550-39C(4) specifies that retaining walls under four feet in height require a fence permit rather than a building permit, while retaining walls over four feet require a full building permit instead. The Zoning Officer, designated in § 550-39A as responsible for zoning enforcement of fences, administers the permit review, checking proposed fences against placement, height and material standards elsewhere in the same section before issuing approval.