Washoe County, NV Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Section 100.105.2, item 2, exempts residential fences not over 30 inches high in the front yard or six feet high elsewhere from a building permit, but only if the fence is not used as a swimming pool barrier or as screening required under WCC Chapters 50 and 110; a fence serving either of those purposes needs a permit no matter its height. Item 16 separately exempts wire fencing on parcels larger than two acres up to 54 inches high. Item 17 exempts repairing or replacing an existing fence under 100 linear feet long with the same material, style, location, and height, so a like-for-like fix does not trigger a new permit even if the original fence exceeded the height thresholds.

Once a fence needs a permit, the fee is $8.00 per linear foot under Appendix A's Other Residential Valuations schedule, plus the $45 base permit-issuance fee that applies across Table 1. The application goes through the same Building Program process as any other building permit: it is deemed abandoned 180 days after filing unless pursued in good faith, and construction documents must show the fence's location and distance from lot lines on the site plan under § 100.106.2. In the Tahoe basin, an oversized or pool-barrier fence is also subject to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's land coverage rules in addition to the county's permit and fee requirements.