Wayne, NJ Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Wayne Township Code § 134-26.3.B(1)(a) says no person shall commence the construction, reconstruction, alteration, conversion or installation of a fence other than a garden fence, a wall four feet or greater in height, a structure, an accessory structure, a private swimming pool or a building without first obtaining a zoning permit. The Zoning Officer issues the permit once the use is permitted and the structure and lot meet all required bulk criteria. No zoning permit is required when the structure is permitted by the terms of a variance granted under N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70. The fee schedule in § 134-10.1 lists the zoning permit for fences and walls at $25.

The Zoning Officer can require a current, sealed survey showing the size of the property, topography, environmental constraints, bounding streets, and the distance from existing and proposed structures to all property lines. A grant or denial can be appealed to the Zoning Board of Adjustment within 20 days.

The height rules sit in § 134-66. In residential districts no fence or wall can be over 4 feet in height in the front yard or 6 feet in the side and rear yards, measured from existing grade on both sides. Cyclone or chain-link fences are not permitted in the front yard, and barbed wire is prohibited. A retaining wall greater than four feet in height must be designed, inspected and certified by a professional engineer. If the two sides of a fence differ, the finished side faces the street or abutting properties.

In nonresidential districts the cap is also four feet in a front yard and six feet in a side or rear yard, and chain-link fencing must be substantially screened from public view with landscaping. A fence around a tennis court is handled separately in § 134-65: no more than 10 feet in height, and a fenced area of no more than 60 feet by 100 feet.