Fence Regulations in Missouri (2026)

Florissant requires a permit before any fence goes up, per Zoning Code Section 405.220, and the fee applies even to a…

In unincorporated Greene County, fences up to 4 feet can go anywhere on a lot, up to 8 feet in side and rear yards, and…

Independence limits residential fences to 3 feet (50% transparent) in front and street-side yards, and 6 feet without a…

In unincorporated Jackson County, fences cap at 8 feet, with front-yard picket fences limited to 3 feet and chain-link…

Jefferson County caps residential front-yard fences at four feet under UDO Section 400.2860, rising to eight feet on…

Kansas City caps residential fences at 6 feet overall, but front yards and corner-lot street-side yards drop to just 48…

Kirkwood caps most fences at six feet, measured from grade to the fencing material's topmost point, with posts allowed…

Lee's Summit caps residential fences at 4 feet in the front yard and 6 feet in the side and rear yards under UDO…

O'Fallon limits fences and decorative posts to six feet, six inches under Zoning Code Section 400.273(C), bans fencing…

Springfield lets side and rear yard privacy fences run up to 7 feet solid, but front-yard fencing must stay at least…

Side and rear yard fences in unincorporated St. Charles County's residential districts cap at six feet with no openness…

St. Louis caps front-yard fences at 48 inches, side/rear fences at 8 feet in residential zones, and commercial-zone…

In unincorporated Cass County, the Zoning Order caps residential fences, hedges and privacy walls at eight feet above…

Columbia's Unified Development Code sets no blanket height cap for residential fences in Boone County, they're allowed…

The Boone County Zoning Ordinance (last revised Jan 21, 2025) does not set numeric fence height limits in…

Fences 6 feet in height or less may be installed in unincorporated St. Louis County without a building permit, so a…

Fences up to 4 feet need no permit anywhere on the lot; up to 8 feet is allowed in side and rear yards. Anything over 8…

Every fence in Florissant needs a permit before it goes up. Property owners file an application and sketch with the…

Independence requires a fence permit for residential side or rear yard fences over 6 feet (up to 8 feet), and for all…

In unincorporated Jackson County, any fence taller than 6 feet needs a building permit from the Director of Public…

Kirkwood requires a permit from the Building Commissioner before any fence is built or rebuilt anywhere in the city…

Lee's Summit allows a fence or wall up to six feet tall along property lines without any permit. Once a fence or wall…

Any fence or decorative post thirty inches or taller needs a City permit before construction starts, under Zoning Code…

Any fence built in Springfield, Missouri counts as a regulated structure requiring a building permit from Building…

St. Charles County exempts fences up to seven feet from a building permit, but taller fences need one, and all fences…

St. Louis requires a Miscellaneous Structures Permit for fences and sets height limits by zone: 48 inches in…

St. Louis County exempts fences up to 7 feet from a building permit, but pool enclosures and any electrified or…

Kansas City does not require a building permit to erect a fence. City code exempts fences outright, though the fence…

Missouri Chapter 272 governs partition fences between adjoining landowners statewide. It defines lawful fences…

Missouri's division-fence law, Chapter 272, makes adjoining owners of enclosed rural or farm land share a boundary…

Jefferson County caps residential fences on the front-yard setback line at 4 feet (up to 8 feet if two-thirds open like…

A fence can sit right on the side or rear property line, but it can't cross onto the neighbor's land, and the owner who…

In Columbia, Missouri, a lot boundary fence or wall may be built right up to the property line, but Boone County…

Missouri's partition fence statute (RSMo §272.010–272.370) applies to rural agricultural land; within Kansas City, no…

St. Louis does not mandate shared fence costs for urban residential property. Missouri RSMo 272.010 partition fence law…

Boone County requires engineered plans and a building permit for any retaining wall over four feet tall, measured from…

Unincorporated Cass County requires an engineered design for a retaining wall once it holds back more than 48 inches of…

Columbia's locally amended 2018 Residential Code lets builders substitute a six-foot dead-man anchor system for…

Florissant exempts retaining walls two feet or shorter from a building permit unless they carry a surcharge load, but…

In unincorporated Greene County, any retaining wall built under a grading permit that exceeds four feet requires safety…

Independence exempts retaining walls up to 4 feet in height from a building permit unless they support a surcharge or…

Retaining walls up to 4 feet tall don't need a Jackson County building permit; taller walls, or any wall holding back a…

Retaining walls up to six feet tall, measured from finished grade to the top of the wall excluding any cap, don't need…

Retaining walls over 4 feet require a building permit in Kansas City; shorter walls are exempt unless they support a…

Kirkwood exempts most retaining walls from Architectural Review Board review, but a poured-concrete wall taller than 2…

Lee's Summit requires a permit and structural analysis for any retaining wall over four feet, per the UDO's…

O'Fallon requires a permit and an engineer's as-built plans for any retaining wall over 48 inches tall, one that…

Springfield's Land Development Code lets homeowners build retaining walls up to four feet tall without a permit; taller…

St. Charles County exempts retaining walls up to four feet from a building permit under Residential Code Section…

St. Louis exempts retaining walls of 18 inches or less above the lowest adjacent grade from a building permit; any…

St. Louis County requires a building permit for a retaining wall that meets any one of four tests in §1115.105.2: it…

St. Louis's Building Code bans barbed wire fencing in residential zones and prohibits electrically charged fences…

New residential fences in unincorporated St. Louis County cannot be electrified or topped with barbed wire. The…

Independence prohibits spikes, sharp cresting, and barbed wire on any fence, building, or premises next to a street or…

Kansas City declares barbed wire fencing in residential zones and electric fences anywhere in the city a public…

O'Fallon prohibits barbed wire, razor wire, hardware cloth, wire mesh and electrified fencing citywide under Zoning…

Cass County's Zoning Order does not ban barbed wire, but it restricts electric fencing: electric fences are allowed…

Where Columbia, Missouri requires a buffer screen between incompatible zoning uses, the fence must be wood, masonry…

Florissant bans flimsy fencing materials outright: chicken coop wire, barbed wire, snow fencing and bamboo are all…

In unincorporated Jackson County, electric fences are banned in every zoning district except Agricultural (A), and…

Kirkwood bars flimsy and dangerous fencing materials outright: paper, cloth, canvas, bamboo and chicken coop wire are…

Lee's Summit limits residential fence construction to wood, vinyl, steel, masonry or wrought iron under UDO Section…

St. Charles County bans barbed wire and above-ground electrical fencing in the yards of R Districts outright. Every…

Springfield's general zoning code doesn't dictate what material a residential fence must be: it caps height and…