Fence Regulations in Virginia (2026)

On corner and through lots, Alexandria allows open and closed fences up to six feet in the secondary front yard only if…

On residentially zoned property, fences may be up to 4 feet tall in the front yard and up to 7 feet tall in the rear…

Fairfax County's zoning ordinance caps residential fences and walls at 7 feet in side and rear yards and 4 feet in…

In Hampton's R, MD, and RT districts a fence, wall, or hedge tops out at 4 feet in front yards and 6 feet in side or…

In Hanover County outside the Town of Ashland, the Zoning Ordinance caps ornamental fences and walls at four feet in…

Beyond height, Henrico's Chapter 24 requires fences to preserve sight lines, not block drainage, and stay clear of…

In unincorporated Loudoun County, a fence or wall in a residential front yard cannot exceed 3.5 feet, per Zoning…

Lynchburg caps fences and walls at four feet in any front yard or corner-lot exterior side and rear yard abutting a…

In Montgomery County's unincorporated area, a residential front-yard fence tops out at four feet, while side and rear…

Newport News allows tall solid security fences up to twenty feet in nonresidential zones only if set back 100 feet from…

Portsmouth caps residential fences at 4 feet and 50 percent see-through in a front yard, or 6 feet if solid only at the…

Residential fences may reach six feet in side and rear yards, but only 42 inches in front yards and on the street side…

Richmond limits fences and walls in side and rear yards to 6½ feet, and to just 4 feet in a front yard, except…

Fences within a sight distance triangle at a corner cannot exceed 36 inches in Roanoke. Elsewhere, height is set by…

Spotsylvania County caps residential fences and walls at ten feet in the side or rear yard and four feet in the front…

Stafford County's Zoning Ordinance sets fence, wall and hedge heights by zoning district: eight feet in side and rear…

Suffolk allows fences up to 6 feet in required side and rear yards. In a yard adjacent to a street, a solid fence tops…

Fences and walls citywide max out at 8 feet, drop to 4 feet in required front yards, and shrink further inside…

Albemarle County's zoning ordinance sets no blanket height cap for a residential fence and allows one in any required…

Roanoke County caps residential fences at four feet only where they sit in front of the building line; fences elsewhere…

In the Entrance Corridor overlay district, Albemarle County requires an Architectural Review Board Certificate of…

The Chesterfield County Planning Department does not require a zoning permit to install a residential fence. A building…

A regular Fairfax County fence within Table 4102.4's height limit needs no permit, but exceeding that height in a front…

Henrico County does not require a standalone fence permit for a typical residential fence, but Chapter 24 standards are…

Newport News requires a permit to build a fence and sets the fee at a flat $40.00 under the city's building permit fee…

Every fence or wall built, rebuilt, replaced, or relocated in Portsmouth needs a Zoning Permit under Sec…

Most residential fences do not require a building permit, but zoning approval is mandatory for every new fence…

A fence or wall built within 30 feet of a public right-of-way in Virginia Beach requires a zoning permit costing $50…

In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem), a zoning permit is normally required…

Loudoun County's Zoning Ordinance exempts ordinary fences from the Zoning Permit that most other structures need before…

Under Code of Virginia § 55.1-2821, adjoining landowners must build and maintain division fences between their lands at…

In Henrico County a fence or wall is permitted on the property line between two privately owned parcels (Sec…

Suffolk's code requires the finished side of any fence to face outward toward neighbors and the street. Virginia has no…

Virginia Beach caps fences at 8 feet, drops to 4 feet in front yards, and bans barbed wire near residential lot lines.

Loudoun County's only adopted fence ordinance, Section 618.01, invokes Virginia's local-option fence law: it declares…

Albemarle County caps a single retaining wall at 10 feet measured grade to grade under its grading standards, and…

Alexandria requires an approved site plan before anyone builds a retaining wall or changes land contours by more than…

A retaining wall built in Chesterfield County needs a building permit under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building…

Fairfax County regulates retaining wall construction as a permitted building activity under Chapter 61, not as a zoning…

Retaining walls in Henrico County are governed by Sec. 24-5407 of Chapter 24. A wall more than six feet higher than a…

Lynchburg's code requires every retaining wall to be adequately designed and drained so it can resist all the lateral…

Stack a fence on top of a retaining wall in Portsmouth and the combined height still can't exceed the district's normal…

A landscaping retaining wall under three feet tall that supports no surcharge needs no permit. Walls over three feet…

In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem), a retaining wall built inside a…

Retaining walls in Suffolk are governed by the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, and a permit is required once…

In Montgomery County outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, a required landscape bufferyard between properties of…

Roanoke's zoning code exempts retaining walls from the general fence height and permit rules and lets them encroach…

Newport News zoning exempts necessary retaining walls from yard setback requirements, so a retaining wall can sit…

Lynchburg bans barbed wire fencing below seven feet off the ground, prohibits any pointed fence that endangers public…

Newport News bans barbed wire on residential dwelling fences and prohibits electrified fencing citywide except for…

Norfolk Code of Ordinances § 11.1-13 bars barbed or razor wire from wholly or partially enclosing any lot in the city…

Portsmouth bans barbed wire and electric fencing in every zoning district. Barbed wire can only go up with a Zoning…

Roanoke bans barbed wire and razor wire on residential fences, with a narrow exception for barbed wire containing farm…

Spotsylvania County bans barbed wire and electrified fencing on lots under one acre in the agricultural and residential…

Stafford County's Zoning Ordinance bars barbed wire, razor wire and similar contrivances outright in every residential…

Arlington County bans barbed wire on any fence or wall below six feet, bars sharp or cut mesh prongs below six feet…

Chesapeake doesn't ban electric fences outright, but City Code Sec. 46-10 caps the current any fence controller may…

Fairfax County bans barbed wire fences countywide except on rural five-plus-acre lots, and bars electric fences on…

In Hampton's Buckroe Bayfront BB-1 through BB-5 districts, fences must be wood picket, wrought iron, brick, stone, or a…

Henrico County Chapter 24 (Sec. 24-5405.A) requires fences and walls to be built of durable all-weather materials such…

Prince William County bans electrified fences and barbed wire across every residential district and on agricultural…

Richmond permits wood, vinyl, metal, and masonry fencing in most districts. Barbed wire and razor wire are restricted…

Suffolk permits common fence materials but bans barbed wire and electrified fences in residential areas unless tied to…

Virginia Beach caps fences at eight feet, bans barbed wire and electrified fencing in residential and apartment…