The height table for wood, metal and vinyl
L&I's Get a Fence Permit page gives these rules for non-masonry fences:
- Side or back yard, up to 6 feet: no permit.
- Side or back yard, over 6 feet: zoning permit and building permit.
- Front yard, up to 4 feet and no more than 50% opaque: no permit.
- Front yard, 4 to 6 feet, or any height more than 50% opaque: zoning permit.
- Front yard, over 6 feet: zoning permit and building permit.
"Front yard" means the strip between the street and the house. L&I's residential fence FAQ adds that if your zoning district's required front setback is deeper than where your house actually sits, the 4-foot limit runs to the required setback line, not the front wall. It also lets fence and gate posts that act as architectural features rise 6 inches above the allowed height.
A zoning permit here isn't just a fee. The FAQ says that if a fence goes past the zoning limits, L&I issues a refusal, which you can then appeal to the Zoning Board of Adjustment. So a solid 6-foot privacy fence along the sidewalk means a variance hearing, not a quick sign-off. Dropping the front section to 4 feet with spaced pickets usually avoids all of it. Our guide to when a project needs zoning as well as a building permit explains how the two approvals differ.
Masonry has a much lower trigger
For poured concrete or stone, the City's table is stricter. In a side or back yard, up to 2 feet needs nothing, 2 to 6 feet needs a building permit, and over 6 feet needs both permits. In the front yard, masonry needs a zoning permit at any height and a building permit as well once it passes 2 feet. Masonry fence walls follow this table, not the one above. If you're mixing masonry piers with wood or metal panels, ask L&I which table applies before you order materials.
Corners, alleys and shared driveways
The FAQ also limits fences near intersections and shared driveways. Its diagram marks a zone 30 feet back from a street corner, and 12 feet from a shared driveway or alley that's at least 12 feet wide, where the 4-foot, 50%-opaque limit applies even outside the front yard. The sentence describing it in the FAQ has words missing, so if your lot is on a corner or backs onto a shared driveway, confirm the exact distances with L&I before you set posts.
When you need a building permit no matter the height
The permit page says a building permit is always required if the property is on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places (the City's historic registry) or in the 100-year floodplain. Historic properties also need Historical Commission approval first, and L&I will refuse the application without it. See our guide to checking historic designation in Philadelphia. Any fence that sticks into the sidewalk or other public right-of-way needs a Streets Department plan review too.
You can check your zoning district and floodplain status in Atlas, the City's property map, linked from the City's flood maps and tools page.
If you do need a permit
- Apply online in eCLIPSE or by appointment at the Permit and License Center in the Municipal Services Building.
- Fees on a one- or two-family lot: a $25 filing fee, $50 for zoning, and a $69 flat building permit fee plus $7.50 in surcharges.
- Plans are required. For a zoning application, the City's fence plan requirements call for scaled, professional-quality drawings (no freehand sketches) showing deed property lines, easements, alleys, setbacks, existing buildings, and the fence's height, material and opacity at every location.
- Inspections are listed on the issued permit, and a Certificate of Approval comes after they pass. You can follow the application with our guide to tracking a Philadelphia permit.
Who can build it, and what to ask
Under the permit page's rules, a fence on an existing one- or two-family home can be built by an owner who lives there, a registered Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor with a Commercial Activity License, or a Philadelphia-licensed contractor. You can check a contractor with the City's contractor lookup resources. Before you sign, ask:
- What height, material and opacity is each run of fence, and does any part trigger a permit?
- Is my lot a corner lot or next to a shared driveway, and have you checked the 30-foot and 12-foot zones?
- Who prepares the drawings, files the permit and books inspections, and is that in the price?
Whether or not you need a permit, call PA811 before digging post holes; our guide to digging safely for fence posts covers the steps. These are City of Philadelphia rules. Bucks and Montgomery County townships set their own fence limits, so check with your township.