Residents wanting to add a fence to a property must meet Zoning and Building Code requirements but are not required to obtain a permit at this time. There are several restrictions as to where a fence may be constructed on your property and what materials may be used.
Setback Rules for Fences
Fences can provide privacy and security for your home, but they can also be a visible or physical obstruction to motorists or first responders if not properly installed. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Solid fences must be setback 10' from street frontage property line;
- Maximum height of 30" within the 10' front setback for solid fences.
- Maximum height of 72" for open fences such as chain link or wrought iron within the 10' front setback.
- Maximum 6' height for fences within the remainder of the front setback to the front of the principal structure.
- Maximum 8' height for fences on the side or rear of the principal structure.
- Maximum heights are measured from the finish grade level on the side of the wall or fence with the greatest vertical exposure.
- Fences shall be constructed in such a manner so that all fence cross beams and cross bracing shall face the interior of the property and shall not be oriented toward the street or an adjacent property.
- Corner lots have more specific restrictions, including a prohibition of fences within the 35' visibility zone. (Corner lots located within the Urban Zoning Overlay (UZO) are not required to meet the 35' visibility zone.)
Additional Information
- These are general rules for Nashville. Zoning overlays or homeowners' associations may have further restrictions that you need to understand before beginning construction.
- An alley is not considered a street for fencing setback purposes.
- There is not a distance requirement for a fence from a neighboring property line. If you chose not to build at the shared property line, you will still be responsible for maintaining your property on the other side of the fence.
- Fences may be constructed over an easement, but the homeowner would be responsible for the reconstruction of a fence should a utility company need to access the easement.
- Any dispute between neighboring properties on the property line location is a civil matter.
Fence Materials
The following materials are generally permitted in Nashville for the construction of fences. Note that barbed wire and electric fences are generally prohibited or restricted in residentially zoned areas. With few exceptions, no fence otherwise permitted under this code shall be erected with barbs or sharp projections on top of such fence, unless it is five feet or more from a property line or more than seven feet above grade and projecting inward. Specific details are available in Metro Code 16.04.200.
- Woven wire or chain link.
- Wrought iron.
- Wood, vinyl, steel, or aluminum slats of no more than one inch by six inches in width hung vertically, horizontally, or diagonally between steel, wood, or vinyl posts no further than ten feet apart.
- Masonry consisting of brick, concrete block, split-face block, dry-stack stones, or stones and mortar.
- Plastic or other synthetic material treated in a manner to maintain the fence in good structural condition and with an appearance that is aesthetically compatible with the type of fence it represents.
- Decorative-type split rail or dry-stack stone may be used for decorative fences.
Resources
- Use Parcel Viewer to view your zoning, and to determine if there are any overlays on the parcel. The base zoning and additional overlays will be listed under the zoning tab.
- Contact the Planning Department to inquire about further location or material requirements for properties within a Specific Plan (SP) or the Urban Design Overlay (UDO).
- If the property is located within a Historic Preservation or Historic Landmark Overlay a Preservation Permit is required. Please contact the Historic Zoning Commission. (Fencing in Neighborhood Conservation Zoning Overlays does not require a Preservation Permit.)
- The street setbacks can be found in 17.12.040 (26)(A) of the Zoning Code. Fencing Materials can be found in Title 16 Section 16.04.200.
- The Metropolitan Department of Codes and Building Safety does not maintain easement records. If available, a recorded plat may depict easements created at the time of a subdivision but is not conclusive. A Title Abstract conducted for your subject property often will note any recorded easements discovered, a land survey when requested may note visible or observed evidence of unrecorded easements. Direct requests to utility companies and agencies (NES, Piedmont, Metro Water Services etc.) may be conducted to determine if they retain any easements over the subject property.
- Metro Codes does not determine where property lines are located or where the right of way ends. If you are unsure of where your property lines are you will need to get a copy of your deed. The deed will provide you with a description of your property and where property lines end and begin. If you are unable to determine where the property lines are you will need to hire a surveyor to come and identify your property lines.
- Contact Tennessee 811 at least three (3) working days before starting a project. Tennessee 811 processes the notification of proposed digging and notifies member utilities, or their contract locators, to mark their underground facilities prior to the digging.
- For questions about the zoning code or resources contact the Zoning Help Desk for assistance.