Fence Height Limits by City in North Georgia

How tall can a fence be in each North Georgia city? It depends on the city and the yard. Many of the cities we checked set about 4 feet for the front yard and up to 8 feet elsewhere. Alpharetta caps residential fences at 6 feet, Buford at 6 feet in front and side yards, and Dawsonville allows 10 feet. Milton allows 5 feet along an exterior street. We did not find a general number in the City of Woodstock's codes. Confirm your lot with your city.

Last updated: November 2026.

How to read these numbers

Every city writes its own fence code, so the same fence can be fine in one city and over the limit in the next. Below, 18 cities are grouped by what their codes say. The numbers come from our city fence guides, written in October and November 2026 from each city's own pages.

Yard names differ. Some codes say front yard. Canton says the area between the house and the street, and Suwanee says any yard that abuts a public street. A corner lot can count as two front yards, and Buford says so outright.
Measuring is usually left open. Most of the codes we read do not say how height is measured on a slope or on top of a retaining wall. Sandy Springs, Johns Creek and Milton let columns and ornaments rise up to 3 feet above the limit. Ask before you count a cap, trim or topper.
These are city rules. A mailing address can sit in unincorporated county land, where the numbers differ. For unincorporated Forsyth County, see our Forsyth County fence permit guide.

Group 1: 4 feet in front, up to 8 feet elsewhere

This is the most common pattern. In these eight cities the code gives 4 feet for the front yard and an 8-foot cap for other yards (Acworth words it as a required yard).

Acworth: 4 feet inside the established front setback of residential property, and 8 feet in a required yard.
Canton: in residential districts, 4 feet between the house and the street, at least 10 feet from the roadway or off the right-of-way, whichever is greater. Other parts of the side and rear yard, up to 8 feet.
Duluth: 4 feet in a front yard and 8 feet in a side or rear yard. Solid panel or privacy fences are not allowed in the required front yard.
Flowery Branch: 4 feet in the front yard of a residential lot and 8 feet elsewhere. Over 4 feet outside the front yard, it needs the Zoning Administrator's permit.
Gainesville: 4 feet in the front yard of a residential lot, between the build-to-line and the front lot line, and 8 feet in other yards.
Kennesaw: for new fences in residential districts, 4 feet in the front yard and 8 feet in side and rear yards.
Sandy Springs: a solid or opaque fence between the street and the front of the house, 4 feet. Everywhere else, including side and rear yards, up to 8 feet.
Sugar Hill: 8 feet at most on residential property, and 4 feet in the front yard, subject to the visibility rules.

Group 2: cities that split it differently

Marietta uses three steps. In most zoning districts: 4 feet in the front yard of a lot on a street, 6 feet in major side yards and in the rear yard of double frontage lots, and 8 feet in all other cases. The first two must be ornamental or decorative. The section does not define "major side yard," so ask the city.
Suwanee works by street, not by front yard. The overall cap is 8 feet. In a yard that abuts a public street the limit is 4 feet, and only decorative fences or walls are allowed. No fence over 4 feet may sit within 15 feet of the back of the curb (or the edge of pavement where there is no curb) or within 20 feet of an intersection of public roads.
Buford sets a 6-foot maximum in a front or side yard in residential districts, with a 4-foot minimum. We did not find a separate rear-yard number. Its ordinance also calls for black ornamental metal fences in residential districts, with no wood.
Roswell allows 8 feet in side and rear yards. In a front yard, a fence taller than 4 feet, up to 6 feet, needs 50 percent transparency across the whole fence. The section does not say how a front-yard fence over 6 feet is treated.
Milton works by street type. Along an exterior street, any public or private street outside a subdivision or final plat, the cap is 5 feet. On an interior street inside a platted subdivision, a fence may reach 8 feet, but only 5 feet in the front of the lot. The code's wording on style along interior streets is unclear, so ask Community Development before you plan a backyard fence in a subdivision. Overlays and the Crabapple and Deerfield codes set their own numbers.

Group 3: one number for the whole lot

These codes give a single height and no separate front, side or rear height number.

Cumming: 8 feet, except for required retaining walls.
Dawsonville: 10 feet, except for required retaining walls, and the highest overall cap we found. The city's code calls for a permit over 6 feet. For unincorporated Dawson County, we did not read a height cap.
Alpharetta: 6 feet on residential property, a limit that may be exceeded by up to 50 percent on sloped lots where an even fence line is wanted. Non-residential property can go to 8 feet. Privacy and chain-link fences are generally not allowed in a front yard.
Johns Creek: 8 feet from grade in residential districts, with columns and ornaments up to 3 feet higher, according to the city's checklist. A fence next to a street also has to clear the sight-distance rules and a 3-foot setback from the right-of-way. A fence text amendment was on the Planning Commission's March 2026 agenda, and we could not confirm its final status.

Woodstock: where we did not find a number

We did not find a general residential fence height limit in the City of Woodstock's land development code or its building chapter. We did find limits downtown. A fence or wall between a building's street facade and the street cannot exceed 40 inches, and other downtown areas are capped at 6 feet. The code also says no structure shall be erected except in conformance with the ordinance, so do not assume there is no rule. Call the city before you build.

Unincorporated Cherokee County is different. Its zoning ordinance caps a fence or free-standing wall at 8 feet. Next to a public road right-of-way and inside the required setback in a residential district, the cap is 6 feet. See Woodstock fence rules.

Exceptions and ways to go taller

Administrative exceptions. Duluth's Planning and Development Director can allow up to a 5-foot decorative fence in the required front yard. Sandy Springs lets a front-yard fence go taller than 4 feet with a spaced picket design the Director approves. Alpharetta's Director may approve a privacy fence in a front yard on a collector or arterial street.
Corner, large and through lots. Suwanee allows 6 feet along a street on residentially zoned corner lots (one street-side yard), on residentially zoned lots over 2.0 acres, and on certain residentially zoned through lots with a 10-foot no-access easement along one frontage. The 15-foot and 20-foot limits for anything over 4 feet still apply. Sugar Hill's City Manager decides which yard of a corner lot is the front, and in Alpharetta the street side may be treated as a front yard.
Hidden solid fences. Where a side, side-corner or rear yard is next to an exterior street, Milton's code allows a solid fence up to 8 feet beyond the 60-foot rural viewshed, but only if it is not visible from the street at any time of year. Whether a fence qualifies is the city's call. The code does not say how this 8-foot ceiling fits with the 5-foot cap along an exterior street, so ask Community Development before you design above 5 feet.

Corner lots and sight rules

Almost every city also keeps corners clear, and some of these rules cap height. Buford, Sugar Hill and Alpharetta bar anything over 3 feet within 20 feet of an intersection. Kennesaw and Acworth use 3 feet within 15 feet. Suwanee uses 4 feet within 20 feet. Cumming, Dawsonville, Woodstock and Canton do not set a flat cap. They bar anything that blocks sight lines in a band of height above the road. Cumming's zoning administrator may approve a fence in its corner triangle only where it will not cause sight problems for pedestrians or drivers and where the rule would cause an unnecessary or unreasonable hardship. On a corner lot, measure from your survey and keep the fence line back from the corner.

Variances when your lot does not fit

Most of these cities have a variance process for hardship tied to the lot's size, shape or topography, decided at a hearing. Some cities may not be able to vary fence height. Kennesaw's variance section lists specific items, and fence height is not one of them, so a variance may not be available there. Canton's director can waive a short list of items (setbacks, building height, parking, buffers and accessory dwelling size). We did not find fence height on that list, so ask Community Development whether a taller front-yard fence would go to the director or the Board of Appeals. Alpharetta's Director can grant variances of up to 20 percent of a stipulated requirement, but ask whether that applies to a fence. Approval is always the city's decision.

What this means for a 6-foot privacy fence

Behind the house, a 6-foot wood privacy fence fits the stated side or rear limit in most of these cities. Alpharetta's code caps residential fences at 6 feet and does not say whether a topper or post caps count, so plan a 6-foot fence without one unless the city says otherwise.
Check first in Milton, where a lot line on an exterior street is capped at 5 feet and the style wording for subdivision streets is unclear, in Suwanee, where a yard that abuts a street is 4 feet, in Marietta, where a 6-foot major side yard fence must be ornamental or decorative, and in Buford, where the ordinance calls for black ornamental metal.
Across the front, plan on 4 feet or less in most places, in an open style such as picket. Some codes list the front-yard materials they accept, and the Duluth and Gainesville lists do not name aluminum, so ask the city before you choose aluminum for a front yard.

We look at your fence line, your survey and your HOA's guidelines before we give you a written estimate, and we tell you honestly if a style is likely to run into a rule. We assist with HOA approval forms, and approval is always the HOA's decision. Before we dig, we call 811 for you, and crews mark the buried gas and power lines. Rules change, so confirm the current number with your city before you order materials. Our fence permit and HOA checklist helps you prepare.

Common questions

How tall can a front-yard fence be in North Georgia cities?

Four feet in Acworth, Canton, Duluth, Flowery Branch, Gainesville, Kennesaw, Marietta, Sandy Springs (solid fences) and Sugar Hill. Roswell allows up to 6 feet if the whole fence is 50 percent transparent. Buford caps front and side yards at 6 feet. Cumming, Dawsonville, Alpharetta and Johns Creek give one number for the whole lot.

Can I build a 6-foot privacy fence in my backyard?

Usually, yes. Canton, Duluth, Flowery Branch, Gainesville, Kennesaw, Roswell, Sandy Springs and Sugar Hill allow 8 feet in side and rear yards, and Acworth allows 8 feet in a required yard. Cumming and Johns Creek cap at 8, Dawsonville at 10, and Alpharetta at 6. In Woodstock we did not find a general height number, so call the city before you build. Check first in Milton (5 feet on an exterior street), Suwanee (4 feet in a yard that abuts a street), Marietta (ornamental or decorative in major side yards) and Buford (black ornamental metal, no wood).

Which city has the highest and the lowest fence limit?

Among cities with one overall number, Dawsonville is highest at 10 feet and Alpharetta lowest at 6, before its sloped-lot allowance. Buford also stops at 6 feet in front and side yards, and Milton caps a fence along an exterior street at 5. Woodstock's city code gave us no general number.

Can I go taller than the front-yard limit?

Sometimes. Duluth's Director can allow up to 5 feet in the required front yard, Sandy Springs allows a taller spaced picket design the Director approves, and Roswell allows up to 6 feet at 50 percent transparency. Otherwise you could ask your city whether a variance is possible. Kennesaw's variance section, for one, does not list fence height, and approval is always the city's decision.

Do corner lots have different height limits?

Often. Suwanee allows 6 feet in one street-side yard on a residential corner lot. Buford treats a corner lot as two front yards. Sugar Hill's City Manager decides which yard is the front. Many cities also cap height near the corner, such as 3 feet within 15 or 20 feet of the intersection.

Does a post cap, trim or topper count toward the height limit?

Most codes do not say. Sandy Springs, Johns Creek and Milton let columns and ornaments rise up to 3 feet above the limit, and Alpharetta's code does not say whether post caps count. Ask your city before you plan a fence close to the cap.

Why does the Woodstock answer say you did not find a limit?

We did not find a general residential fence height rule in the City of Woodstock's land development code or building chapter, only downtown limits and pool rules. Unincorporated Cherokee County caps fences at 8 feet. Call the city before you build.

Fence Height Limits by City: Front, Side and Rear Yards in North Georgia