Alpharetta, GA Fence Rules: Permit, Height

Do I need a permit for a fence in Alpharetta? Usually not. The City of Alpharetta says a fence that is not more than 6 feet tall does not need a permit, and its code says a fence built to the city's standards needs no construction permit. The standards still apply: a 6-foot limit on residential property, generally no privacy or chain-link fence in a front yard, a 3-foot limit within 20 feet of a street intersection or 10 feet of a driveway edge, and the finished side facing away from your property. Anything taller, in a front yard, or on the street side of a corner lot is worth confirming with the city first.

Last updated: October 2026.

Do you need a permit?

Alpharetta regulates fences through its Unified Development Code, which the Community Development Department administers. The code says a construction permit is not required for a fence, or a wall used as a fence, that is built to its standards. The city's own answer is just as short: if the fence is not more than 6 feet tall, a permit is not required.

The code's building permit section also lists fences up to 10 feet tall as exempt, but not fences that extend into front yards or into side yards that border a public street. Because the wording differs from section to section, call the city's Building Department at 678-297-6080 (the number the city gives for permits and inspections), or City Hall at 678-297-6000, before you order materials if any of these apply:

The fence will be taller than 6 feet.
Any part of it will be in a front yard.
It runs along the street side of a corner lot.
It will sit on or near a retaining wall. The city says retaining walls over 4 feet must be engineered and permitted, and so must a shorter wall that has a surcharge to the top of the wall. Ask how the city would treat a fence on top.
It will carry a sign. Signs need their own sign permit.

A pool is a separate permit with its own fence rules, covered below. A city permit also is not the same thing as HOA approval. Your HOA decides that on its own.

Height limits by yard type

The code sets one height limit for fences on residential property, not a different number for each yard. Here is how it plays out.

Rear and side yards: up to 6 feet. On sloped lots the limit may be exceeded by up to 50 percent where the appearance of an even fence line is wanted. The code does not say how a fence on a slope is measured, so ask the city before you plan around that.
Front yards: privacy and chain-link fences are not allowed. The Director of Community Development may approve a privacy fence in a front yard on a collector or arterial street. The fence section does not list a separate front-yard height, so confirm the height for an open style with the city.
Corner lots: the code defines a front yard as a yard along any public street right-of-way or private street easement, and a front lot line as any lot line along one. So the street side of a corner lot may be treated as a front yard, which would bring the privacy and chain-link ban into play. The same question can come up on a lot whose back or side runs along a road. Ask the city how it treats yours.
Along a public trail: at least 10 feet back from a public multi-use trail, not opaque, and no taller than 5 feet.
Around a pool: at least 5 feet tall, with no opening a 4-inch sphere can pass through. The code says the fence must be self-closing and self-latching and must not block the view at road intersections. The pool itself must keep a 20-foot setback from side and rear property lines, or the house's setback if that is less, and cannot sit in the required front yard.
Commercial and other non-residential property: the same section allows up to 8 feet.

Open styles are covered on our pool fencing and aluminum fencing pages.

Setbacks, corners and the finished side

The fence section does not give one general distance from the property line. The code's general setback rule (section 2.3.1) speaks of buildings and structures and does not mention fences by name, so if you want to build right on the line, ask the city to confirm. Either way, know exactly where your line is. A survey or plat helps. The fence section lists these specific distances instead:

Street corners: no fence, wall, shrub or hedge over 3 feet tall within 20 feet of where two or more streets meet. A separate vision-clearance rule (section 2.5.6) says no fence or wall between 2.5 and 10 feet above the street grade within 20 feet of where the street right-of-way lines meet. Because two rules cover a similar corner zone, ask the city which one it applies to your fence.
Driveways: the same 3-foot limit applies within 10 feet of the edge of a driveway that leads to a street.
Landscape strips and buffers: keep fences at least 5 feet from required landscape strips and buffers, unless a public hearing approves otherwise. The code's landscape strip standard (section 3.2.8) calls for a strip at least 10 feet wide along public rights-of-way and 20 feet along the main streets it lists, such as Mansell Road and Old Milton Parkway, with a different rule in the Downtown Overlay District. It allows no permanent structures other than signs in a strip unless the Director approves. Whether a required strip applies to an established home lot depends on how the lot was developed, so ask the city.
Streams and drainage easements: if a stream runs through or beside your lot, the stream buffer section (3.3.2) says no solid fence taller than 4 feet is permitted within the buffer. The buffer is 50 feet from the top of the bank on a non-perennial stream and 100 feet on a perennial stream. Open styles that are not private in nature, such as split rail, may be allowed to mark a property line. Drainage easements shown on your plat must be kept free of obstructions, and the code says the city may allow a fence in an easement that serves only one property, at its discretion. Confirm how both apply to your lot.
Finished side: the code says all fencing is built with the finished side facing away from the property owner's property. In practice, the neighbor or the street sees the finished face.
Materials and color: wood that is naturally durable or pressure treated, metal, brick, block, vinyl and stone are allowed. Plywood and sheet goods are not. Bright or primary colors are out.

Privacy fences in Alpharetta

The code calls a privacy fence a sight-obscuring fence: one used to block the area it encloses from view from neighboring properties or public rights-of-way. A fence that only partly blocks the view does not count as sight-obscuring when the open space between its boards, slats or rails is at least as wide as the boards themselves. A solid wood fence is a privacy fence. A spaced picket or open metal fence usually is not, but the test is about the actual spacing, so if your design is close to that line, ask the city how it would be counted before you order.

In a rear or side yard, a wood privacy fence is the usual choice, up to the 6-foot limit. Along a public or private right-of-way, such as a street, a privacy or chain-link fence is allowed only where the required landscape strip and plantings are provided. In a front yard it is not allowed, apart from the Director's exception on collector and arterial streets. That is why a lot whose back or side faces a road deserves a closer look.

The variance route

Some lots do not fit the code. Alpharetta has ways to ask for relief, and each one starts before you build, not after.

Ask the Director first. Besides the front-yard exception above, the Director of Community Development can grant variances for up to 20 percent of a stipulated code requirement. Storm water, flood plain and tree protection rules are left out. Twenty percent of a 6-foot limit is 1.2 feet on paper, but ask the city whether and how it would apply that to a fence.
Board of Zoning Appeals. The city says this board can authorize a hardship variance or an exception from the code. The code uses both Board of Zoning Appeals and Board of Appeals for it. The board acts at a public hearing, and notice is published 30 to 45 days ahead, so plan for weeks, not days. The code limits the board's variances and exceptions to relief of not more than 50 percent of the stipulated requirement. The city lists its hearings by board on its Public Hearings page.
The hardship test. The board looks for extraordinary conditions tied to the property's size, shape or topography, or conditions peculiar to the property that hurt its reasonable use. Relief is limited to what is needed, not granted as a convenience. The test is about the lot itself, not about what you would prefer.
While a request is pending. The code says that once a request for relief on a property is submitted, no permits are issued and no actions are taken on the property that may be affected by the outcome. Do not plan to build until you have an answer.

Approval is always the city's decision. The code also lets the city order a violation corrected, and it treats each day a violation continues as a separate offense, which is why we suggest asking first. We are glad to talk through your layout before you apply.

Other approvals to check

HOA rules: they can be stricter than the city's, so plan around the stricter of the two. We handle the HOA approval paperwork, and approval is always the HOA's decision.
Historic properties: on a property the city has designated historic, erecting or altering a fence counts as a material change in appearance and needs a certificate of appropriateness first.
City limits: these rules apply inside Alpharetta city limits. If your address is near the edge, confirm your jurisdiction with the city or county. Nearby cities, such as Johns Creek and Milton, set their own fence rules, so do not carry these numbers over.
Code changes: we read the code as the city posted it online in October 2026. The posting notes it may not show the newest legislation, so confirm with the city before you build.

Once the rules are settled, we call in the Georgia 811 utility locate before digging, and most installs take 1 to 2 days. See our Alpharetta fence company page or the permit and HOA checklist.

Common questions

Does a fence over 6 feet need a permit in Alpharetta?

The city says a fence not more than 6 feet tall needs no permit. Residential fences are also limited to 6 feet, with up to 50 percent more allowed on sloped lots where an even fence line is wanted. For anything taller, call the Building Department at 678-297-6080 before you build, and ask whether a variance fits your lot.

How tall can a privacy fence be in Alpharetta?

The code limits fences to 6 feet on residential property. It lists no separate side-yard or rear-yard number, and non-residential property can go to 8 feet. Slopes may allow more, so confirm with the city how your lot is measured.

Can I put a privacy fence in my front yard in Alpharetta?

Generally no. The code prohibits privacy and chain-link fences in a front yard. The Director of Community Development may approve a privacy fence in a front yard on a collector or arterial street.

Which side of the fence faces out in Alpharetta?

The code says the finished side faces away from your own property, toward the neighbor or the street.

Can I fence my whole corner lot in Alpharetta?

Maybe, with limits. Fences over 3 feet tall are not allowed within 20 feet of a street intersection or within 10 feet of the edge of a driveway that leads to a street. The street side may also be treated as a front yard, so confirm your plan with the city first.

Can I build a fence near a creek or stream in Alpharetta?

The code says no solid fence taller than 4 feet is permitted within a stream buffer, which is 50 feet from the top of the bank on a non-perennial stream and 100 feet on a perennial stream. Open styles such as split rail may be allowed to mark a property line. Ask the city how this applies to your lot.

Can I get a variance for a taller fence in Alpharetta?

Maybe. The Director of Community Development can grant variances for up to 20 percent of a code requirement, and the Board of Zoning Appeals can hear hardship variances at a public hearing. The board looks at conditions tied to the lot itself, such as size, shape or topography, not preference. Approval is always the city's decision.

Alpharetta, GA Fence Rules: Permits, Height and Setbacks