ZoningVerdict

Fences in Surprise, AZ

What the Surprise zoning ordinance says about fences, district by district. Section numbers link to the official ordinance.

All districts

Fences and walls require a building permit and must comply with the screening/wall standards in the Planning and Engineering Design Standards (LDO Chapter 107, Sec. 107-2.5). Fences must be set back 2 feet from a public utility easement that abuts a right-of-way. In residential zoning districts, fences may not exceed 6 feet in height (8 feet absolute maximum including architectural embellishment; a 4-inch cap/embellishment is exempt from the height count). Within a required front setback, a solid fence is capped at 2 feet and a view fence at 4 feet (5 feet in the RR district); a fence up to 6 feet may be allowed within the front yard along a key lot's side lot line abutting the adjacent lot's rear line. Fence returns must be set back at least 5 feet from the front of the building, with at least one 3-foot-wide gate for emergency access. Chain link, razor wire, barbed wire, and electrified wire fencing are prohibited, except chain link for approved temporary uses or certain public/recreational facilities, and barbed wire for agricultural operations (Sec. 106-10.5). Commercial/industrial district fences follow the PEDS screening standards instead of the residential height caps.

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