Do you need a permit for a fence in Seattle?
It depends on the project. Seattle exempts some fences from a building permit and requires one for the rest1; the exemption's limit is 8 feet, with the conditions in the city's wording below.
On this page
Depends on size or scope
Seattle's rule“You don’t need a permit if you’re building a fence with a total height of 8 feet high or less that doesn’t have masonry or concrete elements over 6 feet.”1
City of Seattle, Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections, What Permits Do You Need?
Which permits you need
| Permit | Required when | The city’s wording |
|---|---|---|
| Building permit | Fence taller than the exemption (over 8 ft, or masonry/concrete elements over 6 ft) | If you’re building a taller fence, you need a construction permit.1 |
| Building permit | Fence located in a flood-prone area | You will need a construction permit if the fence will be located in a flood-prone area.1 |
Limits and conditions in Seattle's rule
Each limit sits next to the sentence it comes from; the conditions in that sentence are part of the rule.
| Rule | Value | The city’s wording |
|---|---|---|
| Exempt up to this height | 8 feet | Fences not over 8 feet high that do not have masonry or concrete elements above 6 feet.2 |
| Masonry or concrete parts exempt up to | 6 feet | Fences not over 8 feet high that do not have masonry or concrete elements above 6 feet.2 |
Zoning rules: separate from the building permit
A project can be exempt from one and still need the other (zoning vs building permits).
| Zoning rule | Value | The city’s wording |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum height in side and rear yards | 6 feet | In neighborhood residential and multifamily zones, our zoning code limits your fence height to 6 feet, with an additional 2 feet of architectural features such as arbors or trellises.1 |
| Maximum height in the front yard | 4 feet | We limit the height of the fence to 4 feet when it is located in a front or street side setback.1 |
| Sloping sites | 8 feet | On a sloping site, your fence can be 8 feet high, if the average height between posts is 6 feet.1 |
| Fence on a retaining wall: combined maximum | 9 ft 6 in | If your fence is placed above a retaining wall used to raise the grade of your property, the combined height of the retaining wall and fence is limited to nine feet and six inches (9’-6”).1 |
What to submit
- Application plus scaled plans: site plan, section and detail drawings1
Who can apply
- Owner may prepare the drawings or hire a professional1
Fence permit fees in Seattle
Fee lines as Seattle's schedule states them. A minimum or base fee is not the whole price when the line says the fee grows with project value.
| Fee | Type | As the schedule states it |
|---|---|---|
| STFI permit fee / plan review fee | Based on project valuation | Permit fee 100% of DFI; plan review fee 40% of DFI3 |
All of Seattle's fee lines are on the Seattle permit page.
Special areas and extra reviews
- Environmentally critical areas have different restrictions1
Who to ask
Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI)1
Building permits
- Website
- seattle.gov1
- Apply online
- services.seattle.gov4
- Phone
- (206) 684-86001
- Address
- 700 5th Ave, Suite 2000, Seattle, WA 98104 (mailing: P.O. Box 34019, Seattle, WA 98124-4019)1
- Hours
- Most staff 8 AM - 4 PM (phone or email)5
- Inspections
- Online, or 24-hour line (206) 684-89006
Fence permit rules in other cities
Rules differ from city to city. Compare Seattle with 18 other cities on the national fence permit guide, or go straight to one:
- New York City, NY
- Los Angeles, CA
- Chicago, IL
- Houston, TX
- Phoenix, AZ
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- Dallas, TX
- Fort Worth, TX
- San Jose, CA
- Charlotte, NC
- Columbus, OH
- Indianapolis, IN
- San Francisco, CA
- Denver, CO
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Philadelphia, PA
- Austin, TX
Sources
- Fences - Construction and InspectionsCity of Seattle, Seattle Department of Construction & InspectionsChecked November 7, 2026
- 2021 Seattle Residential Code, Chapter 1 AdministrationCity of Seattle, Seattle Department of Construction & InspectionsChecked November 7, 2026
- 2026 Fee Subtitle and related documents (SMC Chapter 22.900)City of Seattle, Seattle Department of Construction & InspectionsEffective January 1, 2026Checked November 7, 2026
- How Do You Get a Permit? - Construction and InspectionsCity of Seattle, Seattle Department of Construction & InspectionsChecked November 7, 2026
- Contact Us - Hours & LocationCity of Seattle, Seattle Department of Construction & InspectionsChecked November 6, 2026
- Construction Inspections - Construction and InspectionsCity of Seattle, Seattle Department of Construction & InspectionsChecked November 7, 2026