GeorgiaFence Rules

Fulton County

Fence Rules in Atlanta - Castleberry Hill, Georgia

Last verified: August 28, 2026

This page is maintained manually and may not reflect very recent ordinance changes. Always confirm current rules with your local permitting office.

For information only. Fence rules change frequently and this site may not reflect every requirement that applies to your property (HOA covenants, easements, variances, recent amendments). Always verify with your local permitting office before building. Full disclaimer

At a glance

In Atlanta - Castleberry Hill, fence height limits are: front yards, Depends on whether the lot has a required front yard. Within one, 9 ft; Outside one, the district cap of 10 ft applies; side and rear yards, Depends on whether the lot has a required side or rear yard. Within one, 9 ft; Outside one, the district cap of 10 ft applies to fences and walls.

Required: you must obtain a Type II Certificate of Appropriateness before building a fence or wall; The Urban Design Commission director issues it within 14 days of application if the plan meets the district rules, and denies it if it does not; Any aggrieved person may appeal the decision; Type I Certificates of Appropriateness are not needed here.

On corner lots in Atlanta - Castleberry Hill: Within the visibility triangles at street intersections, nothing may be built, placed, planted or allowed to grow that impedes visibility between 2.5 ft and 8 ft above grade; Citywide, in any dwelling district, no fence or wall over 2.5 ft may be erected or maintained within 20 ft of a street intersection.

Pool fences in Atlanta - Castleberry Hill: A swimming pool, tennis court or similar active recreation facility needs a special exception from the Urban Design Commission; Pool barriers are governed by the state minimum standard codes Atlanta enforces, including the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code with Georgia Amendments.

Fence setbacks in Atlanta - Castleberry Hill: The district chapter sets no setback for a fence; Citywide, fences and walls may be placed in any required yard, subject to the height and sight distance limits that apply there.

Prohibited fence materials in Atlanta - Castleberry Hill: Chain link and wood are listed only for fences to the rear or side of the principal building, not for fences between the principal building and the public street; Walls are not allowed between the principal building and the public street.

Fence Regulations

Atlanta - Castleberry Hill

Apply for Permit
Permit Requirements
Required: you must obtain a Type II Certificate of Appropriateness before building a fence or wall. The Urban Design Commission director issues it within 14 days of application if the plan meets the district rules, and denies it if it does not. Any aggrieved person may appeal the decision. Type I Certificates of Appropriateness are not needed here.
Height - Front Yard
Depends on whether the lot has a required front yard. Within one, 9 ft. Outside one, the district cap of 10 ft applies.
Height - Side/Rear
Depends on whether the lot has a required side or rear yard. Within one, 9 ft. Outside one, the district cap of 10 ft applies to fences and walls.
Height Notes
The district chapter's own cap is 10 ft, for fences and for walls, and it applies across the whole district. Every other city regulation continues to apply inside this district, and where the district rules and another city rule are at variance, the more restrictive requirement governs. Castleberry Hill parcels are zoned HC-20N Subarea 1 or Subarea 2 on the official zoning map, not R-1 through R-5 or R-G, so the citywide fence limit that applies here is 9 ft within a required yard. Subarea 1 sets no required front yard for principal building facades, so ask the Urban Design Commission whether your lot has a required yard for the 9 ft limit to attach to. Next to a public street or sidewalk, a fence, wall and retaining wall together may not exceed 10 ft. The board of zoning adjustment may grant a special exception for greater height. Fence height is measured from the finished ground level, or from the top of a retaining wall, to the highest point of the fence. Where a retaining wall rises above the grade it retains, that extra height counts toward the height allowed for a fence built on top of it. Both subareas, Historic Core Subarea 1 and Transitional Historic Areas Subarea 2, use the same fence rules, because the fence rules sit in the general regulations that apply to every property in the district.
Pool Fences
View Pool Fence Safety Requirements
Corner Lots
Within the visibility triangles at street intersections, nothing may be built, placed, planted or allowed to grow that impedes visibility between 2.5 ft and 8 ft above grade. Citywide, in any dwelling district, no fence or wall over 2.5 ft may be erected or maintained within 20 ft of a street intersection. That 2.5 ft is measured from the grade at the intersecting street right-of-way lines. A visibility triangle at a street intersection is bounded by the first 20 ft along each intersecting edge of the right-of-way and the line joining the ends of those two lines.
Materials Allowed
Fences between the principal building and the public street: metal, brick, stone, ornamental iron or metal, or architectural masonry. Fences to the rear or side of the principal building: metal, brick, stone, ornamental iron or metal, architectural masonry, chain link, or wood. Walls: metal, brick, stone, architectural masonry, or hard coat stucco.
Materials Prohibited
Chain link and wood are listed only for fences to the rear or side of the principal building, not for fences between the principal building and the public street. Walls are not allowed between the principal building and the public street. Citywide, no part of any fence may contain barbed wire or razor wire along the public right-of-way or along any private drive that services pedestrians.
Historic Districts
You are in the Castleberry Hill Landmark District. Atlanta's citywide code still applies here, and where the two are at variance the more restrictive requirement governs.
Setbacks
The district chapter sets no setback for a fence. Citywide, fences and walls may be placed in any required yard, subject to the height and sight distance limits that apply there. Subarea 2 only: a property next to the railroad right-of-way must keep a continuous buffer at least 20 ft wide along that right-of-way, though the buffer cannot be required to exceed 20 percent of the total property area, and that buffer must be completely landscaped except for trails, paved walkways, benches and similar recreational features approved by the director of the bureau of planning.
Design Requirements
A fence needs a Type II Certificate of Appropriateness from the Urban Design Commission before it is built. Where the chapter does not address something, the commission applies the district preservation standards, including that new work be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale, proportion and massing of the property. Accessory structures may be required to be screened with appropriate plant or fence materials.
Gates
Not addressed in the district rules.
Floodplain Rules
Fences count as ancillary structures under Atlanta's flood area regulations. Building any structure within a floodplain, including a special flood hazard area, requires review and approval of a permit by the commissioner. In a traditional floodplain area, an ancillary structure is allowed only if it is designed and built to minimize and mitigate impact on the floodplain, to let stormwater enter the floodway by sheet flow rather than channelized flow, and to result in no net loss in flood storage volume. Ancillary structures are not allowed in the floodway. In a historically modified floodplain area, an ancillary structure is allowed if it is designed and built to minimize and mitigate impact on that floodplain.
Source
Atlanta Code Ch. 16-20N (Secs. 16-20N.002(2), 16-20N.003, 16-20N.006, 16-20N.007(1), 16-20N.007(9)(e), 16-20N.007(13), 16-20N.007(14), 16-20N.009(5)) with Secs. 16-20.006(b), 16-20.011(c), 16-28.006(7), 16-28.008(5), 16-28.008(9), 16-29.001(25), and Secs. 74-203, 74-204, 74-205.4, 74-206.4; pool barriers under the Georgia state minimum standard codes (International Swimming Pool and Spa Code with Georgia Amendments)
Notes
Governed by the Castleberry Hill Landmark District rules, Atlanta Code Chapter 20N. Parcels here are zoned HC-20N Subarea 1 or Subarea 2 rather than a standard residential or commercial district. Fences and walls need a Type II Certificate of Appropriateness from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission before you build. The fence rules are in the chapter's general regulations, so they apply the same way in both subareas. The chapter caps fences at 10 ft, but every other city regulation continues to apply and the more restrictive requirement governs, so the citywide 9 ft limit for a required yard can be the governing number.

Rules can vary within a jurisdiction. Historic districts and zoning overlays often have stricter requirements. Look up your exact address to confirm which rules apply to your property.

Other jurisdictions in Fulton County

Fence rules change from one city and unincorporated area to the next. Compare Atlanta - Castleberry Hill with nearby jurisdictions:

All Fulton County fence rules →

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