GeorgiaFence Rules

Fulton County

Fence Rules in Atlanta - Collier Heights, 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 - Collier Heights, fence height limits are: front yards, No fence or wall is permitted between the house and any public street, or in any yard adjacent to a public street; Away from the street: 6 ft max at any point, for fences and for walls.

Required: a Certificate of Appropriateness for a fence or wall, but only where the work would otherwise require a building permit; Type: Type II, reviewed by the director of the Atlanta Urban Design Commission; Erecting a new structure is listed work that requires a Certificate of Appropriateness in this district.

On corner lots in Atlanta - Collier Heights: No fence or wall is permitted in any yard adjacent to a public street, so on a corner lot the street side yard is off limits as well as the front.

Pool fences in Atlanta - Collier Heights: Pool barriers follow Georgia's state minimum standard codes, including the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code with Georgia Amendments; A pool fence must also meet the district fence rules above; Swimming pools, tennis courts, and similar active recreation facilities are permitted in the district.

Fence setbacks in Atlanta - Collier Heights: The chapter sets no setback distance for fences; It controls fence location instead: nothing between the house and a public street, and nothing in any yard adjacent to a public street; Where the district allows a fence, it may occupy a required yard, subject to the height and sight distance limits that apply.

Prohibited fence materials in Atlanta - Collier Heights: Fence and wall materials are a closed list; Anything the chapter does not name, including vinyl and composite fencing, is not permitted; Barbed wire and razor wire: no part of any fence may contain them along the public right-of-way or along any private drive that serves pedestrians.

Fence Regulations

Atlanta - Collier Heights

Apply for Permit
Permit Requirements
Required: a Certificate of Appropriateness for a fence or wall, but only where the work would otherwise require a building permit. Type: Type II, reviewed by the director of the Atlanta Urban Design Commission. Erecting a new structure is listed work that requires a Certificate of Appropriateness in this district. The zoning code defines a structure to include fences and walls. Timing: the director issues a Type II certificate within 14 days of a completed application, or denies it with notice within 14 days. Appeals: any aggrieved person may appeal the director's decision under the appeals procedure used for Type I certificates. Ordinary repairs and maintenance do not require a Certificate of Appropriateness. A variance or special exception from the district chapter takes a Type III Certificate of Appropriateness, reviewed by the commission.
Height - Front Yard
No fence or wall is permitted between the house and any public street, or in any yard adjacent to a public street.
Height - Side/Rear
Away from the street: 6 ft max at any point, for fences and for walls. No fence or wall is permitted in any yard adjacent to a public street, including the street side of a corner lot.
Height Notes
The 6 ft limit applies at any point along the fence or wall, not as an average. The limit covers walls as well as fences. How height is measured: Atlanta measures fence height as the vertical distance 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 of the surface it retains, that extra height counts toward the fence height allowed on top of it. Chapter 20Q is an overlay. The underlying zoning map and regulations stay in full force, and the district rules are imposed in addition to them. Where the district rules and any other adopted regulation are at variance, the most restrictive requirement, or the one imposing the higher standard, governs. Chapter 20Q names that interpretation rule itself, so the district prohibition on street-facing fences controls over any more permissive citywide yard limit.
Pool Fences
View Pool Fence Safety Requirements
Corner Lots
No fence or wall is permitted in any yard adjacent to a public street, so on a corner lot the street side yard is off limits as well as the front. Within 20 ft of a street intersection, where the district allows a fence at all: 2.5 ft max in any dwelling district, measured from the grade at the intersecting street right-of-way lines. That citywide intersection rule applies notwithstanding the citywide 4 ft, 6 ft and 8 ft yard limits. Visibility triangle: nothing may be erected, placed, planted or allowed to grow so as to materially impede visibility between 2.5 ft and 8 ft above the grade of the adjoining sidewalk or right-of-way. At a street intersection that triangle is the first 20 ft along each intersecting right-of-way edge and a line joining the ends of those two lines. The same visibility rule applies where a driveway meets a street, measured 20 ft along the intersecting edges of the roadway and the driveway.
Materials Allowed
Fences, where allowed: metal chain link, metal picket, or wood picket. Walls, where allowed: wood, natural stone, brick, or concrete faced with true stucco.
Materials Prohibited
Fence and wall materials are a closed list. Anything the chapter does not name, including vinyl and composite fencing, is not permitted. Barbed wire and razor wire: no part of any fence may contain them along the public right-of-way or along any private drive that serves pedestrians. That is a citywide rule and applies in every district.
Historic Districts
You are in the Collier Heights Historic District. These rules apply on top of Atlanta's citywide code.
Setbacks
The chapter sets no setback distance for fences. It controls fence location instead: nothing between the house and a public street, and nothing in any yard adjacent to a public street. Where the district allows a fence, it may occupy a required yard, subject to the height and sight distance limits that apply.
Design Requirements
Fences and walls require a Type II Certificate of Appropriateness from the director of the Urban Design Commission. The compatibility rule applies only to elements the regulations name by reference to it. The fence and wall subsection carries no such reference, so there is no block face matching test for fence height or design. Mechanical and communications equipment visible from the public street must be screened with planting or fence materials.
Gates
Not addressed. Chapter 20Q and Atlanta's general zoning regulations set no gate rule separate from the fence rules above.
Floodplain Rules
Fences count as ancillary structures under Atlanta's flood area regulations. Permit: construction of any structure within a floodplain, including a special flood hazard area, requires review and approval of a permit by the commissioner. Traditional floodplain: an ancillary structure may be allowed if it is designed and built to minimize and mitigate impact, lets stormwater enter the floodway by sheet flow rather than channelized flow, and results in no net loss of flood storage volume. Floodway: ancillary structures are not allowed. Historically modified floodplain: an ancillary structure may be allowed if designed and built to minimize and mitigate impact.
Color Restrictions
Repainting a structure or any part of it does not require a Certificate of Appropriateness in this district. The chapter sets no fence color rule.
Source
Atlanta Code Ch. 16-20Q (Sec. 16-20Q.002, 16-20Q.005, 16-20Q.006); Sec. 16-20.011(c); Sec. 16-28.006(7); Sec. 16-28.008(5), (9); Sec. 16-29.001(22), (25); Sec. 74-203, 74-204, 74-205.4, 74-206.4; O.C.G.A. 8-2-20 et seq.
Notes
Chapter 20Q governs the Collier Heights Historic District. Fences and walls require a Type II Certificate of Appropriateness from the director of the Atlanta Urban Design Commission, and no Certificate of Appropriateness is required unless the work would otherwise require a building permit. The chapter bars fences and walls in every yard adjacent to a public street, so the 6 ft limit reaches only the parts of the lot away from the street. Where the district rules and any other adopted regulation are at variance, the most restrictive requirement governs.

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 - Collier Heights with nearby jurisdictions:

All Fulton County fence rules →

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