GeorgiaFence Rules

Bibb County

Fence Rules in Macon, Georgia

Last verified: September 5, 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 Macon, fence height limits are: Residential zones: 4 ft max in the front yard; Historic Beall's Hill: 3 ft between the house and the street; Business and industrial zones: 8 ft in any yard; Residential zones: 8 ft max in side and back yards; Historic Beall's Hill: 6 ft in side and back yards away from a street, 3 ft where the yard runs along one.

Required: a Certificate of Zoning Compliance from Planning & Zoning before a fence goes up, applied for through the Commission's online portal. No building permit is needed for a fence; Historic and design review districts also need a certificate of appropriateness first; Planning & Zoning Commission · 478-241-2554.

On corner lots in Macon: No separate corner-lot height rule; a corner lot has one front yard, the one its address comes from; Within 20 ft of where two street right-of-way lines meet, nothing between 2.5 ft and 10 ft tall may block the view (not downtown). No fence may block driver visibility anywhere; Historic Beall's Hill: 3 ft along a side street.

Pool fences in Macon: Every pool, above or in ground, must be fully enclosed by a fence or wall at least 4 ft tall with a self-closing, self-latching gate that opens away from the pool. No opening may pass a 4 in ball. The rail around an above-ground pool's deck does not count as the fence; Georgia's state pool code applies as well.

Fence setbacks in Macon: 10 ft back from the public right-of-way, except in design review districts, where the setback is set through design review; No setback from a side or back line, but the fence may not cross the lot line; Anything reaching into the street right-of-way, including a sidewalk or alley, needs an encroachment agreement.

Prohibited fence materials in Macon: Barbed wire, including on top of a fence: banned in every residential district; Business zones: only with Planning & Zoning approval; Farms and industry: three strands up to 18 in atop a fence at least 6 ft tall, no razor ribbon; Historic Beall's Hill: no barbed or razor wire; Screening buffers may not use chain link.

Fence Regulations

Macon

Apply for Permit
Permit Requirements
Required: a Certificate of Zoning Compliance from Planning & Zoning before a fence goes up, applied for through the Commission's online portal. No building permit is needed for a fence. Historic and design review districts also need a certificate of appropriateness first. Planning & Zoning Commission · 478-241-2554 3661 Eisenhower Parkway, Suite MB104, Macon, GA 31206
Height - Front Yard
Residential zones: 4 ft max in the front yard. Historic Beall's Hill: 3 ft between the house and the street. Business and industrial zones: 8 ft in any yard.
Height - Side/Rear
Residential zones: 8 ft max in side and back yards. Historic Beall's Hill: 6 ft in side and back yards away from a street, 3 ft where the yard runs along one.
Height Notes
The height must be actual fence: barbed or razor wire on top does not count toward it. The code does not say how fence height is measured.
Pool Fences
View Pool Fence Safety Requirements
Corner Lots
No separate corner-lot height rule; a corner lot has one front yard, the one its address comes from. Within 20 ft of where two street right-of-way lines meet, nothing between 2.5 ft and 10 ft tall may block the view (not downtown). No fence may block driver visibility anywhere. Historic Beall's Hill: 3 ft along a side street.
Materials Allowed
No list; the code defines a fence as sturdy permanent material such as wood, metal, chain link or stone. Historic Beall's Hill front yards: painted wood or painted wrought iron only.
Materials Prohibited
Barbed wire, including on top of a fence: banned in every residential district. Business zones: only with Planning & Zoning approval. Farms and industry: three strands up to 18 in atop a fence at least 6 ft tall, no razor ribbon. Historic Beall's Hill: no barbed or razor wire. Screening buffers may not use chain link.
Historic Districts
Required in every design review district: a certificate of appropriateness before any fence that can be seen from a public street is built or changed. These are the properties whose zoning starts with H (Cherokee Heights, Intown, Vineville and Historic Beall's Hill) plus the two downtown CBD districts. Staff can approve a fence behind the front of the house if it meets both the fence rules and the district's design guidelines. Everything else goes to the Design Review Board. Planning & Zoning · 478-241-2554 Macon-Bibb CLDR Sec. 28.06
Setbacks
10 ft back from the public right-of-way, except in design review districts, where the setback is set through design review. No setback from a side or back line, but the fence may not cross the lot line. Anything reaching into the street right-of-way, including a sidewalk or alley, needs an encroachment agreement.
Design Requirements
Finished side faces out, posts on the inside, built to enhance the neighborhood's appearance.
Gates
Pool gates: self-closing, self-latching, opening away from the pool. No other gate rule for a home fence.
Floodplain Rules
In a mapped flood hazard area a floodplain development permit ($50 application) comes before the zoning permit. In the floodway, the channel a flood runs down, nothing goes up without an engineer's certification that it will not raise flood levels. Fences are exempt from the soil-erosion rules, so no stream buffer applies. Macon-Bibb Code Sec. 11-7, 11-16, 11-21
Color Restrictions
None in the general code. In a design review district, fence color is judged in design review. Historic Beall's Hill front yards: painted wood or painted wrought iron.
Source
Macon-Bibb CLDR Sec. 4.11 (Fences and walls)
Notes
Governed by the Macon-Bibb County Comprehensive Land Development Resolution, Sec. 4.11, administered by the Planning & Zoning Commission. Macon and Bibb County are one consolidated government. Planning & Zoning Commission · 478-241-2554 · 3661 Eisenhower Parkway, Suite MB104, Macon, GA 31206

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.

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