GeorgiaFence Rules

Columbia County

Fence Rules in Unincorporated Columbia County, 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 Unincorporated Columbia County, fence height limits are: front yards, R-A, R-1, T-R and A-R zones: 8 ft anywhere on the lot. R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, PRD and PUD homes: 3 ft in front of the house; side and rear yards, R-A, R-1, T-R and A-R zones: 8 ft. R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, PRD and PUD homes: 6 ft, or 4 ft where a side or back yard runs along a street.

Unconfirmed threshold: the county charges $150 for a residential fence permit ($400 commercial), but no county rule says whether every fence needs one or only fences above a certain height. Ask Building Standards before you build; A pool needs a $350 pool permit, a land disturbance application and a notarized barrier affidavit.

On corner lots in Unincorporated Columbia County: In R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, PRD and PUD homes, the street side of a corner lot, or of a lot with a street along the back, is capped at 4 ft ahead of the building setback line, may not be wire or chain link, and may not run past the front wall of the house; No fence may block visibility at an intersection.

Pool fences in Unincorporated Columbia County: Barrier: 48 in tall minimum, measured from the outside. Gap under it: 2 in max over grass, 4 in over concrete; Gate: opens outward, self-closing and self-latching; Openings: 4 in max, or 1 3/4 in for chain link, lattice and any fence whose rails sit under 45 in apart, which puts its rails on the pool side.

Fence setbacks in Unincorporated Columbia County: None from a side or back property line. The 8 ft fence along a collector, arterial or subdivision-edge street sits at least 2 ft off the right-of-way with plants between it and the road; The county's 5 ft accessory-structure setback does not apply to fences.

Prohibited fence materials in Unincorporated Columbia County: Wire and chain link: not in the three street-facing spots in R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, PRD and PUD homes (in front of the house, on the street side of a corner lot, or along a collector, arterial or subdivision-edge street); No barbed-wire ban for a home lot.

Fence Regulations

Unincorporated Columbia County

Apply for Permit
Permit Requirements
Unconfirmed threshold: the county charges $150 for a residential fence permit ($400 commercial), but no county rule says whether every fence needs one or only fences above a certain height. Ask Building Standards before you build. A pool needs a $350 pool permit, a land disturbance application and a notarized barrier affidavit. Development Services, Building Standards · 706-868-3420 · permits@columbiacountyga.gov (Mon-Fri 8 to 5) 630 Ronald Reagan Drive, Building A, Evans, GA 30809
Height - Front Yard
R-A, R-1, T-R and A-R zones: 8 ft anywhere on the lot. R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, PRD and PUD homes: 3 ft in front of the house.
Height - Side/Rear
R-A, R-1, T-R and A-R zones: 8 ft. R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, PRD and PUD homes: 6 ft, or 4 ft where a side or back yard runs along a street.
Height Notes
T-R is the townhouse zone and A-R the apartment zone. PRD and PUD are planned subdivisions approved with their own development plan. Which tier applies depends on where the fence sits relative to the house's front wall and the building setback line; the front wall is set by how the house faces, not by the street. In R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, PRD and PUD homes a fence along a collector or arterial street, or along a street that borders a subdivision, may reach 8 ft if it shows a finished, decorative face to the street, sits 2 ft off the right-of-way and is landscaped. Whether that reaches a single home lot on such a street is not settled; ask Planning. Business and industrial zones: 8 ft plus 2 ft of security wire. The code sets no fence height for the recreation-residential zone (R-4); ask Planning. The code does not say how fence height is measured.
Pool Fences
View Pool Fence Safety Requirements
Corner Lots
In R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, PRD and PUD homes, the street side of a corner lot, or of a lot with a street along the back, is capped at 4 ft ahead of the building setback line, may not be wire or chain link, and may not run past the front wall of the house. No fence may block visibility at an intersection. The county sets the corner sight line by stopping distance (125 ft on a residential street, 180 ft on a collector) rather than a fixed triangle. Columbia County Code Secs. 74-80, 74-82
Materials Allowed
Wood, vinyl, wire, wire mesh, decorative metal or any other material, which is how the code defines a fence. Walls: concrete, brick, stone or other masonry, with or without decorative metal.
Materials Prohibited
Wire and chain link: not in the three street-facing spots in R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, PRD and PUD homes (in front of the house, on the street side of a corner lot, or along a collector, arterial or subdivision-edge street). No barbed-wire ban for a home lot; business and industrial fences may add 2 ft of security wire.
Historic Districts
None. The county has no historic district, preservation commission or certificate of appropriateness process.
Setbacks
None from a side or back property line. The 8 ft fence along a collector, arterial or subdivision-edge street sits at least 2 ft off the right-of-way with plants between it and the road. The county's 5 ft accessory-structure setback does not apply to fences.
Design Requirements
The 8 ft street-side fence must show a finished, decorative face to the street and be landscaped between it and the right-of-way. A corner-lot street-side fence may not run past the front wall of the house. No other design rule reaches a home fence; the buffer and corridor overlay rules exclude single-family lots.
Gates
None for a home fence in the county code. Pool gates follow the state pool code: open outward, self-closing and self-latching.
Floodplain Rules
The flood ordinance never names fences and defines a structure as a roofed building. A land disturbance permit comes before any development in a mapped flood hazard area, and nothing encroaches on the floodway without an engineer's certification that it will not raise flood levels. Stormwater Compliance (706-855-7246) decides whether a fence counts. Columbia County Code Secs. 42-42, 42-44
Color Restrictions
None for a home lot. The Evans Town Center color list applies to commercial districts, and the corridor overlays exclude single-family zones.
Source
Columbia County Code Sec. 90-144(c)(1)
Notes
Governed by the Columbia County Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, Section 90-144, which covers the unincorporated county only and sets fence heights by zoning district. An address inside a city is not covered by it; check with that city. Development Services, Building Standards · 706-868-3420 · 630 Ronald Reagan Drive, Building A, Evans, GA 30809

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 Columbia County

Fence rules change from one city and unincorporated area to the next. Compare Unincorporated Columbia County with nearby jurisdictions:

All Columbia County fence rules →

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