GeorgiaFence Rules

Towns County

Fence Rules in Young Harris, Georgia

Last verified: October 22, 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 Young Harris, fence height limits are: front yards, No city fence height limit. The zoning code sets no fence height for any yard. At a street corner, see corner lots; side and rear yards, No city fence height limit.

Unconfirmed for fences: the zoning code requires a building permit for any structure, defines structure broadly enough to include a fence and does not list fences among its exemptions, but no city form or fee names fences, so ask City Hall before you build. Applications go to the building official, then the Planning Commission and City Council.

On corner lots in Young Harris: On a corner lot, in the triangle formed by the two right-of-way lines and a straight line joining points 20 ft along each line from where they meet, no fence, wall or planting may rise more than 3 ft above the ground or block the view between 3 ft and 12 ft above the road. The zoning administrator may set a different area.

Pool fences in Young Harris: 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 Young Harris: Not settled. The zoning code applies setbacks to any structure (R-1 residential zone: 50 ft from the street centerline, 15 ft on the sides and back, 25 ft on a corner lot's side street) but measures them from the building, and never applies them to fences by name. Ask City Hall before building inside a setback.

Prohibited fence materials in Young Harris: None. The city bans no fence material, barbed wire included.

Fence Regulations

Young Harris

Apply for Permit
Permit Requirements
Unconfirmed for fences: the zoning code requires a building permit for any structure, defines structure broadly enough to include a fence and does not list fences among its exemptions, but no city form or fee names fences, so ask City Hall before you build. Applications go to the building official, then the Planning Commission and City Council. A fence needs no land disturbing permit, but fence work inside a public road's right-of-way, or next to a public road where it could damage the road, needs the city's written approval first. City Hall · 706-379-3171 · Mon-Fri 8 to 4 50 Irene Berry Drive, Young Harris, GA 30582
Height - Front Yard
No city fence height limit. The zoning code sets no fence height for any yard. At a street corner, see corner lots.
Height - Side/Rear
No city fence height limit.
Height Notes
The zoning code's 35 ft height cap for structures is measured for buildings, and the code has no separate fence height limit for any yard. The corner sight triangle is the exception; see corner lots. Young Harris Zoning Ordinance Sec. 4.8
Pool Fences
View Pool Fence Safety Requirements
Corner Lots
On a corner lot, in the triangle formed by the two right-of-way lines and a straight line joining points 20 ft along each line from where they meet, no fence, wall or planting may rise more than 3 ft above the ground or block the view between 3 ft and 12 ft above the road. The zoning administrator may set a different area. On a rounded corner, measure the 20 ft from where the curve's straight edges would meet. Where the right-of-way line cannot be found, measure from 15 ft off the road's centerline or 10 ft off the pavement, whichever is greater. Young Harris Zoning Ordinance Sec. 3.16
Materials Prohibited
None. The city bans no fence material, barbed wire included.
Historic Districts
None. The city code creates no local historic district and requires no certificate of appropriateness (historic design approval) for a fence.
Setbacks
Not settled. The zoning code applies setbacks to any structure (R-1 residential zone: 50 ft from the street centerline, 15 ft on the sides and back, 25 ft on a corner lot's side street) but measures them from the building, and never applies them to fences by name. Ask City Hall before building inside a setback. Young Harris Zoning Ordinance Sec. 4.8
Design Requirements
A business or other nonresidential lot next to a home or residential district must keep a 10 ft buffer with an 8 ft visual barrier; if that barrier is an opaque fence, it must be at least 8 ft tall with its finished side facing the residential neighbor. Young Harris Zoning Ordinance Sec. 4.9
Gates
None. The city has no fence gate rule. Pool gates follow the state pool code.
Floodplain Rules
In a mapped flood hazard area a city development permit comes before any development, which the code defines as any man-made change to the land including buildings or other structures; the flood rules never name fences. In the floodway nothing may go in unless an engineer certifies it will not raise flood levels or widen the floodway. Where flood elevations are mapped but no floodway is marked, nothing may go in the flood hazard area unless an engineer certifies that, together with all other development, it will raise flood levels no more than 1 ft. In a mapped flood hazard area along a stream with no mapped flood elevations, and where the city cannot get that data elsewhere, nothing may go within 20 ft of the top of the bank, or the width of the stream, whichever is greater, unless an engineer certifies it will raise flood levels no more than 1 ft. Young Harris Code Secs. 10-19, 10-25, 10-79, 10-80, 10-81
Color Restrictions
None. The city sets no fence color rule.
Source
Young Harris Zoning Ordinance Secs. 3.16, 4.9
Notes
Governed by the city's own 2014 zoning ordinance (Appendix A of the city code). It sets no fence height limit; it keeps corner sight triangles clear between 3 and 12 ft and requires an 8 ft buffer fence or planted screen where a business lot borders homes. A July 2026 zoning amendment is not yet published. Towns County's rules do not apply inside the city. Pool barriers follow Georgia's state pool code. City Hall · 706-379-3171 · 50 Irene Berry Drive, Young Harris, GA 30582

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 Towns County

Fence rules change from one city and unincorporated area to the next. Compare Young Harris with nearby jurisdictions:

All Towns County fence rules →

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