FENCE RULES – FOREST PARK (CITY), GEORGIA

OVERVIEW

Residential fences are permitted on private property within City of Forest Park, subject to local regulations. For properties located outside City of Forest Park municipal limits, Clayton County regulates fences in unincorporated areas.

Local fence rules appear in the City of Forest Park Code of Ordinances, including Title 8, Chapter 2, Article J, Fences and Other Enclosures, Title 8, Chapter 8, Section 8-8-94, Fences and Walls Standards, and Section 8-8-236, Fence Permit Process. Permit administration is handled through the Planning and Community Development Department and the City’s online permitting system.

Additional project-specific rules may apply through the City’s swimming pool enclosure provisions, soil erosion and land-disturbance ordinance, floodplain management ordinance, stream buffer ordinance, stormwater management ordinance, public-works rules for public places, and Urban Design Review Board standards for the Main Street Overlay District.

This page focuses on typical single-family residential fencing. If the jurisdiction’s adopted materials do not state a specific limit or requirement, this page notes that the code does not specify one.

Compiled From City of Forest Park Code of Ordinances, Planning and Community Development Department materials, Forms & Applications page, Permits & Inspections page, Homeowner Affidavit, Land Disturbance Permit Application/Checklist, Planning and Zoning Boards materials, and Zoning Map as of June 2026.

GOVERNANCE

The City of Forest Park regulates residential fences through its Code of Ordinances and through permit review administered by the Planning and Community Development Department.

The City does not use a single consolidated residential fence chapter. Fence rules appear in the zoning ordinance’s Fences and Walls Standards, the separate Fence Permit Process, older code provisions for Fences and Other Enclosures, pool enclosure rules, land-disturbance and erosion-control provisions, floodplain and stream-buffer provisions, stormwater provisions, public-works rules for public places, and design-review standards for the Main Street Overlay District.

The Planning and Community Development Department administers zoning, development review, and permit processing. The Urban Design Review Board reviews proposed development in the Main Street Overlay District where the City’s design-review rules apply. The Director of Public Works administers certain public-place excavation and drainage-related public-works permissions.

PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

• Fence Permit: A fence permit is required for all work performed in association with the construction, alteration, or relocation of a fence or wall.

• Fence Permit Exceptions: The fence-permit requirement does not apply to repairs to an existing fence or wall with no structural changes, replacement of an existing fence with a new fence of the same type, height, and location that fully complies with the ordinance, or installation of gates up to 8 feet in width in an existing fence or wall with no structural changes.

• Fence Permit Application Materials: The fence permit application requires a plot plan or lot survey showing all existing and proposed fences, walls, structures, easements, and setback dimensions; a detail of the proposed fence or wall with dimensions; written consent from adjacent property owners or a certified survey when the fence or wall is proposed on a property line; and any other information the Director requires to determine compliance.

• Property-Line Installation: A fence or wall in a required side yard or rear yard may be placed on a property line only with written consent from all adjacent property owners or a certified survey verifying the boundaries of the lot.

• Homeowner Affidavit: When a homeowner applies directly for permit work, the City’s permit materials use a Homeowner Affidavit. The City’s permit page states that homeowners may apply for permits with the appropriate affidavit if they are doing the work themselves.

• Animal and Bee Enclosures: For residential keeping of chickens, ducks, rabbits, and bees, the code contains separate building-permit language for fences and related enclosures. It also exempts certain small nonpermanent cages, coops, beehives, required enclosure barriers, and flyway barriers when they meet the code’s stated size, height, and attachment limits.

• Pool Barrier Context: A fence or wall used as the required enclosure for an outdoor swimming pool or family pool must meet the City’s pool enclosure standards. Pool enclosure requirements are separate from ordinary yard-fence height and material rules.

• Land Disturbance and Erosion Control: Minor land-disturbing activities such as fences are exempt from the City’s soil erosion ordinance when they result in minor soil erosion. Fence work involving non-exempt clearing, grading, excavation, filling, or other land-disturbing activity is subject to the City’s land-disturbance permit and erosion-control framework.

• Floodplain Review: Development activities on a site containing a special flood hazard area or future-conditions flood hazard area must meet the City’s floodplain management and flood damage prevention requirements before the activity occurs. Floodway encroachments are restricted under the floodplain ordinance.

• Stream Buffer Review: When property contains a stream protection area, land development activity within the required buffer and impervious cover within the setback are regulated under the City’s stream buffer ordinance.

• Stormwater Review: The City’s stormwater management ordinance applies to covered new development, redevelopment, subdivisions, common plans of development, and other listed activities when the ordinance’s impervious-surface or land-disturbance thresholds are met.

• Public Works / Public Place Work: Digging, excavation, installation, repair, replacement, or other work in a public place that requires removal or breaking of the surface or subsurface requires City permission. Placing material in a street or alley in a way that interferes with drainage or use of the street or alley requires a permit from the Director of Public Works.

• Design Review: Proposed development in the Main Street Overlay District is reviewed by the Urban Design Review Board for consistency with the Main Street Design Guidelines. Downtown Mainstreet standards include specific fence and wall material, height, and streetscape requirements.

FENCE PLACEMENT RULES

• Lot Boundaries: All fences and walls, including posts, foundations, and overhanging elements, must be located completely within the lot. Fences and walls may be permitted up to any property line that is not also a right-of-way line.

• Side and Rear Property Lines: In required side yards and rear yards, a fence or wall may be erected on the property line only with written consent from all adjacent property owners or a certified survey verifying the boundaries of the lot.

• Rights-of-Way: Fences and walls must be set back at least 2 feet from all adjacent rights-of-way. A fence may not be erected on the right-of-way of a public road.

• Easements: No fence or wall may be placed in a drainage, utility, sidewalk, landscaping, access, or other easement without written permission from the easement holder.

• Intersection Visibility: A fence may not be erected in a way that impairs vision at any street intersection.

• Public Streets and Drainage: The City prohibits placing dirt, trash, or other material in a street or alley in a way that interferes with drainage or use of the street or alley without a permit from the Director of Public Works.

• Floodplain and Floodway Areas: Fence work that qualifies as development or land disturbance in a regulated flood hazard area must follow the City’s floodplain review requirements. Floodway encroachments are prohibited except where the floodplain ordinance allows the specific activity.

• Stream Buffers: Where the stream buffer ordinance applies, the City requires a 50-foot undisturbed natural vegetative buffer from both banks of each stream and an additional 25-foot setback beyond the buffer where impervious cover is prohibited and grading, filling, and earthmoving are minimized. The ordinance also establishes a 25-foot wetland buffer.

• Land Disturbance: Minor fence work that results only in minor soil erosion is exempt from the City’s soil erosion ordinance. Fence work involving non-exempt clearing, grading, excavation, filling, or related land disturbance may require land-disturbance review and erosion-control compliance.

• Downtown Mainstreet Sidewalk Edges: In the Downtown Mainstreet standards, walls and fences used along sidewalks to delineate private property from pedestrian areas may not exceed 42 inches in height and must include openings to address safety and security.

• Utility Safety: Georgia law requires notice to the Utilities Protection Center, commonly known as Georgia 811, before excavation where Georgia’s underground utility damage-prevention law applies. For fence projects that involve mechanized digging, including mechanized post-hole excavation, the locate request effective date must be not less than two (2) business days and not more than eight (8) business days after the request is received, and work under that locate request may not begin more than 30 calendar days after the effective date.

FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES

• Front Yard Height: All fences and walls in a front yard must be less than 4 feet in height. Under the City’s height table, ornamental fences and rail fences are listed at 4 feet in the front yard, while decorative walls are limited to 2 feet in the front yard. Chain-link fences, privacy fences, and obscuring walls are not listed as front-yard fence types in the residentially relevant height table.

• Side Yard Height: In a side yard, chain-link fences, ornamental fences, and privacy fences are limited to 6 feet; rail fences are limited to 5 feet; decorative walls are limited to 4 feet; and obscuring walls are limited to 6 feet.

• Rear Yard Height: In a rear yard, chain-link fences, ornamental fences, and privacy fences are limited to 6 feet; rail fences are limited to 5 feet; decorative walls are limited to 4 feet; and obscuring walls are limited to 6 feet.

• Height Measurement: Fence and wall height is measured from grade to the highest point of the fence or wall. The zoning ordinance also states that height includes posts and finials.

• Required Fences or Walls: Fences and walls specifically required by the chapter for screening, swimming pools, telecommunications facilities, or other listed purposes may exceed the general maximum heights when the specific requirement allows it.

• Pool Enclosure Height: Every outdoor swimming pool or family pool must be completely surrounded by a fence or wall at least 4 feet in height.

• Downtown Mainstreet Sidewalk Height: In the Downtown Mainstreet standards, walls and fences used along sidewalks to delineate private property from pedestrian areas may not exceed 42 inches in height.

• Visibility at Intersections: The code prohibits fences that impair vision at any street intersection.

• Opacity Categories: The zoning ordinance defines ornamental fences and rail fences as fence types that do not block vision by more than 40 percent. A privacy fence is defined as a fence that blocks vision by more than 40 percent.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS

• Permitted Fence Materials: Fences and enclosures must be constructed of decorative or conventional fence material. The code lists chain link, wood, privacy fencing, split rails, brick, and similar fence materials as examples.

• Nonfence Materials: The code prohibits erecting or repairing a fence or enclosure with nonfence materials. Prohibited nonfence materials include sheet metal, plywood, and materials not specifically manufactured for fence construction.

• Finished Side: A fence with one finished or decorative side must have the finished or decorative side facing outward toward adjacent parcels and away from the interior of the lot. Masonry walls must be finished in a similar manner on all sides.

• Fence Categories: The zoning ordinance distinguishes among chain-link fences, ornamental fences, privacy fences, rail fences, decorative walls, and obscuring walls. Those categories control the City’s height and visibility framework.

• Barbed Wire and Razor Wire: Barbed wire, razor wire, and similar fencing materials are prohibited in all zoning districts except industrial districts, where they may be allowed only by application and approval.

• Electric Fences: High-voltage electric fences are prohibited throughout the City. Low-voltage electric fences are limited to industrial-district conditions and are not an ordinary residential fence type.

• Pool Enclosure Openings: A required pool enclosure may not have openings, holes, or gaps larger than 4 inches, except for doors and gates. Picket fences used as pool enclosures may not have horizontal dimensions greater than 4 inches.

• Pool Gates and Doors: Gates and doors opening through a required pool enclosure must be self-closing and self-latching, except for doors forming part of a dwelling.

• Animal and Bee Enclosures: Residential bird enclosures must be fenced or otherwise bounded and must provide at least 10 square feet per bird. Where the beekeeping flyway-barrier rule applies, the barrier must be a solid fence or dense hedge at least 6 feet high, located within 5 feet of the hive entrance, and extending at least 2 feet on each side of the hive.

• Downtown Mainstreet Materials: In the Downtown Mainstreet streetscape standards, walls are limited to brick, natural stone, or cast stone, and fences are limited to wrought iron painted black. Chain link, vinyl, barbed wire, and razor wire are not allowed in that streetscape context.

PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS

HOAs, covenants, subdivision restrictions, deed restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, agricultural agreements, private boundary agreements, recorded agreements, conservation easements, and other private restrictions operate independently from City fence rules and may be more restrictive.

The City of Forest Park code materials do not state that the City enforces private covenants or deed restrictions as ordinary public fence regulations.

REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT

Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:

• Fence Permit Review: Construction, alteration, or relocation of a fence or wall requires a fence permit unless one of the listed permit exceptions applies.

• Application Review: Fence permit applications may be reviewed for the required plot plan or lot survey, fence or wall detail, easement locations, setback dimensions, property-line consent or certified survey, and other compliance information required by the Director.

• Height Review: Review may include the City’s front-yard, side-yard, and rear-yard height limits for chain-link fences, ornamental fences, privacy fences, rail fences, decorative walls, and obscuring walls.

• Placement Review: Review may include whether all posts, foundations, and overhanging elements are within the lot, whether the fence is at least 2 feet from adjacent rights-of-way, whether property-line placement has the required written consent or certified survey, and whether easement-holder permission is required.

• Visibility Review: Fences may be reviewed for impairment of vision at street intersections and for the visibility characteristics associated with ornamental, rail, and privacy fence types.

• Material Review: Review may include prohibited nonfence materials, finished-side orientation, masonry-wall finish, and the prohibition on barbed wire, razor wire, and high-voltage electric fences in residential contexts.

• Pool Barrier Review: A fence used as the required enclosure for an outdoor swimming pool or family pool may be reviewed for minimum height, opening size, and self-closing and self-latching gate or door requirements.

• Land-Disturbance Review: Fence work that remains minor and results only in minor soil erosion is exempt from the City’s soil erosion ordinance. Non-exempt clearing, grading, excavation, filling, or related land-disturbing activity may be reviewed under the City’s land-disturbance and erosion-control framework.

• Floodplain, Stream Buffer, and Stormwater Review: Fence work may require additional review when it is part of development or land disturbance in a flood hazard area, stream protection area, stormwater-regulated development, or other site condition governed by those ordinances.

• Public Works Review: Fence-related excavation or work in a public place, and material placed in a street or alley that affects drainage or use, may require public-works permission or a permit from the Director of Public Works.

• Design Review: Proposed development in the Main Street Overlay District may be reviewed by the Urban Design Review Board for consistency with the Main Street Design Guidelines, including applicable wall and fence standards.

• Utility Safety: Mechanized fence-post excavation may also be reviewed against Georgia 811 utility-notice requirements when Georgia’s underground utility damage-prevention law applies.

USING THIS INFORMATION

This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within City of Forest Park, based on publicly available source materials reviewed as of June 2026.

In addition to local fence rules, certain Georgia laws apply statewide. See Statewide Fence Laws in Georgia.

It is not legal advice and does not replace official ordinances, permits, surveys, or professional guidance. Rules and interpretations may change, and application may vary based on zoning district, site conditions, easements, rights-of-way, floodplain status, stormwater or drainage requirements, land-disturbance requirements, road or highway encroachment, historic district status, design-review status, rural or agricultural context, livestock context, pool-barrier use, overhead high-voltage line work, utility safety requirements, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants, deed restrictions, private agreements, or conservation easements. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with Planning and Community Development Department and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from City of Forest Park staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.