FENCE RULES – SNELLVILLE (CITY), GEORGIA
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within City of Snellville, subject to local regulations. For properties located outside City of Snellville municipal limits, Gwinnett County regulates fences in unincorporated areas.
Local fence rules appear primarily in the City of Snellville Code of Ordinances, Appendix A – Unified Development Ordinance, including the residential accessory-structure, visibility, buffer, and fence-and-wall provisions, and in the City of Snellville Department of Planning & Development Fences and Walls Code Compliance Guidelines.
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 Snellville Code of Ordinances, Appendix A – Unified Development Ordinance; City of Snellville Department of Planning & Development Fences and Walls Code Compliance Guidelines; City land-development, floodplain, stormwater, and building-permit provisions; and Georgia statewide utility-safety context as of June 2026.
GOVERNANCE
The City of Snellville regulates residential fences through its adopted Code of Ordinances and Unified Development Ordinance. The City of Snellville Department of Planning & Development publishes the fence and wall compliance guidelines and administers relevant development, zoning, and building-review materials.
The City does not publish a separate standalone residential fence code. Instead, residential fence rules appear in the UDO’s accessory-structure, visibility, buffer, fence-and-wall, land-development, floodplain, stormwater, and building-permit provisions.
The Director has review authority for subdivision entrance features that incorporate walls, fences, or hedges. The City’s Public Works Department is the office identified for written permission where a fence or wall would be located in a drainage easement.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Residential Fence Building Permits: A Building Permit is not required for standard residential fences 8 feet in height or lower, as stated in the official source materials reviewed for this page.
• Walls and Retaining Walls: A Building Permit is required for walls that are greater than 4 feet in height, measured from the top of footing. A Building Permit is also required for retaining walls less than 4 feet in height when the slope of backfill materials exceeds a 1 foot rise in 3 feet length (1:3) or when the wall will support a surcharge load.
• Drainage Easements: Structures, including fences and walls, are not allowed in a drainage easement unless written permission is given by the City’s Public Works Department.
• Subdivision Entrance Features: Walls, fences, or hedges incorporated into a subdivision entrance feature may not exceed 10 feet in height and are subject to review and approval by the Director after submission of a landscape plan, site plan, and architectural review.
• Floodplain Development Activity: Where fence work is part of development activity on a site with an Area of Special Flood Hazard or Area of Future-conditions Flood Hazard, the UDO floodplain provisions require the applicable floodplain requirements to be met before the proposed activity begins.
• Temporary Construction and Land-Disturbance Fences: The residential fence standards distinguish ordinary residential fences from temporary fences and walls associated with permitted land-disturbing activities, permitted building activities, or temporary tree protection. Those temporary fences are governed by their applicable permit or activity context.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Residential Yards: Fences and walls, including gates, are allowed in front yards, side (street) yards, side (interior) yards, and rear yards, subject to the City’s fence and wall standards.
• Front and Side Street Yard Placement: Fences, walls, and retaining walls in a front yard or side (street) yard must be placed within 2 feet of the vertical plane of any lot line unless a greater distance is required by the intersection-visibility rules.
• Buffers: Fences, walls, and retaining walls must be located at least 5 feet from any buffer required by the UDO buffer provisions.
• Rights-of-Way: Residential fences must not encroach into a public right-of-way, and no accessory structure in a public right-of-way may create a sight hazard.
• Drainage Easements: Fences and walls are not allowed in a drainage easement unless written permission is given by the City’s Public Works Department. Drainage easements are indicated on final plats kept by the City of Snellville Department of Planning & Development or the Deeds & Plats Office of the Clerk of Superior Court, Gwinnett County.
• Septic Drain Fields: Fences and walls are not allowed in the drain field of any on-site sewage management system.
• 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: No wall or fence may exceed 4 feet in height within the front yard, except that a gate or gatepost within the wall or fence may not exceed 6 feet in height.
• Side and Rear Yard Height: No wall or fence may exceed 8 feet in height within a side yard or rear yard.
• Intersection Visibility – Street Rights-of-Way: At intersecting street right-of-way lines, the visibility triangle is formed by a diagonal line connecting two points, each located 20 feet from the intersecting lines.
• Intersection Visibility – Alleys: At intersecting street right-of-way, alley easement, or alley edge lines, the visibility triangle is formed by a diagonal line connecting two points, each located 15 feet from the intersecting lines.
• Sight-Obscuring Fence Limit: Within the required visibility triangles, no sight-obscuring fence or wall may be higher than 30 inches above grade. Vertical measurements are made at the top of the curb on the adjacent street or alley, or, if no curb exists, from the edge of the nearest traveled way.
• Stormwater Facility Exception: A fence, wall, or hedge enclosing an approved stormwater management facility may be a maximum of 6 feet in height.
• Tennis Court Exception: A fence or wall enclosing a tennis court may be a maximum of 12 feet in height.
• Rezoning or Special Use Screening: The City Council may condition approval of a rezoning or special use permit to require walls or fences exceeding the ordinary height regulations where the wall or fence is necessary to provide screening.
• Corner Lot – Front Yard Exception: A fence or wall on a corner lot, located in the front yard where the side of the principal dwelling is also located in the front yard, may be a maximum of 8 feet in height.
• Corner Lot – Side Street Yard Exception: A fence or wall on a corner lot, located in the side (street) yard, may be a maximum of 8 feet in height when it is set back from the right-of-way at least 50% of the required side-street setback.
• Through Lot Exception: Through lots that require a no-access landscape strip under the UDO may have a fence up to 8 feet in height adjacent to the no-access landscape strip.
• Required Screening: Screening required by the UDO screening provisions is treated separately from ordinary residential fence-height standards.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Maintenance: Fences and walls must be maintained in a structurally sound condition and in good repair. Fences must be free from loose or rotting materials, and braces and supports must be attached or fastened in accordance with common building practices.
• Prohibited Materials: Exposed concrete block, tires, scrap metal, sheet metal, plastic or fiberglass sheeting, vinyl siding or fabric, plywood, pallet material, junk, and other discarded items are not allowed as fence or wall materials.
• Woven Wire and Metal Fabric: No wall or fence made of woven wire or metal fabric, including chain link, hog wire, or barbed wire, may extend into a front yard or side (street) yard, except that fences enclosing stormwater facilities may be vinyl-coated chain link.
• Large Lots: Woven wire or metal fabric fences may extend into a front yard on lots 3 acres or larger.
• Razor Wire: Razor wire is not allowed.
• Front and Side Street Yards on Lots Under 3 Acres: Any wall or fence extending into the front yard or side (street) yard on a lot under 3 acres must be ornamental or decorative and may be constructed of brick, stone, wood, true hard coat stucco, wrought iron, or split rail. Exposed concrete block, tires, junk, and other discarded materials are not allowed.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate independently from City fence rules. Subdivision covenants, HOA rules, deed restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, conservation easements, and private agreements may be more restrictive than the City’s published fence standards.
The City of Snellville does not state that compliance with private restrictions replaces compliance with City zoning, placement, height, material, easement, visibility, drainage, floodplain, land-disturbance, or utility-safety requirements.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Building Permit Context: Standard residential fences 8 feet in height or lower are published as not requiring a Building Permit, while walls and retaining walls have separate permit triggers.
• Height and Yard Location: Review may involve the 4-foot front-yard limit, 8-foot side- and rear-yard limit, and the published stormwater-facility, tennis-court, corner-lot, through-lot, screening, rezoning, and special-use exceptions.
• Visibility: Review may involve sight-obscuring fences or walls higher than 30 inches within the required street or alley visibility triangles.
• Materials and Maintenance: Review may involve prohibited materials, loose or rotting materials, structural soundness, and good repair.
• Drainage Easements and Septic Systems: Review may involve fences or walls placed in drainage easements without written permission from the City’s Public Works Department, or fences and walls located in septic drain fields.
• Subdivision Entrance Features: Review may involve walls, fences, or hedges incorporated into subdivision entrance features, including the 10-foot height limit and Director review after submission of the required plans and architectural review.
• Floodplain or Land-Disturbance Context: Review may involve fence work that is part of development activity in a mapped flood-hazard area or part of a permitted land-disturbing, building, or tree-protection activity.
• Utility Safety: Review may involve Georgia 811 utility-safety requirements where mechanized digging or excavation is used for fence installation.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within City of Snellville, 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 the City of Snellville Department of Planning & Development and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from City of Snellville staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.