Fence permits in Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown and nearby cities

Whether a fence needs a permit depends on the city, not the county or the ZIP code. Georgetown, West Lake Hills, Lakeway and Lago Vista require a permit for new fences. Austin, Leander and Bee Cave require one only for taller fences or special locations. Hutto exempts fences up to 6 feet outside its historic downtown. Every city still sets height limits and banned fence types, permit or not.

This guide covers eleven Greater Austin cities, from each city's own pages. The table gives the short answer. The sections below give the details and the source for each city.

A homeowners association can be stricter than the city. Check your deed restrictions and get any HOA approval in writing before you order materials.

Austin

The City of Austin requires a fence permit when a fence:

• is in a floodplain, at any height;
• is more than 7 feet high at any point;
• is more than 6 feet high along a City of Austin public right-of-way, other than a public alley. That also needs a letter of authorization, which requires a Board of Adjustment variance.

A solid fence on a property line may be up to 6 feet high, measured from natural grade. Where the grade changes by at least 1 foot, that part of the fence may reach 7 feet. In some cases a fence can reach 8 feet with written consent from the neighbor, and a solid fence may be 8 feet where a home backs onto commercial or industrial property. The city counts a fence as solid when more than 20% of it is solid material. Ornamental fences don't have to meet these height limits.

Austin does not regulate fence materials on private property outside the wildland-urban interface. Its Safe Fencing rules ban spiked pickets above the top rail, razor-like wire and any design that risks entrapment or impalement. They don't apply to fences built before July 31, 2023, unless more than half of the fence's length is replaced. Barbed wire can't top a fence that is 6 feet or taller. On a corner lot, a solid fence needs approval from Transportation and Public Works so drivers can still see traffic, and a fence used as a pool barrier must meet the city's pool code.

Round Rock

Round Rock's Building Inspection page answers "Do I need a permit to build or repair my fence?" by sending homeowners to Code Enforcement at 512-341-3329. Call before you build.

Fences in the street yard, between the house and the street, can be no taller than 3 feet, or 6 feet for wrought iron.

Round Rock's maintenance rules apply to fences that face a street, park, school or other public place. They can't have missing posts, panels or pickets. Repairs must use comparable materials, and a fence the city finds unsafe must be fixed or replaced within 60 days of the first notice. In a historic overlay, historic review covers fences too.

Georgetown

Georgetown requires a fence permit for every new fence inside city limits. A repair needs a permit when it replaces more than a third of the fence face. Any addition, extension or relocation needs a new permit, and every new or replacement fence is inspected.

For houses, front-yard fences can be 4 feet tall and must be half open. Side and rear fences can be 6 feet. A side fence drops to 4 feet along a local or collector street, and side or rear fences drop to 5 feet along an alley. A rear fence along a local or collector street needs a 10-foot setback. Height is measured from the higher side of the fence. On a corner lot, no fence more than 3 feet tall or more than 25% solid may stand within 25 feet of the intersection.

Plywood, paper, plastic, fiberglass panels, chicken wire, fabric and sheet or corrugated metal are banned, and barbed wire isn't allowed on residential lots under 2 acres. In the Downtown or Old Town overlay, a fence that doesn't meet the guidelines needs a Certificate of Appropriateness. Fences can't go in a drainage easement or floodway.

Cedar Park

Cedar Park's permit guide lists fencing as "no permit required," but the fence must still follow the city's fencing regulations in Section 14.07.007 of the code of ordinances. That section sets the height limits, so read it before choosing a height, especially for a front-yard or corner-lot fence.

Leander

Leander's permit list includes fences over 7 feet. A shorter fence needs no city permit, but it must still meet Leander's zoning height limits, so check them with the city first. Homes in Leander's extraterritorial jurisdiction, outside city limits, follow different rules.

Pflugerville

We could not confirm Pflugerville's current fence permit rule from an official city page on November 10, 2026. Ask the city's Building Inspections & Permits department before you build. Its permit pages link to the city's code of ordinances.

Hutto

Hutto does not require a building permit for a fence up to 6 feet tall, except in the Historic Downtown District. There, the Historic Preservation Commission approves most fences. Front-yard fences can be 42 inches tall and must be at least half open, and barbed, razor and electric fences aren't allowed at homes.

Lago Vista

Lago Vista requires a separate permit for fences, as it does for pools and irrigation. A fence in a setback or on a property line can average no more than 6 feet and can't exceed 7 feet anywhere. Vinyl, plastic, barbed wire, plywood and corrugated metal are prohibited. On a lot next to a golf course, only wrought-iron-style fencing is allowed.

Lakeway

Lakeway requires a permit for fences, and yard fences up to 6 feet can be approved by staff. Since 2019, Lakeway has banned new spiked and open-picket fences, so every new fence, metal or wood, needs a continuous flat top. The city's reason is that spikes injure deer that jump them. Wood fences visible from a golf course aren't allowed on lots next to the course.

West Lake Hills

West Lake Hills requires a permit for every fence. Solid privacy fences are allowed in backyards. Front-yard fences, and some side-yard fences, must be see-through and screened by plants. Any wall over 18 inches also needs a permit, and some walls need a licensed structural engineer's certification.

Bee Cave

Bee Cave's permit list includes fences over 7 feet and retaining walls over 4 feet. The city also tells residents to check their HOA or deed restrictions, which can apply even when no city permit is needed.

Before the first post hole

1. Confirm the jurisdiction. City rules apply inside city limits. An address can carry a city's name and still be outside its limits.
2. Find the property line. Use your survey, not an old fence.
3. Check the HOA. Get written approval if your neighborhood requires it.
4. Call 811. Ask for buried utility lines to be marked a few days before digging.
5. Put the permit in the contract. Write down who applies for the permit and who schedules the inspection.

This guide is practical information, not a permit decision. Each city decides for a specific address and fence. If your fence is a pool barrier, in a floodplain or in a historic district, ask the city first.

Where Completa fits

Tell Completa about the fence once: its length, height, material, gates and whether an old fence comes out. You see your estimate, then pick a local pro, who checks what the city requires, including any permit, before work starts.