Residential and Commercial Fences

If you are planning to add or move a fence, or replace 50% or more of an existing fence at your residential property, you must first obtain permits from the City before beginning construction.

• A zoning permit is required when a fence is installed on any property.

NOTE: If applying for a Commercial (Non-Residential) fence over 6 feet in height you may be subject to a building permit. Please email your submittal to Commercialbuilding@raleighnc.gov 

All projects are reviewed for compliance with the Raleigh development code and North Carolina State Building Code.

Before Submitting an Application

Detailed code review will not begin until application submittals have been deemed complete by customer service staff. It is important that all required information is submitted for a project, and it is the applicant’s responsibility to be informed of the prerequisites below: 

1. You must be registered in the permit portal before you can manage your project, pay fees, or schedule inspections. Learn more about how to register on our portal help page.
2. If applicable, contractor information (General contractor and sub-contractors) must be entered into the portal when submitting the project.
3. Is your home located in a Historic District or designated as a Raleigh Historic Landmark? If so, you are required to submit a Certificate of Appropriateness to the Raleigh Historic Development Commission (RHDC). Approval from the RHDC may be required prior to submitting your permit application.
4. If your property contains a private well or septic services, approval from Wake County Environmental Services is required prior to applying with the City of Raleigh.
5. The property should have a legally recorded map at the Durham or Wake County Register of Deeds.

Prepare Application Materials

The below supporting documents are required for this project type:

1. Provide a diagram of the fence (picture of the proposed fence) - See a diagram example.
2. Provide a survey indicating the proposed work on the property. - See a plot plan survey and materials example. This can be done in one of two ways:
   1. You may submit an original survey (signed and sealed by a land surveyor) that shows the proposed work. Please know we cannot accept a certified survey that has been revised by anyone outside of the surveyor, OR;
   2. If the certified copy of the survey does not show the proposed fence, submit it and an additional copy of the survey with the proposed work drawn in. This may be referred to as a supplemental copy as it does not show the surveyor's credentials (seal, signature, name, or any reference to the surveyor).

Submittal Instructions

To submit a permit application, please follow the steps outlined in our online application guide. At this step, your application materials should be ready to assemble.  All forms, plans, and supporting documents must be attached as PDFs and cannot be a locked or secured. Applicants may add all relevant information and update plans and documents in the portal before plan review can begin.

Paying Fees

The Development Fee Guide provides a detailed list of specific development fees.

• It is recommended that fees be paid via the Permit Portal.
• All major credit cards and eCheck payments are accepted.
• If you have questions, please contact the Customer Service Center.

A  fee calculator may be used to obtain an estimate of some building and trade permit fees.