Do you need a fence permit in Virginia?
By Mario Bailey Last checked
- Always required
- 2
- of 12 jurisdictions
- Conditional
- 3
- depends on size or scope
- Not required
- 7
- exempt outright
Fence Permit rules nationwide, beyond Virginia.
Requirements and size thresholds for fence permits vary by locality. The table below compares what each Virginia county or city requires. Always confirm with the local office before starting.
Comparing states? See fence permit rules across every locality we cover.
The application steps and inspection sequence for fence permits come from the model code rather than from Virginia law, so they read the same wherever you build. We keep that walkthrough in one place: how a fence permit application and its inspections work, start to finish. What changes between Virginia jurisdictions is below: who requires a permit, what they charge, and which office you file with.
Swipe sideways to see thresholds and confidence.
| Locality | Permit required? | Typical threshold | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington County | Yes | Arlington requires a fence permit for any new or replacement fence not part of a larger permitted project; the state building code exempts fences from a building permit unless they serve as a swimming pool barrier or are required for pedestrian safety. | Confirmed on official page |
| Chesterfield County | No | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Culpeper County | Yes | Not specified | Based on building code |
| Fairfax County | No | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Fauquier County | No | Not specified | From an official source |
| Henrico County | Conditional | fences 7 feet or less in height that do not serve as a swimming pool barrier are exempt; taller fences and any fence serving as a pool barrier require a building permit | Confirmed on official page |
| Loudoun County | No | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Orange County | No | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Prince William County | Conditional | building permit required only for pool safety barriers or pedestrian safety fences; zoning approval required for all fences | Confirmed on official page |
| Spotsylvania County | No | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Stafford County | No | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Virginia Beach | Conditional | A zoning fence permit is required for any fence or wall within 30 feet of a public right-of-way (except agricultural fences in the AG district); the statewide code exempts fences of any height from building permits unless they serve as a swimming pool barrier. | Confirmed on official page |
| No localities match your filter. | |||
What a fence permit costs in Virginia
6 Virginia jurisdictions we cover publish a fee figure for this work. Each line is quoted from that office's own schedule and linked to its citation. The figures are not comparable to one another: some are flat minimums, some a percentage of job value, some charged per fixture, so what you pay depends on which schedule applies and on your job's valuation.
No permit or fee for a standard residential fence; a fence serving as a pool barrier needs a building permit at $57, per the residential fee schedule effective 7/1/2025
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Fences need no building permit but placing one still needs a Zoning Permit priced flat at $110 including the technology fee, per the county zoning permits page
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Fences up to 7 feet that are not a pool barrier need no permit; pool-barrier fences and masonry walls over 6 feet take the building permit formula of $100 for the first $5,000 of labor and material cost plus $6 per additional $1,000 plus a 2% state levy, capped at $693.60 with levy, per the county permit and fee pages
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Typical residential fences are exempt from the Zoning Permit requirement so no fee applies; fences in the Floodplain, Mountainside, Limestone, or Historic Overlay Districts, the River and Stream Corridor, or Steep Slopes Areas need the standard $165 residential zoning permit, per Zoning Ordinance Ch. 10 and the 2022 fee schedule
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Flat $75 fee under the residential accessory structures fence and retaining wall line, plus Virginia's 2% state surcharge, per the FY27 Tax and Fee Schedule
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Jurisdictions not listed publish no dollar figure we could quote. Absence does not mean a permit is free.
Common questions about fence permits in Virginia
- Do I need a fence permit in Virginia?
- In most of Virginia, no. Permits are issued locally, so the answer comes from your Virginia city or county rather than a single statewide rule. Of the 12 Virginia jurisdictions we have verified for fence work, 2 require a permit outright, 3 depend on the size or scope of the job, and 7 require none.
- Is there a fence permit exemption in Virginia?
- 3 of the 12 Virginia jurisdictions we cover set a threshold rather than a flat rule, so the same job can be exempt in one Virginia county and permitted in the next. The table above lists each Virginia jurisdiction's published threshold in its own words, with the source and the date we verified it.
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