FENCE RULES – PERSHING (COUNTY), NEVADA
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within Pershing County, subject to local regulations.
This page applies to properties in the unincorporated areas of Pershing County; incorporated municipalities regulate fences under their own ordinances.
Local fence rules appear primarily in the Pershing County Development Code, especially Chapter 17.502, Lot Design and Building Placement Standards. Related provisions also appear in the code’s corner-lot visibility rules, airport-overlay rules, private-restriction language, and enforcement provisions.
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 Pershing County Development Code, Pershing County Code, Pershing County Planning and Building, Pershing County Building Department, Pershing County Regional Planning Department, and published county building-code guidance as of May 2026.
GOVERNANCE
Pershing County regulates land use and development in the unincorporated county through the Pershing County Development Code, which comprises Title 17 of the Pershing County Code.
The Pershing County Board of Commissioners adopts the Master Plan and Development Code. The Pershing County Regional Planning Commission acts on special use permits and other planning matters assigned by the Development Code.
The Pershing County Planning and Building Department is the primary local contact for development-code administration. The Pershing County Building Department administers building permits and inspections. Code enforcement materials are published through the Pershing County District Attorney’s Office.
Pershing County does not publish a standalone consolidated residential fence code. Fence rules are distributed within the Development Code, especially the sections governing fences, screening, corner lots, and airport-overlay areas.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Building Permit: Pershing County does not publish a specific building permit requirement or exemption for standard residential fences.
• Zoning Compliance: Building permit requirements are separate from zoning, setback, or plat requirements. Confirm any applicable zoning conditions, setbacks, and plat requirements with Pershing County Planning and Building Department before construction.
• Development-Code Compliance: Residential fences must comply with the applicable fence height, front-yard placement, corner-lot visibility, material, and district-specific rules in the Pershing County Development Code.
• Airport Overlay: A fence within a Derby Field Airport Overlay District area is subject to the overlay’s structure-height and use restrictions. The overlay states that no permit is required for a tree or structure that meets the FAA-notification exception and is less than 35 feet in vertical height, unless it would extend above the overlay height limits.
• Variance or Modification: The code allows the County Engineer to modify sight-triangle distances at intersections only if pedestrian, bicycle, and motor-vehicle safety is ensured to the County Engineer’s satisfaction.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Opaque or Solid Front-Yard Fences: For non-agricultural use types, opaque or solid fences must be placed no closer to the front lot line than the front yard setback line established by the building or buildings erected on the lot.
• Limited Front-Yard Fence Types: Wood fences not exceeding 3 feet in height, chain link fences not exceeding 4.5 feet in height, wrought iron fences, and other decorative fences may be located in the front yard if they do not conflict with the sight triangle.
• Corner Lots: Where two or more property frontages constitute front yards on a corner lot, one yard is treated as the main entrance and front yard. Other street frontages are treated as modified side yards, where fences, walls, and screening may be up to 6 feet high if located at least 10 feet from the modified side-yard property line.
• Sight-Triangle Placement: Fences, walls, hedges, multi-stemmed trees, structures, or plant materials may not obstruct the required corner-lot sight triangle.
• Open Range Use Types: For open range use types, property-line fences are required to prevent livestock from crossing onto adjacent property and must be constructed under the legal-fence standards referenced by the Development Code.
• Easements and Rights-of-Way: The code does not publish a fence-specific easement or right-of-way setback for standard residential fences beyond the front-yard, modified side-yard, open-range, and sight-triangle standards stated above.
• Drainage: The code does not publish a fence-specific drainage standard for standard residential fences.
• Utility Safety: Nevada law requires underground utility notification through Nevada 811 before excavation. For fence projects that involve digging, including fence post holes, notice must be provided before excavation begins.
FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES
• General Height Limit: Fences may not exceed 6 feet in height, except where another provision of the Development Code permits or requires a different standard.
• Front-Yard Wood Fences: Wood fences may be located in the front yard only if they do not exceed 3 feet in height and do not conflict with the sight triangle.
• Front-Yard Chain Link Fences: Chain link fences may be located in the front yard only if they do not exceed 4.5 feet in height and do not conflict with the sight triangle.
• Front-Yard Wrought Iron and Decorative Fences: Wrought iron fences and other decorative fences may be located in the front yard if they do not conflict with the sight triangle. The code does not publish a separate front-yard height limit for wrought iron or decorative fences, so the 6-foot general fence-height limit still applies.
• Corner-Lot Visibility: On corner lots in any regulatory land use district, fences, walls, hedges, multi-stemmed trees, structures, or plant materials may not obstruct vision between 2.5 feet and 10 feet above the centerline grades of the intersecting streets.
• Local Street Intersections: For the intersection of two local streets, the restricted sight area is the triangle formed by connecting the right-of-way lines at points 25 feet from the intersection, measured along the right-of-way lines.
• Collector or Arterial Intersections: For an intersection involving one or more collector or arterial streets, the restricted sight area is the triangle formed by connecting the street centerlines at points 100 feet from their point of intersection.
• County Engineer Modification: The County Engineer may allow modifications to the required intersection distances if safety is ensured to the County Engineer’s satisfaction.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Barbed Wire: Barbed wire fences and barbed wire assemblies on top of fences are prohibited in residential regulatory land use districts.
• Electric Fences: Electric fences are permitted only within the Agricultural Preservation District boundary and the Agriculture-Mining-Recreation regulatory land use district.
• Recognized Front-Yard Fence Types: The code specifically identifies wood, chain link, wrought iron, and decorative fences as front-yard fence types when the applicable height and sight-triangle limits are met.
• Opaque or Solid Fences: Opaque or solid fences are not prohibited, but the code restricts their front-yard placement by requiring them to be no closer to the front lot line than the front yard setback line established by the building or buildings on the lot.
• Finished Side, Decorative Side, and Orientation: The code does not publish a finished-side, decorative-side, or fence-orientation requirement for standard residential fences.
• Residential Retaining Walls: The code does not publish a retaining-wall standard in the residential fence section for standard residential fences.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate separately from Pershing County fence regulations.
• Private Covenants: HOAs, deed restrictions, covenants, easements, subdivision restrictions, and private development standards may impose additional fence limits.
• County Enforcement: The Development Code states that private restrictions are not enforced by the County.
• More Restrictive Rule: Where the Development Code is more restrictive or imposes higher standards than private restrictions, the Development Code must be complied with.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Permit Silence: The county does not publish a specific building permit requirement or exemption for standard residential fences, but fences remain subject to the Development Code standards that apply to location, height, visibility, and materials.
• Front-Yard Placement: Opaque or solid fences placed closer to the front lot line than the established front yard setback line may be reviewed as a Development Code issue.
• Height Limits: A standard residential fence over 6 feet may be reviewed for compliance unless another Development Code provision allows the height.
• Corner-Lot Visibility: A fence, wall, hedge, tree, structure, or plant material that obstructs the required sight triangle may be reviewed under the corner-lot visibility standards.
• Modified Side Yards: A corner-lot fence, wall, or screen in a modified side yard may be reviewed for the 6-foot height limit and 10-foot modified side-yard property-line distance.
• Prohibited Materials: Barbed wire fences or barbed wire assemblies in residential regulatory land use districts may be reviewed as prohibited fence materials.
• Electric Fences: Electric fences outside the Agricultural Preservation District boundary or Agriculture-Mining-Recreation regulatory land use district may be reviewed under the electric-fence limitation.
• Airport Overlay: A fence within a Derby Field Airport Overlay District area may be reviewed for overlay height, use, permit, FAA-notification, and variance requirements.
• Open Range Use Types: Property-line fencing for open range use types may be reviewed for compliance with the legal-fence standards referenced by the Development Code.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within Pershing County, based on publicly available ordinances and department guidance current as of May 2026.
In addition to local fence rules, certain Nevada laws apply statewide. See Statewide Fence Laws in Nevada.
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, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with Pershing County Planning and Building Department and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from Pershing County staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.