FENCE RULES – PULASKI (COUNTY), ARKANSAS
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within Pulaski County, subject to local regulations. This page applies to properties in the unincorporated areas of Pulaski County; incorporated municipalities such as Little Rock and North Little Rock may regulate fences under their own ordinances.
Pulaski County does not publish a single consolidated countywide fence code for ordinary residential fences. Fence-related review may arise through the Pulaski County Subdivision and Development Code, the Lake Maumelle Watershed Zoning Code, the Floodplain Development Code, the Floodplain Management Ordinance, stormwater requirements, right-of-way or road-related rules, and site-specific plat or subdivision conditions.
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 Pulaski County Planning and Development materials, the Pulaski County Subdivision and Development Code, the Lake Maumelle Watershed Zoning Code, the Floodplain Development Code, the Floodplain Management Ordinance, stormwater materials, and county application materials as of May 2026.
GOVERNANCE
Pulaski County regulates unincorporated-area land development through Pulaski County Planning and Development, the Pulaski County Planning Board, the Pulaski County Director of Planning and Development, the Zoning Administrator for Lake Maumelle Watershed matters, the Floodplain Administrator, and the Pulaski County Director of Public Works where road, drainage, subdivision, or public-improvement issues apply.
The county does not publish a countywide ordinary residential fence ordinance with a separate fence permit table, fence height table, or fence-material table. Instead, residential fence issues appear only where a fence intersects a specific county-administered development context.
The Lake Maumelle Watershed Zoning Code is the most fence-relevant local zoning source because it defines a fence as a structure. That code applies within the Lake Maumelle Watershed and includes registration, building-permit, setback, building-line, open-space, stormwater, and accessory-structure provisions for development subject to that code.
The Pulaski County Subdivision and Development Code applies to subdivisions in the unincorporated portion of Pulaski County. It also identifies floodplain, stormwater, Lake Maumelle Watershed, and Master Road Plan requirements as development-related overlays or related standards where applicable.
Pulaski County’s published materials do not identify a general countywide building department, county building official, or ordinary residential building-permit workflow for standard residential fence construction. The county’s published building-permit application is identified for the Lake Maumelle Watershed.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Countywide Fence Permit: Pulaski County does not publish a countywide fence permit requirement for standard single-family residential fences.
• State Building-Code Context: Arkansas has an adopted statewide fire and building code framework. Within that building-code framework, fences not over 7 feet high are treated as exempt from building-permit requirements. That state-code exemption is building-code context; it does not create a Pulaski County fence permit process where the county has not published a general building department, building official, or countywide residential building-permit workflow for ordinary fence construction.
• Standard Residential Fencing: Outside specific county-administered contexts such as the Lake Maumelle Watershed, floodplain development, subdivision review, stormwater review, road right-of-way issues, drainage issues, or easement conflicts, Pulaski County does not identify a permit that would be issued for ordinary residential fence construction in unincorporated areas.
• Taller Residential Fencing: Pulaski County does not publish a general countywide application path, building-permit process, or fence-specific approval process for taller residential fences. The county materials reviewed do not state a countywide permit trigger for fences above a specific height.
• Lake Maumelle Watershed: In the Lake Maumelle Watershed, the county publishes a Registration/Building Permit Application, and the Lake Maumelle Watershed Zoning Code defines a fence as a structure. Fence work in that watershed may require review when it falls within the code’s registration, building-permit, structure, impervious-surface, setback, open-space, stream-corridor, subdivision, or site-condition provisions.
• Floodplain Development: A Floodplain Development Permit is required before development in a Special Flood Hazard Area. Because the Floodplain Development Code covers structural development, grading, fill, excavation, drainage improvements, watercourse alteration, and other development in the floodplain, a fence project in a mapped floodplain may require floodplain review when it involves development covered by that code.
• Subdivision and Plat Review: New subdivisions, replats, lot splits, major subdivisions, additional dwellings, site plans, or other regulated land-development actions must follow the Pulaski County Subdivision and Development Code. A fence on an existing residential lot is not itself identified as a subdivision application, but recorded plats, bills of assurance, easements, drainage areas, and building lines may affect where a fence can be placed.
• Stormwater: Pulaski County does not issue stormwater permits, but residential builders are required to use best management practices where county stormwater requirements apply. Separate ADEQ stormwater permitting may apply to qualifying construction activity, including larger disturbed areas or activity that is part of a greater common plan.
• Zoning Compliance: Building permit requirements are separate from zoning, setback, plat, floodplain, road, drainage, and easement requirements. Confirm any applicable zoning conditions, setbacks, plat conditions, and site limitations with Pulaski County Planning and Development before construction.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Standard Residential Lots: The county does not specify a countywide setback requirement for standard residential fences from property lines; however, fences must be located entirely on the owner’s property and must not encroach into rights-of-way, easements, drainage areas, or another property.
• Lake Maumelle Watershed: In the Lake Maumelle Watershed, a fence is treated as a structure under the zoning code. Where that code applies, setbacks, building lines, stream corridors, open-space requirements, impervious-surface limits, and accessory-structure rules may affect placement.
• Subdivision Building Lines: For subdivision or Lake Maumelle review where county setback or building-line standards apply to residential structures, the Subdivision and Development Code lists single-family residential setbacks of 25 feet in the front yard, 25 feet in the rear yard except where not required on corner lots, 8 feet for the interior side yard, and 25 feet for the exterior side yard on corner lots.
• Easements: Drainage, utility-line, or other public-utility easements in subdivisions must be at least 10 feet wide, and the Planning Board may require additional width where appropriate. Public-facility access easements must be at least 20 feet wide.
• Drainage and Rights-of-Way: Subdivision drainage facilities must serve the area draining through the subdivision, drainage easements must be shown on the final plat, and surface water drainage must be transported to existing storm sewers or drainage facilities approved by the Pulaski County Director of Public Works. A fence must not obstruct a drainage facility, public right-of-way, or required easement.
• Floodplain Areas: In a Special Flood Hazard Area, fence placement may require floodplain review when the project involves structural development, fill, grading, excavation, drainage improvements, or other development covered by the Floodplain Development Code.
• Utility Safety: Arkansas law requires notice through Arkansas 811 before excavation where the Arkansas Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Act applies. For fence projects that involve digging, including fence post holes, notice may be required before excavation begins. Arkansas law also includes specific exemptions, including certain agricultural-purpose posthole digging on private property outside an operator right-of-way.
FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES
• Countywide Fence Height: The code does not specify a countywide maximum height for standard residential fences.
• Lake Maumelle Watershed Height Context: The Lake Maumelle Watershed Zoning Code states that the maximum height of a building or structure is 36 feet for uses other than single-family detached residential or agricultural uses. That 36-foot standard does not apply to a structure accessory to a single-family detached dwelling or to an accessory that is part of an agricultural use.
• Sight and Visibility: The code does not publish a countywide fence-specific sight-triangle, clear-vision, or driveway-visibility standard for standard residential fences. Visibility may still be reviewed where a fence conflicts with a right-of-way, road improvement, driveway access, subdivision design, or site-specific condition administered through county development review.
• Floodplain Visibility and Flow: The Floodplain Development Code is concerned with floodwater movement, flood elevations, flow patterns, and development in Special Flood Hazard Areas. The county does not publish a separate fence-height rule within the ordinary residential fence context for floodplain properties.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Countywide Materials: The code does not specify countywide permitted or prohibited materials for standard residential fences.
• Chain Link, Wood, Vinyl, Masonry, and Metal: The code does not publish a countywide residential rule prohibiting chain link, wood, vinyl, masonry, metal, or similar common fence materials for standard single-family residential fences.
• Barbed Wire and Electric Fences: The code does not publish a countywide residential fence-material rule for barbed wire, electric fencing, or battery-charged fencing in the standard single-family residential fence context.
• Finished Side: The code does not specify a countywide finished-side orientation requirement for standard residential fences.
• Stormwater Construction Controls: Where fence work is part of construction activity that disturbs soil, Pulaski County stormwater materials require erosion, debris, and chemical controls where applicable. Silt fences referenced in stormwater materials are erosion-control devices, not ordinary residential boundary fences.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
HOAs, subdivision covenants, bills of assurance, deed restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, agricultural agreements, and private boundary agreements operate independently from Pulaski County’s public regulations and may be more restrictive than county rules.
Pulaski County’s Lake Maumelle Registration/Building Permit materials state that county permission does not override existing covenants and restrictions.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• No Countywide Fence Permit: Pulaski County does not publish a countywide fence permit requirement for standard residential fences.
• No General Countywide Building-Permit Workflow: Pulaski County’s published materials do not identify a general countywide building department, county building official, or countywide residential building-permit process for standard residential fences. The published building-permit application is identified for the Lake Maumelle Watershed.
• Lake Maumelle Watershed Review: Fence work may be reviewed when the property is subject to the Lake Maumelle Watershed Zoning Code, because that code defines a fence as a structure and administers registration, building-permit, development, setback, open-space, stream-corridor, and impervious-surface requirements.
• Floodplain Review: Fence work in a Special Flood Hazard Area may be reviewed when it involves structural development, fill, grading, excavation, drainage improvements, watercourse alteration, or other development covered by the Floodplain Development Code.
• Subdivision Review: Fence placement may be affected by subdivision plats, building lines, drainage easements, utility easements, access easements, bills of assurance, and Planning Board conditions.
• Right-of-Way and Drainage Conflicts: Fence issues may be reviewed when a fence encroaches into a right-of-way, obstructs a drainage facility, affects a required easement, or conflicts with a road, subdivision, or public-works condition.
• Stormwater Controls: Fence-related excavation or construction activity may be reviewed where disturbed soil, erosion, sediment, debris, or construction runoff is subject to county stormwater standards or separate ADEQ requirements.
• Private Restrictions: A fence that satisfies county requirements may still conflict with HOA rules, recorded covenants, bills of assurance, private easements, or deed restrictions.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within Pulaski County, based on publicly available materials reviewed as of May 2026.
In addition to local fence rules, certain Arkansas laws apply statewide. See Statewide Fence Laws in Arkansas.
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, historic district status, rural or agricultural context, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants or private agreements. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with Pulaski County Planning and Development and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from Pulaski County staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.