FENCE RULES – WEST MEMPHIS (CITY), ARKANSAS
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within City of West Memphis, subject to local regulations. For properties located outside City of West Memphis municipal limits, Crittenden County regulates fences in unincorporated areas.
Fence rules in the City of West Memphis appear in the Grow West Memphis 2040 Development Code, the West Memphis Zoning Ordinance, the Code of Ordinances, City of West Memphis, Arkansas, the online Sign/Fence Permit Application, and current Planning & Development and Building Inspections materials.
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 City of West Memphis Planning & Development, City of West Memphis Sign/Fence Permit Application, City of West Memphis Building Inspections, Code of Ordinances, City of West Memphis, Arkansas, Grow West Memphis 2040 Development Code, West Memphis Zoning Ordinance, and Current Building Codes materials as of May 2026.
GOVERNANCE
The City of West Memphis regulates residential fences through its zoning and development code, local permit process, building-code administration, and site-specific overlay rules.
The city does not publish one standalone residential fence chapter. Fence-specific standards appear in UCT Table 36, Fences, while related rules appear in Article 2 visibility, setback, encroachment, lot-access, flood-overlay, historic-overlay, and administrative provisions.
The Planning & Development Department administers planning and development materials and the online permit process. Building Inspections administers permit issuance, plan review, inspections, construction-code enforcement, and license or insurance validation for regulated construction activity.
The City Engineer is identified in the Development Code for driveway and access approval. Floodplain and historic-overlay rules may apply when a property is located within a regulated overlay area.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Fence Permit: The City of West Memphis Sign/Fence Permit Application is the published local permit path for fence work, including Residential fence classifications. Construction work may not start until the permit is approved.
• Permit Application Materials: The fence application requires project information, total project cost, fence dimensions, a description of the work, and one copy of a plot plan with dimensions. The drawing is required to be reasonably close to the work proposed.
• Property-Line Staking: Before work starts, the fence application states that a registered engineer must stake property lines.
• Utility and Drainage Access: The fence application states that all fences must have 3-foot clear openings to allow utility or drainage easement access.
• Permit Validity: A fence permit becomes null and void if construction does not begin within 6 months after issuance, or if work is suspended or abandoned for 6 months after starting.
• Zoning and Site Conditions: Permit approval does not authorize work that violates zoning, sight-triangle, yard, easement, right-of-way, drainage, floodplain, historic-overlay, or other applicable city requirements.
• Flood Overlay: Properties located wholly or partially within the 100-year floodplain or floodway fringe are subject to the Flood Overlay and Chapter 107 Flood Damage Prevention framework, in addition to the underlying zoning district.
• Historic Overlay: Properties within the Historic Preservation Overlay District are governed by the underlying base district and the West Memphis Historic Preservation Ordinance. The Development Code does not publish a separate fence-specific historic certificate standard in UCT Table 36.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Required Front and Side Yards: For residential uses in any zoning district, an ornamental fence, hedge, or wall not more than 3½ feet high may project into or enclose a required front or side yard, provided intersection visibility is maintained.
• Side and Rear Yard Placement: Ornamental fences, hedges, or walls may project into the side yard from the front building line to the rear lot line, and into the rear yard, provided they do not exceed 7 feet in height.
• Corner Lots: Where a corner lot’s rear and side yards abut an interior lot’s front yard, an ornamental fence, hedge, or wall not more than 3½ feet high may project into or enclose the required side yard.
• Property-Line Verification: The fence application requires property lines to be staked by a registered engineer before work starts.
• Easements and Rights-of-Way: Encroachments may not extend into or interfere with easements or rights-of-way unless expressly permitted and in conformance with conditions imposed by the city. The fence application separately requires 3-foot clear openings for utility or drainage easement access.
• Driveway or Access Changes: If a fence project includes construction, relocation, or alteration of a driveway or other point of access to the street, approval by the City Engineer is required.
• 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
• How Fence Height Is Measured: The Development Code measures the height of fences and other features from the finished grade immediately under the feature to the top or tallest point of the feature.
• Front and Side Yard Height: For residential uses, an ornamental fence, hedge, or wall in a required front yard or required side yard may not exceed 3½ feet in height.
• Side and Rear Yard Height After the Front Building Line: Ornamental fences, hedges, or walls from the front building line to the rear lot line, and in the rear yard, may not exceed 7 feet in height.
• Corner-Lot Side Yard Height: On a corner lot where the rear and side yards abut an interior lot’s front yard, an ornamental fence, hedge, or wall in the required side yard may not exceed 3½ feet in height.
• Sight-Triangle Visibility: No fence, wall, planting, building, structure, or obstruction may be placed or maintained so that it obstructs visibility between 3 feet and 10 feet, measured from the upper face of the nearest curb or pavement, within a required sight triangle.
• Street Intersections: At street intersections and corner lots, sight triangles are measured along the edge of pavement or curb. Along arterial and collector roads, the sight-triangle side parallel to the road must be at least 30 feet. Along all other roads, it must be at least 10 feet.
• Street and Rail Intersections: At street and rail intersections, the required sight triangle is a 10-by-40-foot triangle.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Residential Fence Type: The Development Code uses the term ornamental fence, hedge, or wall for residential fence placement in required yards.
• Standard Residential Materials: The code does not specify a complete list of permitted materials for standard single-family residential fences.
• Prohibited Residential Materials: The code does not publish a standard single-family residential prohibition on chain link, wood, vinyl, masonry, metal, barbed wire, electric fencing, or battery-charged fencing in UCT Table 36.
• Commercial and Industrial Screening Not Imported: Screening rules for commercial, industrial, wrecker, salvage, junkyard, parking, or outdoor-storage uses are separate use-specific standards and are not treated as ordinary single-family residential fence material rules on this page.
• Pool Barrier Rules: The code does not specify a separate private single-family residential pool-barrier fence standard in the fence provisions.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate independently from city fence rules. HOAs, deed restrictions, subdivision covenants, architectural-review covenants, private easements, boundary agreements, and recorded development restrictions may be more restrictive than the city’s published fence standards.
The Development Code states that the City of West Memphis has no administrative responsibility for enforcing deed restrictions, covenants, or other contracts unless the city is directly a party in interest.
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 Review: Fence work is reviewed through the City of West Memphis Sign/Fence Permit Application before construction begins.
• Plot Plan Review: Fence permit review may include the submitted plot plan, fence dimensions, project description, and confirmation that the work shown matches the proposed fence location.
• Property-Line Staking: Review may involve whether property lines have been staked by a registered engineer before the work starts.
• Utility and Drainage Access: Review may include whether fences provide the required 3-foot clear openings for utility or drainage easement access.
• Yard and Height Limits: Review may include the 3½-foot limit in required front and side yards, the 7-foot limit from the front building line to the rear lot line and in rear yards, and the 3½-foot corner-lot side-yard rule where applicable.
• Visibility: Review may include whether a fence, wall, hedge, planting, or other obstruction blocks required sight-triangle visibility between 3 feet and 10 feet, including 30-foot, 10-foot, and 10-by-40-foot sight-triangle measurements where applicable.
• Easements and Rights-of-Way: Review may include whether a fence encroaches into or interferes with easements, rights-of-way, drainage access, or utility access.
• Flood Overlay: For property in the 100-year floodplain or floodway fringe, review may include the Flood Overlay and Chapter 107 Flood Damage Prevention framework.
• Historic Overlay: For property in the Historic Preservation Overlay District, review may include the underlying base district and the West Memphis Historic Preservation Ordinance.
• Permit Expiration: Review may include whether construction began within 6 months of permit issuance and whether work was suspended or abandoned for 6 months after starting.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within City of West Memphis, 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 City of West Memphis Planning & Development Department and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from City of West Memphis staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.