FENCE RULES – POPE (COUNTY), ARKANSAS
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within Pope County, subject to local regulations. This page applies to properties in the unincorporated areas of Pope County; incorporated municipalities may regulate fences under their own ordinances.
Local fence-related rules in Pope County appear across the Pope County Code of Ordinances, county road provisions, flood damage prevention provisions, plat and 9-1-1 addressing provisions, animal enclosure rules, and county department materials. The Code does not establish a single consolidated residential fence chapter, and it does not publish a countywide fence permit requirement, standard residential fence height limit, or standard residential fence material list for ordinary single-family residential fences.
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 Pope County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 2 – Administration, Chapter 7 – Animals, Chapter 12 – Roads / Transportation, Chapter 13 – Urban / Rural Development, the County Departments page, the County Clerk page, the County Judge page, the Road Department page, and Pope County 9-1-1 materials as of May 2026.
GOVERNANCE
Pope County is governed by the Pope County Quorum Court, with county ordinances administered through the county government structure.
The Pope County Clerk serves as secretary to the Quorum Court and keeps permanent records of Quorum Court proceedings, including minutes, ordinances, resolutions, and an index. The County Clerk page links to the Pope County Codification of Ordinances and identifies the county code as under construction.
The Pope County Judge administers ordinances enacted by the Quorum Court, operates the county road system, has custody of county property, and is responsible for day-to-day operations of the Road Department, Pope County 9-1-1 Communications, and the Office of Emergency Management.
The Pope County Code of Ordinances establishes a County Planning Board, and the Quorum Court assumes the powers, duties, and functions of the County Planning Board. The Code also includes plat review and addressing provisions for non-incorporated areas, flood damage prevention provisions, county-road standards, and animal enclosure requirements. The Code does not identify a county building department or county fence-permit office for ordinary residential fences.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• County Fence Permit: The Pope County Code of Ordinances does not publish a county fence permit requirement for standard residential fences in unincorporated areas.
• Building Permit: The Building article in Chapter 13 is reserved, and the County Departments page does not identify a county building department. The Code does not publish a county building-permit process for standard residential fences.
• Zoning Approval: The Code establishes a County Planning Board and includes general county planning authority, but it does not publish a county zoning permit, zoning approval, or residential fence zoning review process for standard residential fences.
• Large-Project Master Plan: Chapter 13, § 1320.01 applies to building, development, or construction projects with anticipated aggregate costs exceeding $100,000,000. That Master Plan requirement is not a standard residential fence permit process.
• Plat and Addressing Review: Chapter 13, § 1320.00 requires preliminary plats and final plats in the non-incorporated areas of Pope County to be submitted to the Pope County 9-1-1 business office for review and addressing. This applies to plat and addressing review, not to ordinary fence replacement or fence construction on an already established residential lot.
• Floodplain Review: Chapter 2, § 285.00 adopts the Flood Damage Prevention Code for Pope County, Arkansas, dated March 21, 2019. The flood damage prevention ordinance applies to all Special Flood Hazard Areas within the jurisdiction of Pope County and controls floodplain development, including structural development, clearing, grading, drilling, placement of fill, excavating, watercourse alteration, drainage improvements, roadway or bridge construction, individual water or sewer installations, and other activities that may increase flood damage. The Code does not state a fence-specific floodplain permit trigger, but fence work in a Special Flood Hazard Area may be affected if it involves regulated floodplain development, fill, excavation, drainage work, watercourse alteration, or flood barriers.
• County Road Excavation Permit: Chapter 12, § 1200.01 requires a written permit from the County Judge before any excavation is made in any maintained portion of county streets or alleys. This is a road-excavation rule, not a general residential fence permit requirement.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Property Lines: The ordinance does not state a 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 or easements.
• County Roads and Rights-of-Way: Chapter 12, § 1200.02 sets county roads in Pope County at a presumed width of 50 feet, providing a minimum 25 feet of right-of-way on either side of the center line of each road. New county roads established after passage of that ordinance must be at least 60 feet wide unless otherwise designated. Fence placement near county roads may be affected by the recorded road right-of-way.
• Private Roads Built for County Acceptance: Chapter 12, § 1200.00 requires roads developed for acceptance into the county road system to meet county standards, including a 60-foot right-of-way, drainage across the road right-of-way, sloped drainage ditches on each side of the roadbed, and filing of a dedication deed or subdivision plat describing the road right-of-way before county acceptance.
• Excavation in Maintained Streets or Alleys: Chapter 12, § 1200.01 requires a written permit from the County Judge before excavation in any maintained portion of county streets or alleys. Fence work that would disturb a maintained county street or alley is affected by this road-excavation requirement.
• Subdivision Plats and Addressing: Chapter 13, § 1320.00 requires preliminary and final plats in the non-incorporated areas of Pope County to be submitted to the Pope County 9-1-1 business office for review and addressing. The Code does not state a fence-specific setback or placement rule in the plat-review section.
• Floodplain and Drainage: Chapter 2, § 285.00 controls floodplain development in Special Flood Hazard Areas and includes clearing, grading, placement of fill, excavating, watercourse alteration, drainage improvements, and flood barriers within its floodplain-development context. The Code does not state a countywide fence-specific placement standard for floodplain lots, drainage corridors, or ordinary residential drainage conditions.
• 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
• Residential Fence Height: The Pope County Code of Ordinances does not specify a countywide maximum height for standard residential fences in unincorporated Pope County.
• Front Yard, Side Yard, and Rear Yard Height: The Code does not state separate countywide fence height limits for front yards, side yards, or rear yards.
• Corner Lots and Visibility: The Code does not publish a countywide residential sight-triangle, clear-vision, driveway-visibility, or corner-lot fence rule for standard residential fences.
• Roadside Visibility: Chapter 12 establishes county-road and right-of-way standards, but the Code does not state a fence-specific visibility standard for fences near county roads, intersections, driveways, or private access roads.
• Animal Enclosure Height: Chapter 7, § 700.00 requires a secured enclosed and locked pen or dog run for a vicious and/or nuisance dog. The pen or dog run must have sides 6 feet high or a secure top. If the pen or structure has no bottom secured to the sides, the sides must be embedded into the ground no less than 1 foot. This is an animal-control enclosure rule, not a general height limit for standard residential fences.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Residential Fence Materials: The Pope County Code of Ordinances does not specify permitted or prohibited materials for standard residential fences in unincorporated Pope County.
• Finished Side or Orientation: The Code does not state a finished-side, post-orientation, or decorative-side requirement for standard residential fences.
• Barbed Wire and Electric Fences: The Code does not publish a countywide residential rule for barbed wire, electric fences, battery-charged fences, or agricultural fencing.
• Animal Enclosures: Chapter 7, § 700.00 requires vicious and/or nuisance dogs to be confined indoors or in a locked pen or structure suitable to prevent escape and provide protection from the elements. “Beware of Dog” signs must be conspicuously posted on the fence or enclosure and must be at least 8 1/2 inches by 12 inches.
• Flood Barriers: Chapter 2, § 285.00 regulates the construction of flood barriers that unnaturally divert floodwaters or may adversely impact other lands. The Code does not state a fence-specific material, permeability, anchoring, or construction standard for ordinary residential fences in floodplain areas.
• Walls, Columns, and Gates: The Code does not state separate countywide construction standards for residential walls, fence columns, or gates.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate independently from county-published fence rules. These may include HOA covenants, subdivision restrictions, deed restrictions, private easements, road-maintenance agreements, agricultural agreements, boundary agreements, or architectural-review covenants.
Chapter 2, § 285.00 states that the flood damage prevention ordinance does not repeal, abrogate, or impair existing easements, covenants, or deed restrictions, and that where the flood ordinance overlaps with another ordinance, easement, covenant, or deed restriction, the more stringent restriction applies.
A fence that is not limited by a countywide fence height or material rule may still be controlled by recorded plats, private covenants, deed restrictions, utility easements, drainage easements, access easements, road rights-of-way, or municipal rules if the property is inside an incorporated city or town.
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 General County Fence Permit: The Pope County Code of Ordinances does not publish a county fence permit requirement for standard residential fences in unincorporated areas.
• County Road and Right-of-Way Conditions: Fence placement near county roads may require attention to the recorded road right-of-way. Chapter 12 sets presumed county-road width and right-of-way standards and requires a County Judge permit for excavation in maintained portions of county streets or alleys.
• Floodplain Development: Chapter 2, § 285.00 applies in Special Flood Hazard Areas and is administered through the Floodplain Administrator. Fence work may be affected when it involves regulated floodplain development, fill, excavation, drainage improvement, watercourse alteration, or flood-barrier construction.
• Plat and Addressing Review: Chapter 13, § 1320.00 requires preliminary and final plats in non-incorporated areas to be submitted to the Pope County 9-1-1 business office for review and addressing.
• Animal Enclosure Conditions: Chapter 7, § 700.00 requires specific enclosure measures for vicious and/or nuisance dogs, including a locked pen or dog run, 6-foot sides or a secure top, 1-foot side embedment where there is no secured bottom, and posted warning signage.
• Private Restrictions: Easements, covenants, deed restrictions, subdivision restrictions, road-maintenance agreements, and private boundary agreements may impose limits that are separate from county ordinances.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within Pope 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 the Pope County Clerk, Pope County Judge, Pope County 9-1-1 business office, Road Department, Floodplain Administrator, or other applicable Pope County office and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from Pope County staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.