FENCE RULES – CRAIGHEAD (COUNTY), ARKANSAS
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within Craighead County, subject to local regulations. This page applies to properties in the unincorporated areas of Craighead County; incorporated municipalities may regulate fences under their own ordinances.
Craighead County does not publish a consolidated residential fence code. Fence-related rules appear primarily in the Craighead County Code of Ordinances, including county road, right-of-way, subdivision, flood hazard area, and animal-control provisions, together with the county’s Floodplain Development Permit 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 Craighead County Code of Ordinances Chapters 3, 7, 12, and 13; Craighead County Floodplain Development Permit Application; Craighead County floodplain permit instructions; Craighead County Clerk public records materials; and Craighead County official website department and permit navigation as of May 2026.
GOVERNANCE
• Governing Authority: Craighead County is governed through the Craighead County Quorum Court and Craighead County Judge, with county records maintained through the Craighead County Clerk.
• County Code Structure: The county code does not contain a standalone residential fence article. Chapter 13, Article I, Building is reserved, and Chapter 13, Article II, Planning / Zoning contains state-law planning and zoning authority rather than a detailed county fence ordinance.
• Roads and Subdivision Review: Chapter 12, Roads / Transportation contains county road, right-of-way, drainage, subdivision, and flood hazard area standards. Subdivision and road-related review is tied to the Craighead County Judge, the Quorum Court Road Committee, the Road Superintendent, and county road acceptance procedures.
• Floodplain Administration: Floodplain development is administered through the county’s Floodplain Development Permit process and the local Floodplain Administrator. The county website identifies floodplain functions through Office of Emergency Management / Floodplain Management materials.
• Animal Control Context: Chapter 7, Animals includes secure-confinement requirements for dangerous animals in the unincorporated areas of Craighead County. Those provisions are not ordinary fence height or material standards, but they may matter where a fence or enclosure is used to confine a dangerous animal.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Standard Residential Fence Permit: Craighead County does not publish a local fence permit requirement for standard residential fences outside regulated floodplain development. The county materials do not identify a county building-permit process for standard residential fences and do not identify a separate local process for taller residential fences.
• Floodplain Development Permit: A Floodplain Development Permit is required before development begins in a Special Flood Hazard Area shown on FEMA-issued flood maps. Craighead County’s floodplain instructions state that other construction, including fences and flatwork, must follow the same floodplain permit procedures.
• Floodplain Documentation: The Floodplain Administrator determines what documentation is required for the proposed development. The floodplain packet identifies possible required materials such as a map showing the proposed development location, FIRM panel information, flood-source information, an Elevation Certificate, a Floodproofing Certificate, a No-Rise Certificate, a Base Flood Elevation determination for certain larger Zone A developments, and copies of other required local, state, or federal permits.
• Regulatory Floodway: If proposed development is located in a regulatory floodway, the floodplain packet states that a development permit is required and that a No-Rise Certificate completed and signed by a licensed Arkansas professional engineer must be submitted before a development permit will be issued.
• Zoning Compliance: Building permit requirements are separate from zoning, setback, or plat requirements. Confirm any applicable zoning conditions, setbacks, and plat requirements with the Craighead County Judge’s Office before construction.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Property-Line Placement: 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 Road Rights-of-Way: Chapter 12 prohibits dumping items onto a county road or into the county road right-of-way, including the roadbed, shoulder, ditch, ditch back-slope, and bridges. Fence placement must not occupy or obstruct county road right-of-way areas.
• Digging or Disturbing County Right-of-Way: Chapter 12 prohibits cutting, digging, or otherwise defacing a county road or right-of-way for any reason without first obtaining authorization from the Craighead County Judge or the Judge’s representative.
• Drainage Areas: Chapter 12 prohibits altering the normal and natural flow of drainage of a county road by placing debris or objects into the right-of-way of a county road or bridge. Fence work must not interfere with protected county-road drainage areas.
• Floodplain Locations: If a fence project is located in a Special Flood Hazard Area, the county’s floodplain permit process applies before work begins.
• Subdivision and Land Development Context: For new land developments subject to county subdivision review, Chapter 12 requires floodplain portions of the development to be clearly delineated on the plat. No plat of a subdivision may be approved if it contains lots or building sites in the floodway. These are subdivision and land-development standards, not ordinary backyard fence setbacks.
• 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
• Maximum Fence Height: The code does not specify a maximum height for standard residential fences.
• Front, Side, and Rear Yards: The code does not specify separate front-yard, side-yard, or rear-yard height limits for standard residential fences.
• Sight Triangle or Clear-Vision Rules: The code does not specify a fence-specific sight triangle, clear-vision area, corner-lot visibility rule, or driveway visibility rule for standard residential fences.
• Floodplain Review: The floodplain packet may require descriptive information for non-building development, including location, areal extent, and depth or height where applicable. It does not establish a countywide residential fence height limit.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Fence Materials: The code does not specify permitted or prohibited materials for standard residential fences.
• Barbed Wire, Electric Fence, and Chain Link: The code does not publish a residential fence material section addressing barbed wire, electric fencing, chain link, privacy fencing, masonry walls, or decorative fence materials.
• Finished-Side Orientation: The code does not specify a finished-side or orientation requirement for standard residential fences.
• Pool Barriers: The county materials do not publish a private single-family residential pool-barrier fence standard.
• Dangerous-Animal Enclosures: Chapter 7 requires dangerous animals in unincorporated areas to be securely confined indoors or in a securely enclosed pen or kennel except when leashed as provided in that section. The code states that a proper enclosure does not include a porch, patio, or part of a house, garage, or other structure that would allow the animal to exit of its own volition. This is an animal-control standard, not a general residential fence material rule.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate independently from Craighead County’s public regulations. Subdivision covenants, HOA rules, deed restrictions, private easements, agricultural agreements, architectural-review covenants, and private boundary agreements may impose more restrictive fence location, height, material, color, maintenance, or approval requirements.
Craighead County’s public materials do not state that the county enforces private HOA covenants or private deed restrictions as part of ordinary residential fence review.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Floodplain Development: Fence or flatwork construction in a Special Flood Hazard Area is reviewed through the Floodplain Development Permit process before work begins.
• Floodway Review: Development in a regulatory floodway requires floodplain review and may require a No-Rise Certificate before permit issuance.
• County Road Right-of-Way: Fence work that cuts, digs, defaces, occupies, obstructs, or places material in a county road right-of-way may be reviewed under Chapter 12 by the Craighead County Judge or the Judge’s representative.
• Drainage Conflicts: Fence work that interferes with county-road drainage, ditches, or right-of-way drainage areas may be reviewed under the county road and right-of-way provisions.
• Subdivision or Plat Review: New land developments involving roads, drainage systems, floodplain delineation, or floodway lots are reviewed through the county subdivision and road-acceptance procedures.
• Dangerous-Animal Confinement: Where a fence, pen, kennel, or enclosure is used to confine a dangerous animal, Chapter 7’s secure-confinement provisions may apply.
• Undefined Fence Standards: Because the code does not specify standard residential fence height, material, finished-side, or yard-based visibility limits, those topics are not stated as countywide residential fence standards on this page.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within Craighead 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 Craighead County Judge’s Office and the local Floodplain Administrator when floodplain status applies, and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from Craighead County staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.