FENCE RULES – GRAPEVINE (CITY), TEXAS

OVERVIEW

This page covers residential fences within the incorporated City of Grapevine, Texas, a home-rule municipality extending into Tarrant, Denton and Dallas Counties. City fence regulations, zoning and applicable preservation and site requirements govern this municipal publication area.

Grapevine requires a permit for permanent fence construction. Ordinary rear and side fences have an eight-foot maximum, while front-yard rules depend on the lot type, zoning and size. Front fences on interior lots generally must be low and at least half open; corner front yards have a separate prohibition. Driveway gates, reverse-frontage corners, public easements and water-meter access have specific placement requirements. Wood, masonry and chain link appear on the City’s application, but chain link is prohibited in front yards. Historic properties and the Historic Township have additional design requirements. Pools, floodplain work and Grapevine Lake easements can require separate review. Updated November 2026.

Quick question	Grapevine answer
Permit or approval	A construction permit is required for permanent fences or permanent fence parts. Historic approval, floodplain approval and pool-related permits can also apply. The City’s published repair guidance contains a limited replacement exception described below.
Typical fence height	8 ft rear and side. Interior front yards: 36 in, or 48 in on R-20 lots exceeding 50,000 sq ft, with at least 50% through vision. Corner front yards prohibit fencing except along the interior lot line under the front-fence rules. Historic and special-property conditions need separate attention.
Placement & property lines	The fence article does not specify a general setback from a private side or rear property line. Public property and easements, reverse-frontage corner lots, sight triangles, water-meter access and recorded conditions affect placement. Street-adjacent driveway gates require a 20-ft setback from the adjacent property line.
Common fence materials	Wood: recognized on the permit application and in screening/design standards. Vinyl/PVC: not specifically addressed by the ordinary fence article; plastic/vinyl systems are prohibited under the applicable Historic Township Pattern Book standards. Chain-link: recognized on the application but prohibited in required or established front yards and restricted in historic design contexts.
Important local conditions	Fence rules may be further affected by corner-lot configuration, historic designation or the Historic Township, pool-barrier use, floodplain or floodway location, drainage and utility easements, Grapevine Lake public land or flowage easements, approved development conditions and private restrictions subject to Texas law.
Official local resource	City of Grapevine Fence Permit Application

The table above is for quick reference; additional fence-rule details appear in the corresponding sections below. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, read the sections that apply to the property, review the linked official sources, and confirm site-specific questions with the Building Services Department or the responsible office identified for that issue.

GOVERNANCE

The Grapevine City Council adopts the City’s ordinances. Chapter 7, Article IV of the Grapevine Code of Ordinances contains the principal fence rules. The Building Services Department and Building Official administer fence permitting and inspection. The Planning Services Department administers the zoning ordinance in Appendix D, including yard, screening, visibility and development conditions. The Building Board of Appeals hears fence variance requests through its published application and hearing process.

Historic-property review is administered through Historic Preservation staff and the Historic Preservation Commission. Historic landmark overlays and the broader Historic Grapevine Township preservation boundary are distinct from the HGT Historic Grapevine Township zoning district. A property’s zoning, preservation designation and applicable design standards each need to be established.

The Public Works Director or designee, acting as Floodplain Administrator, administers floodplain development requirements; Public Works also administers drainage and erosion controls. The Water Department approves access to fenced-in water meters. The Fire Department has fire-access and hydrant-access responsibilities. For property affected by Grapevine Lake public land or a federal flowage easement, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers administers the separate federal property interest and approvals.

Grapevine’s adopted residential code is the 2021 International Residential Code with local amendments, effective January 1, 2024. The City separately adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code as adopted by Texas. Fence permitting, zoning, historic review, drainage and pool requirements operate alongside those code provisions.

PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

Permanent fence construction: Section 7-121 requires a construction permit before erecting a permanent fence or any permanently constructed part of a fence. Section 7-123 lists a $21 fence-permit fee. Confirm the current submission procedure and fees with Building Services before filing.

Fence application: The signed application must identify the applicant and owner, project address, construction type, height and approximate value. When an applicant represents a firm or corporation, the ordinance also calls for its supervisor or foreman and president information. Section 7-122 requires a plat showing the subject and adjacent lots, with the proposed fence outlined in heavy black lines. The City’s application requests two plot plans showing the fence location and asks whether any part will exceed eight feet, even by inches.

Repair and replacement: The City’s published permit guidance states that replacement of less than 50% of a legal fence requires no permit when neither location nor height changes. That administrative guidance is dated March 2018; the fence ordinance separately states the broader permanent-fence and permanent-part requirement. Obtain Building Services’ determination for a proposed repair before relying on the limited replacement exception. New fences, relocation and enlargement require permits under the City’s guidance.

Completion and inspection: When installation is complete, call for the Building Official’s inspection. Section 7-130 provides for a certificate of acceptance or a rejection identifying defects. The fence must continue to comply with the article after installation.

Fence variances: A Building Board of Appeals application requires a staff review of the request, a completed application, the property’s address and legal identification, a dimensioned site plan drawn to scale, and fence elevations showing panel heights and widths, overall heights and lengths, and masonry columns. Plans should be no larger than 11 by 17 inches; the form requires 28 copies of larger plans and PDF files on a flash drive. Explain the requested relief and the property’s particular hardship. Complete applications are scheduled for public hearing; the procedure provides notice to the applicant and owners within 200 feet, 10 days before the hearing. Approval depends on the Board’s findings and vote.

Historic-property approval: On individually designated historic property and within historic overlay districts, Appendix G requires a certificate of appropriateness for covered exterior and site work, including fence work. Obtain it before a building permit is issued, although reviews may proceed simultaneously. Historic approval can be required for work otherwise exempt from a building permit. The application includes the property and applicant information, work description, current photographs, drawings and material samples where appropriate, and any further information needed to explain the project.

Historic fence alterations and repairs: Fences are expressly included in the minor exterior alteration process. Staff approve or deny a qualifying application within five working days; an interested person may appeal the staff decision in writing within 30 days, starting the Commission’s standard review procedure. Ordinary maintenance means work without a change in design, material, color or outward appearance, including in-kind repair or replacement; the Director of Community Development determines that classification. For standard Commission review, Appendix G provides a decision within 60 days of a complete application and at least five days’ mailed notice to immediately adjacent owners. An aggrieved person may seek Council review through the City Secretary within 30 calendar days after receiving the written Commission decision.

Historic projects subject to the City’s pre-construction meeting form: Where the Historic Township Structures Pre-Construction Meeting form applies, certificate approval is followed by a meeting of the property owner, contractor, Historic Preservation Officer and Building Department Inspector before any work, cleanup, demolition or changes begin. The meeting reviews the preservation ordinance and approved certificate requirements. The participants sign the form, the Historic Preservation Officer’s signed meeting notes are attached, and the signed form and notes must be available to the project’s pertinent parties. The contractor must safeguard removed preservation materials until reattachment and inform workers and subcontractors of approved plan changes. After the meeting, changes to the approved building or site work require approval of revised plans and an additional certificate of appropriateness before the changed work proceeds; proposed changes to Commission-approved plans return to a regular Commission meeting for approval. Confirm with Historic Preservation staff whether this form applies to the proposed fence project.

Historic Township: Appendix G requires certificates for covered placement, construction or expansion of single-family residential structures within the Historic Grapevine Township. For Township properties without a historic landmark overlay, that review uses Appendix G’s applicable requirements without the Secretary of the Interior’s historic-rehabilitation standards. Appendix G adopts the Grapevine Pattern Book and Historic Preservation information as the additional residential design framework. The Book also addresses improvements and maintenance engaging its construction standards. Confirm the review route for a standalone fence with Historic Preservation staff.

Floodplain fence projects: The City requires a floodplain development permit for fences within the floodplain identified by the City’s Master Drainage Plan or the National Flood Insurance Program. The Grapevine Floodplain Administration information explains the process. The City’s one-page Floodplain Development Permit Application requests one copy of plans and specifications for proposed construction in a floodplain. Section 7-200 separately provides for application information that may include plans in duplicate, drawn to scale, showing the location, dimensions and elevations of proposed landscape alterations and existing/proposed structures, their relationship to special flood hazard areas, and relevant watercourse alterations. Confirm the copies and supporting information required for the particular application with the Floodplain Administrator. The application states that a permit is valid for one year from issuance and must be renewed if work is incomplete then. Engineering and flood-impact information depend on the location and proposed encroachment. Floodplain approval is separate from the fence construction permit.

Pool fences: The City’s pool checklist requires the fence and easements to be shown on pool plot plans, with a separate fence permit for a new fence. Pool submissions include two sets of plans with the electric-utility approval stamp, plot plans showing the lot and improvements, pool dimensions and setbacks, and drainage plans. The pool project also has electrical and plumbing permits and inspections. The final inspection includes the enclosure and gates. Public pools have additional health approval and regulatory requirements; the private-home pool category covers household and invited-guest use at a single-family or duplex residence.

Grapevine Lake flowage-easement work: Structures on federal flowage-easement land require prior written approval of the District Engineer. The Corps’ application materials call for a letter, detailed design plans, a location map showing the relationship to the U.S. boundary, and applicable written approvals from other authorities. Establish the actual recorded easement and federal property boundary before designing the fence.

FENCE PLACEMENT RULES

Private lot lines: The fence article regulates fences along side and rear lot lines without specifying a general numeric setback from those private boundaries. Establish the legal boundary from the deed, recorded plat and appropriate survey information. Public rights-of-way, easements and zoning yard lines are separate limits. An existing fence, GIS or tax-map line, curb, ditch or mowing line does not conclusively establish the legal boundary or fence ownership.

Public property and public easements: Under §7-124, fences, posts, braces and guy wires cannot occupy or protrude over property controlled or owned by the City or public, or property subject to a public easement, except utility easements permitted to be fenced. Recorded plat and easement conditions remain relevant to the proposed location. Keep sidewalks available for passage and fire hydrants visible and accessible.

Alley and easement access: Section 7-129(d) requires at least one gate or opening three feet wide in each fence adjacent to or running parallel with a public alley, drainage easement or utility easement. The exception is a utility easement that the City has allowed to be completely fenced in.

Driveway gates: A gate across a driveway adjacent to a street must be at least 20 feet from the property line adjacent to the street. Identify that line separately from the pavement edge or curb.

Front yards and corner configuration: The deeper of the required front yard and the established front yard controls. The established front yard extends from the abutting street to the principal building or structure across the lot’s frontage. A corner lot meets two or more dedicated public streets; its interior lot line is the side line adjoining an interior lot’s side yard. The front-yard fence restrictions and height branches appear below.

Reverse-frontage corner lots: This category includes a corner lot whose rear line adjoins another lot’s side line, including across an alley. In the required side yard adjacent to a front-yard area, §7-128 prohibits a fence closer than 15 feet to the side property line; the maximum height there is eight feet.

Water meters: Section 25-33 prohibits fencing in a water meter unless suitable access is provided within 20 feet of the meter and approved by the Water Department.

Historic sites and West Wall Street: The general historic site-and-landscape guide places residential fencing at or behind the house’s front façade and away from front or side porches. Fences should preserve views of historic buildings and the site’s historic relationships. The West Wall Street Historic District guidelines place wood privacy fencing in rear yards behind the front façade and discourage privacy fencing on street sides. The Historic Township’s separate Pattern Book contains front-fence provisions discussed below; coordinate the applicable placement with Historic Preservation and Building Services before construction.

HGT zoning district: Section 28A describes the established front yard as landscaped space and expressly excludes fences and walls from that yard. It also requires at least a six-foot blind fence or wall, blocking the view of a person standing six feet away at ground level, to separate off-street parking from the lot, subject to a Council waiver following a Historic Preservation Commission recommendation. Where the HGT district abuts a residential district, a wall, fence or berm at least six feet high must screen the boundary, with the same stated waiver route. Section 7-131 makes the fence article prevail in direct conflicts with the basic zoning ordinance. Historic-preservation approval remains a separate requirement.

R-MF district adjoining lower-density residential development: Under §22(H), where an R-MF Multifamily District adjoins an existing or zoned lower-density residential district without separation by a dedicated public street, park or permanent open space, a buffer strip at least 20 feet wide is required between the districts. The strip contains appropriate landscaping, fencing, berms or trees to buffer adjoining uses. The provision’s separate 40-foot setback for principal buildings or structures is distinct from the buffer’s fencing and landscaping requirements.

R-MF front-yard parking and landscaped berms: Section 22(J) ordinarily prohibits front-yard parking. With an appropriate landscaped berm, the front-yard setback for parking may be reduced to no less than 15 feet. The berm and landscape plantings together must reach at least four feet in height. Plantings must extend the length of the front yard. Berms that undulate and vary in height and width, and plantings that vary in distance from the property line and complement the berms, are preferred. The principal building’s front setback remains 40 feet. These front-parking provisions operate alongside the district’s separate parking-area screening requirements described below.

Floodplains and floodways: Fence posts, solid walls, fill and other development must satisfy the applicable floodplain approval. In a designated floodway, §7-202(e) prohibits encroachments unless the required hydrologic and hydraulic analysis demonstrates no increase in base-flood levels. Where no regulatory floodway is designated in Zones A1–30 and AE, §7-199(9) requires a demonstration that the cumulative effect of proposed, existing and anticipated development will not raise the base-flood water surface by more than one foot at any point within the City. Under §7-199(10), the community may approve certain development in Zones A1–30, AE or AH producing an increase of more than one foot only after the community first completes all requirements of 44 CFR §65.12. Watercourse alterations also require the applicable notices and approvals.

Drainage and erosion: Fence work must not divert or impound natural surface water in a manner that damages another property by overflow under Water Code §11.086. The statute preserves its treatment of authorized flood-control and irrigation works, while prohibiting canals, lateral canals or ditches that obstruct well-defined natural drainage. Its separate riverbank exception permits filling the mouth of a gully or slough to the height of adjoining river or creek banks where the gully or slough has cut or intersected the bank and allows river or creek floodwaters to overflow nearby land. Grapevine’s erosion ordinance requires controls against sediment reaching public property and rights-of-way during and after covered improvements. If a property owner disturbs permanent erosion controls, the owner must restore or replace them when the disturbing activity ends. Subdivision creation and broader construction have their own plan requirements.

Grapevine Lake boundaries: The Corps’ adjoining-property guidance permits a fence to or along the U.S. boundary line. Public land must remain available for public access; adjoining owners cannot fence it into exclusive private use. Flowage-easement land can remain privately owned while subject to federal flooding and construction rights. The recorded instrument controls the affected land.

Livestock and fowl enclosures: Where §6-2 applies, livestock pens, stables, sheds and other enclosures must be at least 50 feet from residences, businesses, commercial establishments, offices, schools, hospitals and nursing homes; the owner’s own residence, business, commercial establishment or office is excepted. Livestock also must remain 50 feet from another person’s dwelling. The corresponding fowl rule measures from any part of the pen, shed, coop or enclosure, with the stated owner-property exceptions. Adjacent rezoning or new construction does not make a previously existing use or structure illegal or nonconforming under §6-2. Qualifying agricultural operations are subject to the separate protections and conditions of Texas agricultural law.

Jointly owned or attached fences: Agriculture Code §§143.121–123 protect certain separating or dividing fences in which a person is a joint owner, and fences attached to another person’s fence. Removal requires mutual consent or the applicable statutory process. A person owning an interest in an attached fence may withdraw it after six months’ written notice to the other fence’s owner or that person’s agent, attorney or lessee. An owner whose fence is wholly on that owner’s land may require an attached fence’s disconnection after the same written notice to the specified recipient. Establish ownership and attachment before removing a shared or connected fence.

Pipeline easement construction: Health and Safety Code §§756.121–126 cover qualifying construction on, across, over or under a pipeline easement or right-of-way, or work physically affecting or creating risk to the pipeline. Unless a statutory or contrary written-agreement exception applies, notice to the operator and the required risk/protective-work arrangements must precede covered construction. The law includes the operator’s no-increased-risk determination, payment of documented necessary protective work where risk increases, and its existing-agreement and disaster-utility alternatives. This process is separate from an underground locate request.

• Texas811 and safe post digging: Request a locate through Texas811’s digging and locate guidance before digging, wait the applicable lawful period, check ticket responses and site markings, resolve missing or inconsistent information through the current ticket process, protect the markings and dig carefully. Utilities Code Chapter 251 generally covers explosives or powered/mechanized excavation, including augers, disturbing soil to 16 inches or more. Ordinary advance notice is no earlier than the 14th day before excavation and no later than 48 hours before it, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. The special Saturday-notification branch applies to notice given to a notification center on a Saturday before 11:59 a.m. For that notice, excavation may begin the following Tuesday at 11:59 a.m., or Wednesday at 11:59 a.m. when the intervening Monday is a holiday, subject to the applicable response process. Separate Railroad Commission rules can cover manual digging near pipelines deeper than 16 inches; covered pipeline tickets ordinarily last 14 working days, with a signed, dated written-agreement alternative, refresh requirements for unfinished areas, and required records retained at least four years. Follow the ticket and pipeline response process. Private service lines and all water/sewer facilities are not necessarily marked through the one-call system; arrange identification of private lines. Locates do not replace permits, easement rights or pipeline-construction requirements.

FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES

Rear yards: Section 7-125 prohibits fences exceeding eight feet in a rear yard or along a rear lot line.

Side yards: Section 7-126 prohibits fences exceeding eight feet in a side yard or along a side lot line. The reverse-frontage corner placement restriction remains applicable.

Interior front yards: Fences, hedges and vines generally cannot exceed 36 inches in the required or established front yard, whichever is deeper. On properties zoned R-20 Single Family District with a lot exceeding 50,000 square feet, a front-yard fence may reach 48 inches. Front-yard fences, hedges and vines must provide and maintain at least 50% through vision.

Corner front yards: Section 7-127(a) prohibits fences in the deeper of the required front setback area and established front yard, except along the interior lot line in accordance with the interior-lot provisions.

Measuring and open construction: The zoning definition illustration shows fence height from ground to fence top and illustrates 50% open construction with gaps equal to the picket widths. The fence article does not specify an additional height allowance for posts, columns or caps, or a general formula for adding fence and retaining-wall heights. Obtain a site-specific determination where grade changes or a retaining wall affect the proposed measurement.

Zoning front-yard provisions: Section 42(G)(6) separately describes fences, walls and vegetation below a line running from 2½ feet above front-walk grade to 4½ feet above walk grade at the depth of the front yard, and single-trunk trees pruned to seven feet above walk grade. Where a corner’s street-side yard must equal the front yard, the provision applies front-yard treatment there; it permits the Council, by special ordinance, to approve a fence up to eight feet with no more than five feet of encroachment into that required side yard. Section 7-131 expressly gives Article IV priority over direct conflicts with the basic zoning ordinance; the ordinary front-fence limits stated above remain the starting point for fence review.

Corner traffic visibility: Section 42(G)(7) prohibits fences, walls, screens, hedges, trees and other objects creating a traffic hazard. The sight area is the triangle formed by the intersecting street right-of-way lines and points 20 feet from their intersection. Obstruction of the visual line of sight between three and six feet above the adjacent curb, or the specified average street curb grade where there is no curb, is prima facie evidence of a traffic hazard. The provision excludes natural existing terrain that cannot reasonably be removed by landscaping, including retaining walls at or below that terrain’s grade. An obstruction subject to the provision must be removed within 10 days after receipt of the Building Official’s written notice.

Landscaping visibility where §53 applies: The landscaping regulations exempt single-family detached dwellings. For covered landscaping, such as qualifying townhouse or other residential development, retain clear visibility between three and six feet in triangles with 10-foot legs on both sides of an accessway’s intersection with a public right-of-way, and 20-foot legs at intersecting public rights-of-way. Landscaping other than required grass and low ground cover must be at least three feet from accessway pavement. Trees must be trimmed clear of the sight area; the Director may reduce landscaping requirements to remove a visibility conflict.

Historic Township front fences: The Pattern Book allows ornamental front fences up to 48 inches, with taller gate heads. Article IV retains its separate 36-inch ordinary interior-front limit, R-20 exception, transparency requirement and corner-front prohibition. The general historic landscape guide also places fencing at or behind the front façade. Obtain coordinated Building Services and Historic Preservation approval of the applicable front-fence height and location before ordering materials.

Manufactured-home parks: Chapter 24 permits park-perimeter fences no higher than eight feet above grade. Individual park-lot fences are prohibited except behind the manufactured home’s face, at no more than 48 inches, with at least 50% through vision and vertical/horizontal openings no greater than four inches. Legally existing fences receive the stated existing-fence treatment; an individual-lot fence remaining under that provision must be removed within seven days after a change in the home’s occupancy or tenancy. These are manufactured-home-park provisions, distinct from R-MH subdivision zoning.

R-3.75, multifamily and townhouse parking/storage areas: In the Three- and Four-family, Multifamily and Townhouse Districts, an off-street parking, vehicular-use or storage area within 60 feet of an adjacent residentially zoned district requires screening at least six feet high. Parking areas must be at least 10 feet from an adjacent property line. The designated recreational-vehicle, trailer, motor-home, boat and similar equipment areas require eight-foot screening from adjacent residential districts; the areas cannot occupy a required front yard or adjoin a public right-of-way and must be at least 10 feet from an adjacent property line. Sections 18 and 22 specify fence or wall for the equipment screen; §20 also permits a berm. Townhouse fencing must be finished on both sides.

Brownstone district: Section 34 requires off-street parking areas at least 10 feet from adjacent property lines, with a six-foot fence or wall when the parking, vehicular-use or storage area is within 20 feet of an adjacent residentially zoned district. Fencing must be finished on both sides. Recreational-vehicle, trailer, motor-home, boat and similar equipment parking is prohibited in this district.

Required screening at district edges: Section 50 requires at least six-foot screening where the side, rear or service side of a four-family, multifamily or nonresidential use adjoins a single-family, two-family or townhouse residential district. It also requires that height where the side, rear or service side of a nonresidential use adjoins a four-family or multifamily district. These provisions require no screen adjacent to a street. Approved zoning conditions can add or change screening. Use the particular project’s required screening standard and approved plan.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS

Wood and masonry: The City fence application expressly lists wood and masonry, as well as chain link and an “other” selection. Required-screening and historic design standards contain additional material and construction requirements for the properties they cover.

Vinyl/PVC: Article IV does not specifically address ordinary vinyl/PVC fencing. Additional Historic Township material restrictions appear below.

Chain link: Although listed on the application, chain-link fences are prohibited within required or established front yards under §7-127(b)(5). Section 7-129(c) also prohibits front-yard chain link with upward barbed wire. Historic guidelines further restrict street-side chain link.

Electric and barbed-wire fences: On property within a platted subdivision, §7-129 prohibits electrically charged fences, including battery-powered systems, and barbed-wire fencing.

Historic site materials and finish: The general historic site guide recognizes stone, cast iron, iron, wood, combinations and other appropriate materials. Stone should match the district’s or comparable property’s size, pattern and color. The side facing a street or alley should be finished. Low stone walls are encouraged in side and rear yards; concrete may be exposed for retaining walls at property lines. Maintain views to and from historic structures and use compatible scale and detail.

West Wall Street Historic District: Maintain historic fences. The district guidelines identify simple wood picket, wood-and-wire and wrought-iron fences as appropriate new designs, discourage chain link, privacy fencing and concrete block on street sides, and limit wood privacy fencing to rear yards behind the front façade. Replace only portions damaged beyond repair, matching historic material, design and placement; new or replacement nonhistoric fencing should complement the historic boundary and retain the property’s historic character.

Historic Township gates: Street-visible gates match the fence material. Wood gate frames require at least 1½-inch thickness by 3½-inch width; planks require a full ¾-inch thickness. Iron gates use iron frames meeting the following standards.

Historic Township wrought iron: Structural members require at least 1¾ inches in each width dimension or round diameter. Pickets up to five feet require at least ¾-inch width/diameter; taller pickets require at least one inch in the street-facing dimension/diameter. Plate panels require at least 3/16-inch thickness; tubular-steel walls require at least 3/32-inch thickness. Decorations use solid stock welded to frames/pickets, or formed from solid pickets. All connections are welded.

Historic Township prohibited materials: Thin-wall construction; cast/embossed concrete walls; pickets/veneers other than wood, unit masonry or wrought iron; mechanical iron connections; slipover enhancements for tubular steel; and plastic/vinyl systems or components are prohibited. The Pattern Book excludes D. E. Box Addition Historic District, which has separate preservation criteria.

Required-screening cross-references: Current §50(B)(1) and (2) specify Alternates A or E for their district-edge screens. Section 50(C), however, defines Alternates A, B and C; §50(E) concerns additional screening requirements on zoning cases rather than a defined material alternative. The City’s older standalone §50 PDF specifies A or C in the corresponding district-edge provisions. Confirm the applicable screening alternative with Planning Services before constructing a required screen.

R-20, R-12.5, R-7.5 and R-5.0 equipment storage: Sections 13(D)(2), 14(D)(2), 15(D)(2) and 16(D)(2) require storage of mechanical or farm equipment incidental to a permitted or conditional use to be screened from any adjacent residential development or use under §50, Alternate B or E.

Duplex mechanical/farm equipment storage: Section 17(D)(4) requires its listed incidental equipment storage to be screened from any adjacent residential development or use under §50, Alternate B or E.

R-3.75 and townhouse equipment storage: Sections 18(D)(4) and 20(D)(3) require mechanical, maintenance or farm-equipment storage incidental to a permitted or conditional use to be screened from any adjacent residential development or use under §50, Alternate B or E.

Brownstone equipment storage: Section 34(C)(3) requires mechanical or maintenance-equipment storage incidental to a permitted or conditional use to be screened from any adjacent residential development or use under §50, Alternate B or E. For these equipment-storage provisions, §50(C) defines B as the landscaped-berm alternative; the E reference has the same unresolved definition issue described above. Obtain Planning Services’ confirmation of the applicable compliance option.

Exterior mechanical equipment in R-3.75, townhouse, multifamily and Brownstone districts: Sections 18(M)(2), 20(M)(2), 22(M)(2) and 34(K)(2) require outside central air-conditioning units, heat pumps and similar mechanical equipment to be landscaped and screened from view under §50. These equipment screens are separate from the parking and storage-area screens.

HGT zoning district equipment: Sections 28A(B)(3) and 28A(M)(2) require mechanical and electrical equipment, including air-conditioning units, to be screened from public view. The general historic site guide separately addresses screening equipment from the street and other pedestrian areas.

Required screening construction: Section 50 describes Alternate A as a solid masonry or concrete wall and Alternate C as a solid wood fence, each at least six feet measured from the average grade of the nearest property line or building setback line, whichever is higher. Alternate B is a landscaped earthen berm at least six feet high with side slopes of at least two horizontal feet per vertical foot and drainage required by the City Engineer. The zoning definition requires a visual barrier and limits openings to 40 square inches per square foot of screen surface. The required alternative depends on the applicable district, ordinance and approved plan. Required screens must be maintained neatly, kept free of trash and weeds, and have required landscaping kept healthy and replaced when it dies. Townhouse and Brownstone district fencing has the additional both-sides-finished requirement described above.

Refuse screens for other residential/common uses: Section 50 excludes single-family, two-family and townhouse dwellings from its refuse-area screen requirement. For covered uses, a refuse area not adjacent to an alley requires a solid fence or wall one foot above the dumpster, no higher than eight feet. All sides are screened except the pickup side; that side also requires screening when visible from a residentially zoned district.

Pool barriers: Grapevine’s pool inspection checklist calls for a minimum four-foot enclosure with self-closing and self-latching gates and refers to the adopted International Swimming Pool and Spa Code for complete barrier requirements. Barrier design, openings, access through buildings, above-ground pool arrangements and any safety-cover alternative require review under the applicable pool code. A private backyard pool is a different use from an association, apartment or other public/common-use pool. Confirm the barrier system and gate details with Building Services as part of the pool and fence approvals.

Dangerous-dog enclosures: For a dog subject to the City’s dangerous-dog requirements, the secured enclosure must be locked by key or combination; prevent public and child entry, escape and the dog’s mouth extending outside; be clearly marked; and provide secure sides and top with a solid bottom or another construction preventing tunneling and escape over the top. It must protect the animal from the elements and be approved by the Animal Services Manager. City zoning and construction rules still apply. “BEWARE OF DANGEROUS DOG” signs must appear at the front and rear of the premises and on the enclosure; the signs must be at least eight by 12 inches, with reflective white lettering at least two inches high on red.

Maintenance: Section 7-130 requires fences constructed under Article IV to remain compliant at all times. Required access openings, front-yard through vision, approved historic design and screening maintenance remain continuing requirements.

PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS

HOA or property-owners-association documents, deed restrictions, architectural requirements, private easements and recorded boundary or maintenance agreements may impose separate conditions within Texas law. Review the instruments affecting the actual property. City approval does not settle ownership, boundary disputes, shared maintenance or cost allocation.

Security and perimeter fencing: Property Code §202.023 generally protects an owner’s installation of security measures, including perimeter fencing, subject to retained association controls. An association may regulate fence type and prohibit fences obstructing a written-agreement or plat license area, a public/community sidewalk, or a drainage easement or drainage area. It may require a driveway gate at least 10 feet from the right-of-way where the driveway intersects a statutorily defined laned roadway. A restrictive covenant may prohibit fencing in front of the dwelling’s front-most building line. Grapevine’s separate public driveway-gate rule remains 20 feet from the street-adjacent property line.

Existing and enhanced-security fencing: Section 202.023 protects maintenance of perimeter fencing or front-building-line fencing installed or constructed before September 1, 2025, notwithstanding the subsection’s retained controls. Its front-building-line prohibition exception also protects qualifying owners whose residential address is exempt from public disclosure under state or federal law, or who provide law-enforcement documentation of a need for enhanced security. The section excludes condominiums under Property Code Chapters 81/82 and master mixed-use associations subject to Chapter 215.

Protected pool enclosures: Property Code §202.022 protects installation of a conforming, nonclimbable enclosure around a water feature consisting of transparent mesh or clear panels in metal frames, no more than six feet high. Associations retain appearance and color controls within the statute, including protection for the specified black transparent-mesh enclosure in metal frames. The enclosure must satisfy applicable state and local safety requirements.

Obtain applicable private architectural approval and review private access, drainage, conservation, maintenance and cost agreements separately from City permits. Public easements, public plat conditions and statutory duties remain applicable alongside private documents.

REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT

Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:

• Fence permits and completion inspection: checking the approved location, fence type, height, plan information and completed installation.

• Yards and visibility: addressing front-yard transparency, corner restrictions, reverse-frontage placement, driveway gates and traffic sight areas.

• Access and public property: maintaining alley and easement openings, approved water-meter access, unobstructed sidewalks and hydrant access, and lawful public-land boundaries.

• Historic and development review: applying the property’s preservation designation, Pattern Book or district criteria, certificate conditions and approved screening requirements.

• Site and safety conditions: addressing floodplain/floodway encroachments, drainage and erosion controls, pool barriers, utility and pipeline work, or a required dangerous-dog enclosure.

• Private property matters: association review and boundary, ownership, attachment, maintenance or cost disputes follow their applicable private documents and law separately from the City’s permit and code-enforcement process.

USING THIS INFORMATION

This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within the City of Grapevine, Texas. Updated November 2026.

In addition to local fence rules, certain Texas laws apply statewide. See Statewide Fence Laws in Texas.

It is not legal advice and does not replace official statutes, ordinances, orders, permits, certificates, development approvals, applicable building-code requirements, surveys, recorded documents or professional guidance. Rules and interpretations may change, and application may vary with municipal or unincorporated location, applicable extraterritorial authority, zoning or special-area status, code adoption and amendments, site conditions, subdivision or plat conditions, easements, rights-of-way, drainage and floodplain requirements, historic or design districts, pool use, agricultural operations and stock laws, fence ownership or attachment, coastal or public-access conditions, utility and pipeline excavation requirements, and private restrictions subject to Texas law. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and site-specific limitations with the Building Services Department and the responsible office for each applicable issue, and review applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with controlling law, adopted regulations or official requirements, the controlling authorities govern. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.