FENCE RULES – ANNA (CITY), TEXAS

OVERVIEW

This page covers single-family residential fences inside the corporate boundaries of the City of Anna, Texas, in Collin County. Municipal zoning, building administration and site-specific public and private restrictions govern these properties.

Anna requires a residential fence permit and site plan. Its fence design standard states 6–8 feet from average lot grade, while separate front-yard and corner-lot provisions impose lower limits and location restrictions. These provisions require particular care at street frontages. Compliant side and rear fences may stand on the property line, subject to rights-of-way, easements and drainage. Treated wood, vinyl and chain-link have express construction or location conditions; a new pool enclosure has additional restrictions. Historic designation, a planned-development ordinance, agricultural use or an animal enclosure can also change the applicable requirements. Updated November 2026.

Quick question	Anna answer
Permit or approval	City fence permit required, with application, dimensioned site sketch and completion inspection. Historic, floodplain and other site approvals apply where their conditions are met.
Typical fence height	The design requirement is 6–8 ft from average lot grade; required residential front yards have a 3-ft cap, with additional 30-in corner branches. The front-yard provisions conflict with the general minimum and include a front-building-line restriction.
Placement & property lines	Compliant fences may stand on side and rear property lines. Public rights-of-way, recorded easements, drainage, front-building-line restrictions and sight areas constrain placement.
Common fence materials	Wood: treated lumber and specified supports required. Vinyl/PVC: vinyl expressly recognized, with masonry-column requirements; prohibited in multifamily areas. Chain-link: allowed on single-family lots, but prohibited for new pool-yard enclosures constructed after January 1, 1994.
Important local conditions	Fence rules may be further affected by corner or key lots, planned-development conditions, designated historic properties, pool enclosures, floodplain development, drainage and utility easements, agricultural operations and animal enclosures.
Official local resource	City of Anna applications and permit resources

The table above is for quick reference. The corresponding sections below explain the additional fence-rule details. 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 City of Anna Building Department or the responsible office identified for the issue.

GOVERNANCE

Anna is an incorporated home-rule city with council-manager government. The City Council adopts municipal regulations. Article 9.04 of the Anna Zoning Ordinance, amended by Ordinance 1233-2026-09 on September 22, 2026, contains the general fence, yard and visibility standards. Property-specific planned-development ordinances may establish different conditions.

The Building Department / Development Services Department administers fence applications and inspections. Planning & Development administers zoning and development review. The City Engineer addresses drainage and public-easement conditions; Code Enforcement addresses deteriorated fences and property maintenance. The Historic Preservation Officer and Historic Preservation Commission administer applicable historic review. The City Manager or designee serves as Floodplain Administrator.

Anna has adopted the 2021 International Residential Code and 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, with North Central Texas Council of Governments amendments, through Ordinance 1087-2023-11. The City’s effective-code announcement identifies February 1, 2024. Its separate Property Maintenance Code also regulates existing fences and private pool enclosures.

This guide concerns municipal property inside Anna’s corporate limits. Subdivision and plat authority in an extraterritorial jurisdiction is a separate function governed by applicable state law and interlocal arrangements; the municipal fence dimensions below describe the City’s zoning framework.

• Residential property with an agricultural operation: Agriculture Code Chapter 251 limits municipal requirements on qualifying agricultural operations. Within corporate limits, Section 251.0055 requires clear and convincing evidence of a listed imminent danger, necessity that cannot be addressed through less restrictive means, and a public-health finding by Council resolution based on a health-officer or consultant report. Actual agricultural-operation status and the particular requirement control. Agricultural zoning or acreage alone is not a blanket fence exemption. Section 251.006 protects qualifying agricultural improvements, including animal-restraining fences, subject to express statutory prohibitions and qualifying governmental requirements in effect when constructed; state and federal statutes remain enforceable.

PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

A residential fence permit is required. Submit the City’s fence application with a site or plot plan showing the proposed fence in relation to the property lines. The application records the height, materials, linear footage, interior or corner-lot location, and owner/contractor information. Its sketch must dimension the house, driveway, streets and existing and proposed fences in feet; proposed new fencing is marked with Xs. Request an inspection when construction is complete.

The Applications page accepts emailed applications and requires payment within 48 hours for a complete submission. The published Building Department fee schedule lists $100 for new fences and a separate $60 miscellaneous application fee in addition to the applicable permit fee. The charges applicable to the application determine the total. The schedule lists $100 annual contractor registration and requires registration before construction permits are issued.

• Construction hours and scheduled inspections: Construction may begin no earlier than 7 a.m. on weekdays or 8 a.m. on Saturday; work after dark requires City permission, and Sunday work requires special permission. Where after-hours City inspection services are required, the published charge is $100 per hour, with a four-hour minimum and eight-hour maximum, paid by noon three days in advance.

• Thin masonry walls: Plans for a wall 6 inches or less in width must be sealed by a professional engineer and approved by the City. The material and support requirements appear below.

• Existing nonconforming features and replacement: Section 9.04.061 addresses lawfully established site features that no longer comply. Division 4 supplies section-specific compliance requirements. The Planning and Zoning Commission may approve a site plan for proposed additions, repairs or alterations when compliance is not reasonably possible, there is no significant adverse effect, and needed alternative site measures are provided. Mere financial hardship does not satisfy the not-reasonably-possible criterion. Replacement and repair remain subject to the applicable fence and maintenance provisions.

• Designated historic properties and districts: Article 9.06 requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for covered exterior or structural work on a designated historic landmark or contributing district resource, and for new construction within a historic district. Material changes to fences visible from public rights-of-way that affect appearance and compatibility are included. The certificate precedes any required building permit and is an additional approval. Ordinance 1231-2026-09 establishes the program; designation of an individual property or district requires a separate designation proceeding.

• Historic maintenance and emergency stabilization: Maintenance and minor in-kind repairs or replacements of exterior architectural features do not require a certificate when performed in accordance with City historic standards. If unexpected damage threatens further deterioration, the Historic Preservation Officer may authorize temporary stabilization; the owner must apply for a certificate within 7 days after completion of the emergency measures. Those measures may not permanently alter architectural features.

• Historic application and decision process: Submit a work description, property and adjacent-property photographs, elevation drawings if available, and applicable material lists and samples. The Historic Preservation Officer gives administrative decision notice within 14 days of receipt and notifies the Commission at least one day before issuing an approved certificate. Commission cases are scheduled for the next regular meeting following submission; the Commission rules within 45 days after the hearing. If neither office has acted within 90 days of original receipt, the certificate is issued; other required permits still apply.

• Historic appeals, expiration and compliance: An applicant may appeal an Officer decision to the Commission within 30 days of notice, and a Commission decision to Council within 30 days after notification. A certificate expires if work has not commenced within one year; extensions requested before expiration may total no more than one additional year. Approved work must match the certificate and its conditions. Work without a required certificate or outside its approval is subject to a stop-work order.

• Development in special flood hazard areas: Article 4.12 requires a floodplain development permit for covered development and compliance before land or structures are located, altered or changed in use. Development includes man-made changes such as filling, grading, excavation and drilling in the article’s regulated area. The Floodplain Administrator reviews the project and required plans. Appeals of a development-permit denial go to the Planning and Zoning Commission, then to a court of competent jurisdiction; the Administrator keeps appeal records. Council remains the appeals board referenced by the article’s separate variance provisions.

FENCE PLACEMENT RULES

• Side and rear property lines: Sections 9.04.041(e)(2)(C) and (3)(B) allow fences complying with Section 9.04.046(d) on side and rear property lines. A fence may also be slightly inside the owner’s line. The legal boundary is separate from a building setback, easement or public right-of-way; an existing fence, GIS line, curb or mowing line is not conclusive boundary evidence. Permit approval does not settle ownership or a boundary dispute.

• Yards and frontages: The front yard runs across the lot from the primary building’s front line to the front property line. An approved plat’s building line controls the required front yard where it differs from the zoning prescription. On a corner lot, the primary-entrance street is the front; perpendicular streets create corner side yards. Side yards extend between the primary building and side line from front to rear; the rear yard lies between the rear building line, rear property line and side lines.

• Fences forward of the front building line: Section 9.04.046(c)(4)(L) prohibits a fence or screen beyond the front building line of a permitted building in a residential district, on an interior or corner lot, unless allowed through a Board of Adjustment variance. Section (b) generally excludes residential development unless specified, while subsection (d) separately regulates front-yard fences. These overlapping provisions leave the treatment of a proposed front-yard fence uncertain; the Building Department and Planning & Development must address the applicable frontage and approval.

• Public rights-of-way: Fences are prohibited in the required public right-of-way. The legal right-of-way can extend beyond visible pavement or a curb. Article 10.03 separately regulates authorized facilities and construction within public rights-of-way; an ordinary fence permit does not authorize occupying that public corridor.

• Public and utility easements shown on a plat: Anna’s standard dedication prohibits improvements across shown easements except permitted landscape work in a landscape easement or a City-approved fence. The City and utilities retain lawful access and the right to remove interfering fencing. The actual dedication and recorded easement determine the affected area.

• Recorded hike-and-bike trail easements: The standard trail dedication prohibits buildings, fences, trees and other improvements over or across the trail easement and reserves removal and access rights. These restrictions follow the easement shown on the property’s recorded instrument.

• Drainage and detention easements: The standard drainage dedication requires the easement to remain open and in a safe and sanitary condition, maintained by the traversed or adjacent owners. A fence, building or other structure may not obstruct natural storm runoff without City Engineer approval. Debris, silt and other substances must not obstruct flow; City inspection and facility-access rights remain. The Property Maintenance Code also requires premises to be graded and maintained against erosion and stagnant-water accumulation, except approved retention areas and reservoirs.

• Natural surface water: Water Code Section 11.086 prohibits diverting or impounding natural surface water, or allowing it to continue, in a way that damages another’s property by overflow, subject to the statute’s qualifications. Fence foundations, walls and changes to drainage must respect that restriction.

• Floodplain and watercourse development: Under Section 4.12.005, development of a drainage course within 100 feet of the top of a high bank, or identified within the 100-year floodplain on a Flood Insurance Rate Map, requires a detailed study. If the drainage area is 160 acres or greater, the ultimate floodplain as well as the FEMA 100-year floodplain must be established. The Administrator may require additional technical information; floodplain areas are platted and dedicated as privately maintained public easements. Where no regulatory floodway is designated, covered development must demonstrate that its cumulative effect with existing and anticipated development will not increase the base-flood water surface more than one foot at any point in the City. The article separately requires federal conditional approval for the stated greater-rise or established-floodway encroachment conditions.

• Private pool and equipment location: The private accessory pool itself must be at least 4 feet from any property line under Section 9.04.038(e)(8). Pool-equipment screening may not attach to the common fence separating adjoining properties, and equipment may not occupy a drainage swale or designated drainage flow area.

• Jointly owned dividing fences and attached fences: Agriculture Code Section 143.121 prohibits removing a separating or dividing fence in which the person is a joint owner, or a fence attached to one another person owns or controls, without mutual consent or the subchapter’s process. Section 143.122 allows a person owning an interest in an attached fence to withdraw that fence physically from the other fence after six months’ written notice of intended separation to the other fence’s owner, agent, attorney or lessee. Under Section 143.123, an owner whose fence is wholly on their land may require an attached fence’s disconnection after six months’ written notice to the attached fence’s owner, agent, attorney or lessee. These provisions depend on ownership and attachment; they do not allocate every neighbor’s fence cost.

• Construction affecting a pipeline easement: Health and Safety Code Sections 756.121–.123 govern covered building, repair, replacement or maintenance on, across, over or under a pipeline easement or right-of-way, or construction physically affecting pipeline risk. Notice to the operator and the applicable no-increased-risk determination or payment for necessary protective changes precede covered work. Existing written agreements and the statute’s specified exceptions have separate treatment. The statute establishes no universal fence setback from every pipeline.

• Excavation law and pipeline-ticket duties: Utilities Code Chapter 251 covers the defined use of explosives or powered or mechanized equipment, including an auger, disturbing soil 16 inches or more. Ordinary notice is no earlier than the 14th day before work and no later than the 48th hour before work, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. For notice given on Saturday before 11:59 a.m., the statute allows commencement at 11:59 a.m. the following Tuesday, or Wednesday if Monday is a legal holiday. Facility and activity exceptions apply; private service lines and every water or sewer facility are not necessarily marked. Railroad Commission pipeline rules separately exclude movement not exceeding 16 inches and can cover deeper manual post digging. Their default ticket life is 14 working days, subject to a signed, dated longer agreement; refresh unfinished work for the remaining area and retain required ticket and response records for at least four years. Missing or inconsistent pipeline responses require the applicable second-notice process.

• Texas811 before post digging: Request a locate through Texas811’s call-before-you-dig resources before digging, wait the applicable lawful period and follow the ticket’s start instructions. Check ticket responses and actual site markings; resolve missing or conflicting information through the current ticket process. Protect markings and excavate carefully. Arrange identification of private lines outside the notification system. Locate requests do not supply a permit, property permission, easement consent or separate pipeline-construction clearance.

FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES

• General design height and required front yards: Section 9.04.046(d)(3)(A) states a 6-foot minimum and 8-foot maximum measured from average lot grade. Section (d)(1)(B), however, limits fences in a required front yard in any residential district to 3 feet. The same ordinance contains both provisions, together with the front-building-line restriction described above. It does not supply a clear exception reconciling the minimum with the lower front-yard cap. A front-yard design therefore requires a site-specific City determination.

• Solid fences in required front yards: Solid fencing is prohibited in the required front yard except in the Mixed-Density Residential (MD) and Multifamily Residential (MF) districts. In those instances, a 20-foot minimum setback from right-of-way frontage applies. The separate residential front-yard height cap and front-building-line provisions also remain part of the ordinance.

• Corner lots with opposing rear lot lines: In residential districts, a fence may be no more than 96 inches high along the side and rear yard lines in the opposing-rear-line configuration shown in Figure 10.

• Corner lots facing another lot’s side across an alley: Where the rear line opposes a side lot line across an alley, a fence may not exceed 30 inches in the street-side yard at a distance from the side building line greater than the minimum side-yard requirement. Figure 11 identifies the affected area.

• Corner key lots: A key corner lot has a front building line on both streets unless separated from other lots by a dedicated street or alley. Where its lot lines oppose an adjoining side lot line, fences between the front building lines and the abutting side-yard line may not exceed 30 inches, as shown in Figure 12.

• Intersection sight-area height: Section 9.04.041(f) prohibits fences, walls, screens, signs, structures, foliage and other obstructions between 2.5 feet and 9 feet above average street grade inside the intersection visibility triangle. The section applies to new development and proposed expansions into the triangle; it lists exclusions for government traffic controls and public utilities, existing screening or fencing requirements, and existing or future City, state or federal regulations.

• Near-right-angle intersections with curbs: At arterial and collector intersections, measure 45 feet along each curbline from the curb intersection and join the endpoints to form the triangle. At local-street intersections, use 30 feet along each curbline.

• Intersections without curbs: The operative prose uses property-line intersections: 25 feet for arterials and collectors and 10 feet for local streets, with the endpoints joined. Figure 6 has a conflicting label: its local-street label A says “10 feet from curb intersection point,” while label C says “25 feet from property line intersection point.” The prose and local-street diagram label differ on the measurement origin; confirm the applicable geometry with Planning & Development. For intersections not at or near a right angle, the Director may increase minimum sight distances for pedestrian and vehicle safety.

• Fence-handout visibility clips: The City’s fence handout describes tapering fences at a corner or alley visibility clip, 15–20 feet back on each side depending on location. The zoning ordinance separately supplies the detailed intersection and corner-lot measurements above; the handout’s clip range is not a single measurement for every site.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS

• Wood fencing: The construction standard specifies treated lumber attached with galvanized screws to 2⅜-inch-diameter galvanized poles, installed in 8-inch-diameter holes at least 2½ feet deep with 2 feet of premixed concrete. All posts must have caps.

• Brick, stone, masonry and vinyl/PVC: The ordinance expressly names brick, stone, masonry and vinyl, or a combination, with masonry columns every 8 feet. Columns must be at least 18 inches wide and extend the fence’s full vertical length. Vinyl cannot be used in multifamily areas. PVC is not separately named; the published vinyl category and applicable design requirements govern a proposed vinyl/PVC product.

• Thin masonry walls: A wall 6 inches or less in width must use brick, stone or other approved masonry units, supported by angle iron with masonry columns on piers. Professionally sealed plans and City approval are required.

• Wrought iron: Minimum components are 2 × 2 × 3/16-inch square steel-tube posts with a cast-iron C-1 pyramid finial secured by stainless-steel set screws; posts no more than 8 feet apart; ⅝-inch solid square pickets spaced 3–10 inches apart; and a ¾ × ¾ × ⅛-inch channel horizontal rail near the upper half. Where the fence is a pool barrier, the applicable opening limits also govern its arrangement.

• Chain-link and perimeter gates: Chain-link is allowed only on single-family residential lots and industrial sites. Each fenced enclosure must have at least one perimeter gate. A new private pool-yard enclosure constructed after January 1, 1994 is subject to the separate chain-link prohibition below.

• Residential security materials and agricultural use: In residential areas, barbed wire, razor wire, electrified fencing and other hazardous materials are prohibited. Section 9.04.046(d)(4)(A) separately permits barbed wire used with permitted agricultural and related activities. Electric-current fencing is prohibited except for uses in an agricultural zoning district or a correctional facility. For a residence associated with agricultural acreage, the actual use, district and residential-area restrictions determine the applicable treatment.

• Condition, finish and maintenance: Fences must remain compliant. The Director may order repair or removal when a fence is more than 5 percent damaged or leans 10 degrees from vertical; repairs must comply with the section. The City’s Property Maintenance Code requirements also require structurally sound fences and walls. Exterior wood other than decay-resistant wood needs paint, protective covering or treatment; peeling, flaking and chipped paint must be eliminated and surfaces repainted. Corrosion-prone metal must be stabilized and coated; surfaces designed to stabilize by oxidation are excepted. Graffiti removal and the City’s statutory notice/removal procedures also apply.

• Finished side, style and signs: The fence handout states that a smooth-side/post-side orientation and stain, style or features are not Building Code requirements enforced by the City. The separate maintenance and designated-historic-property standards still apply. Section 9.05.010(7) prohibits painting a sign on, or attaching one to, a fence or railing exterior viewable from public right-of-way, subject to the sign article’s applicable provisions.

• Fence review on designated historic properties: The Article 9.06 review table permits Historic Preservation Officer review when the fence material is not “louvered, basket weave, chain-link, masonry stockade, split-rail, shadow-box, or board-and-batten in style,” and the Officer finds the picket spacing, post, picket-top, post-cap and hardware style and finish appropriate. All other fence requests go to the Historic Preservation Commission. The Officer’s criteria also require compatibility with historic guidelines, zoning and building requirements, protection of character-defining features, and appropriate location, size, materials, style and design; an application may be referred to the Commission.

• Retaining walls within applicable development engineering standards: Section 7.5 of the Engineering Design Standards calls for retaining walls or concrete slope protection where a lot slope exceeds 3:1. Retaining walls must be stone, masonry or reinforced concrete; railroad ties are prohibited. Walls 4 feet and higher require design and inspection by a Texas professional engineer and an engineering report to the City. Gabion walls below 4 feet along drainageways require City Engineer approval. General construction notes separately use “greater than 4 feet” for engineered design and prohibit wall or footing encroachment on City right-of-way, public easements or utilities without City consent. These are development engineering and retaining-wall conditions; the ordinary fence standards above remain separate.

• Livestock and domestic-fowl enclosures: Where livestock or fowl are lawfully kept, the enclosure must prevent escape; posts must not sway more than 6 inches when tested by Animal Control. A livestock gate must be hinged to a solid wall or post, close to another wall or post without escape openings, and have a latch or chain that keeps it closed on the officer’s test. Livestock or domestic-fowl quarters generally must be 100 feet from other human quarters and 20 feet from the harborer’s quarters, measured in a straight line in any direction; grazing or roaming within 100 feet of neighboring human occupancy is restricted, with the separate chicken provisions below.

• Residential chicken enclosures: Chicken enclosures may not occupy the front yard and must be at least 10 feet from a habitable structure and from side and rear property lines. Lots under 2 acres require a 6-foot minimum screening fence at the property line. The code limits an enclosure to 12 chickens; a lot under one acre may have one enclosure. On lots of at least one acre, the total limit is 12 chickens or one per ⅛ acre, whichever is greater. Roosters are prohibited on residential lots under two acres.

• Animal restraint and dangerous dogs: Animals may not roam at large. On-premises confinement must be strong enough to restrain the animal behind the owner’s front building line, or meet the applicable secure-enclosure provisions. A dangerous dog must remain on a leash under immediate control or in a primary or secure enclosure; a secure enclosure is locked, prevents public entry and escape, is clearly marked for the dangerous animal, and meets Animal Control requirements. Agriculture Code Section 251.0055(e) separately exempts a livestock-protection dog from a municipal agricultural-operation restraint requirement while it is protecting livestock on property controlled by the owner.

• Private pools, spas and hot tubs: Anna applies the adopted 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code and regional amendments alongside local Property Maintenance Code Section 4.04.054. The latter defines a pool as a permanent swimming, wading or reflection pool, hot tub or spa over 18 inches deep, whether indoors or above or below ground. It expressly regulates every private pool, hot tub and spa. The local enclosure and direct-door/window restrictions below remain requirements alongside model-code alternatives.

• Private pool enclosure geometry: The local enclosure must be at least 48 inches high measured from outside ground. A 4-inch sphere may not pass underneath. Where horizontal-member tops are at least 45 inches apart, openings exclude a 4-inch sphere; with tops less than 45 inches apart, openings exclude a 1¾-inch sphere. Decorative cutouts may not exceed 1¾ inches in any direction. Solid surfaces may have only normal construction tolerances and tooled masonry joints, and equipment or structures must not provide a ready climbing route.

• Pool enclosures constructed after January 1, 1994: Local Section 4.04.054(f) prohibits chain-link entirely for a new pool-yard enclosure constructed after that date and prohibits diagonal fencing members lower than 49 inches above ground. The general single-family-lot chain-link allowance remains a separate yard-fence provision.

• Adopted pool-barrier height, clearance and construction fencing: Section 305 requires a barrier top at least 48 inches above outside grade, maintained around the entire perimeter and for 3 feet horizontally outside. Bottom clearance is no more than 2 inches over nonsolid grade or 4 inches over a solid surface; a barrier mounted on a pool wall may have no more than a 4-inch gap. Openings exclude a 4-inch sphere; solid barriers have no climbable handholds or footholds except normal tolerances or tooled masonry joints. Equipment outside the barrier on the same lot must be at least 36 inches away. In-ground pool construction requires a fence at least 4 feet high from excavation until the permanent barrier is complete.

• Adopted pool-barrier member spacing: Where horizontal-member tops are less than 45 inches apart, horizontal members go on the pool side and vertical openings and cutouts may not exceed 1¾ inches. Where the tops are at least 45 inches apart, vertical openings may not exceed 4 inches, with cutouts no more than 1¾ inches. Model chain-link openings are limited to 1¾ inches, or secured top-and-bottom slats reducing openings to that size; Anna’s post-1994 new-enclosure prohibition still applies. Model diagonal openings are limited to 1¾ inches and an angle no greater than 45 degrees from vertical, alongside the local restriction on low diagonal members.

• Mesh pool barriers: Install mesh barriers to manufacturer instructions. The bottom must be no more than 1 inch above the surface; mesh may not lift more than 4 inches or permit a 4-inch sphere underneath. Section attachments must be at least 45 inches above grade or use an equivalent secure device. Deck sleeves must be nonconductive. Mesh barriers may not be installed on top of an onground pool wall; the inside of a mesh fence must be at least 20 inches from the nearest water edge. Hinged gates must meet Section 305.3.

• Pool gates and latches: Access gates accommodate a lock. Pedestrian gates swing away from the pool and self-close and self-latch; service gates stay locked when unused. Multiple-leaf gates require one leaf secured in place and the adjacent leaf self-latching. For residential non-self-locking gates, an exterior-access release is at least 54 inches high; self-locking residential controls and releases are no more than 54 inches high. A sole pool-side release is at least 3 inches below the top, and openings within 18 inches of an inside release may not exceed ½ inch.

• Local direct-door conditions by construction date: A door, sliding glass door or French door may not open directly into a pool yard if initial electrical service for construction of the building or pool was on or after January 1, 1994. For earlier service dates, a conventional door needs an automatically engaging latch, automatic closer or similar device, and a keyless bolting device 36–48 inches above the interior floor. For French doors, one leaf has an automatically engaging latch; the other has a keyed deadbolt or keyless bolting device into the upper doorjamb and a keyless bolting device into the floor or threshold, or top-and-bottom edge-operated bolts with at least a ¾-inch throw. A sliding door needs a handle latch or security bar and a pin lock, each no more than 48 inches above the floor.

• Local door-device exceptions and windows: A door opening from a nonresident-use area with no access outside the pool yard is excepted from the stated locking-device requirement. Devices installed before September 1, 1993 may be no more than 54 inches above the floor; a keyed or keyless deadbolt installed in a dwelling on or after that date needs a throw of at least one inch. A pre-January 1, 1994 building wall used as an enclosure needs latched windows and screens affixed by latches, screws or similar means; installation of screens is not itself required. For buildings constructed on or after that date, ground-floor windows in an enclosure wall must be permanently closed and unable to open.

• Adopted cover and structure-wall options: For one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses, the regional amendment recognizes qualifying ASTM F1346 lockable spa/hot-tub covers or powered pool covers as an exception to model Sections 305.2–305.7. The adopted structure-wall options include UL 2017 alarms for opening doors, gates and windows with sills below 48 inches; alarm deactivation at least 54 inches high, or 48–54 inches for accessible or Type A/Type B arrangements and the specified nondwelling case; a listed and labeled ASTM F1346 safety cover; or approved equivalent protection such as self-closing, self-latching doors. Anna’s separate local enclosure and construction-date door/window requirements continue to apply. The City requires a signed, notarized pool-protection affidavit for final approval; its alarm option specifies a 30-second continuous alarm, automatic reset, a single-opening bypass no longer than 15 seconds, and a switch at least 54 inches high.

• Onground pools and natural barriers: A manufacturer-approved onground wall may form the model barrier where grade-to-top height is at least 48 inches all around and Section 305.2 is met; a combined wall and mounted barrier must also reach that height and follow manufacturer instructions. Secure, lock or remove access ladders unless within a compliant enclosure; any resulting opening must exclude a 4-inch sphere. For qualifying one-/two-family or townhouse property with no public shoreline access, the regional natural-water-edge alternative extends barriers at least 18 inches beyond the edge. Approved natural topography must prevent direct pool access and provide equivalent protection to Sections 305.2–305.5. Separate local enclosure duties remain applicable.

• Pool enclosure maintenance and classification: Private pools, spas and hot tubs must remain clean, sanitary and in good repair. Damaged or hazardous enclosures are subject to City repair, securing or owner-correction procedures with the applicable notice and hearing protections. A private pool for the owner, family and guests is classified separately from the zoning recreation use available to the general public for a fee. Association, multiunit and public pools have their own safety regimes.

PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS

Recorded covenants, homeowner-association architectural rules, private easements, conservation restrictions and maintenance or cost agreements may impose independent requirements within Texas law. City approval does not determine title, fence ownership or the allocation of a neighbor’s costs. The City fence handout requests an HOA, architectural-review or development-agreement approval letter where applicable to assist processing, but states that the City does not adopt or approve HOA/architectural guidelines.

• HOA perimeter-security restrictions: Property Code Section 202.023, as amended effective September 1, 2025, generally protects security measures including perimeter fences. It excludes condominiums under Chapters 81 and 82 and master mixed-use associations under Chapter 215. An association may regulate fence type and prohibit fencing that obstructs a license area, public or community sidewalk, or drainage easement or area. It may require a driveway gate at least 10 feet from right-of-way where the driveway meets a laned roadway, and, if a restrictive covenant provides, prohibit fencing in front of the dwelling’s front-most building line.

• Existing fencing and enhanced-security exceptions: Notwithstanding those retained controls, Section 202.023(d) protects maintenance of perimeter or front-building-line fencing installed or constructed before September 1, 2025. Section (e) prevents the front-building-line prohibition where the residential address is legally exempt from disclosure or the owner supplies law-enforcement documentation of a need for enhanced security. The statutory protection concerns its stated maintenance and installation circumstances; public fence, drainage and safety requirements remain applicable.

• HOA limits on defined pool enclosures: Section 202.022 protects a nonclimbable water-feature enclosure made of transparent mesh or clear panels in metal frames, no more than 6 feet high, that conforms to applicable state or local safety requirements. An association may regulate appearance and colors but may not prohibit a black transparent-mesh enclosure in metal frames. This protection applies to that defined enclosure and its safety-law compliance.

REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT

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

• City approvals: Fence applications, dimensioned placement and construction plans, completion inspections, and any applicable historic certificate or floodplain development approval.

• Height, placement and materials: Front-yard provisions, corner-lot configurations, intersection visibility, right-of-way and easement encroachments, prescribed construction and deteriorated fencing.

• Special conditions: Drainage and floodplain effects, pool enclosure and access-device compliance, lawful animal containment, agricultural-operation protections and statutory joint or attached-fence removal.

Private association review, recorded agreements and boundary or cost disputes remain separate from municipal code administration. Controlling adopted regulations and applicable state law govern each issue.

USING THIS INFORMATION

This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within the City of Anna, 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 City of Anna Building 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.