FENCE RULES – SOUTHLAKE (CITY), TEXAS

OVERVIEW

This guide covers residential fences within the corporate boundaries of the City of Southlake, Texas, in Tarrant and Denton counties.

Southlake combines zoning standards with fence permits, pool-barrier rules and property-specific development conditions. Its zoning ordinance has an eight-foot general fence baseline, while the City’s current guide describes a taller rear-yard option subject to location and variance requirements. Wood and synthetic materials are recognized; chain-link permission depends on the zoning district. Corner visibility, subdivision perimeter screens, major-road frontage and drainage easements can change where and how a fence is built. Rural Conservation and Transition districts have additional qualifications. Agricultural fences and animal enclosures have their own conditions. Updated November 2026.

Quick question	Southlake answer
Permit or approval	Permits apply to fences over seven feet and specified masonry, pool-barrier, front-yard, subdivision and floodplain projects. Other site approvals can also apply.
Typical fence height	Section 39 states an eight-foot baseline. The City guide describes up to 14 feet in a rear yard at least ten feet inside the property line before a variance; confirm the applicable taller-fence approval with the City.
Placement & property lines	Section 39 permits fences at required-yard edges, subject to visibility, easements, drainage, frontage and development conditions.
Common fence materials	Wood: recognized. Vinyl/PVC: recognized subject to quality and applicable design standards. Chain-link: restricted to listed districts and other applicable conditions.
Important local conditions	Fence rules may be further affected by corner visibility, subdivision screens, corridor frontage, Rural Conservation Subdivision (RCS) or Transition Zoning District (TZD) development plans, pools, protected trees, drainage and floodplain conditions, and agricultural or animal-containment uses.
Official local resource	Southlake Fence and Pool Barrier Guidelines

The table above is for quick reference; the corresponding sections below explain 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 Planning & Development Services, Building Inspections or the responsible office identified below.

GOVERNANCE

Southlake is a home-rule city. The City Council adopts the zoning, subdivision and construction regulations. The City’s ordinance directory provides access to Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance No. 480, Subdivision Ordinance No. 483 and related regulations. Planning & Development Services administers zoning and development requirements; Building Inspections administers building permits and the adopted residential and pool codes.

Public Works Administration & Engineering handles drainage and related development review. The City Engineer is the floodplain administrator. Tree-preservation decisions are assigned to the Administrative Official designated under the tree ordinance. Erosion and sediment controls are administered jointly through Public Works and Planning & Development Services.

Southlake adopted the 2021 International Residential Code and 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code with local amendments, effective May 1, 2022. The private-pool provisions below concern single-family household pools and spas used by the family and invited guests. Public, shared and association pools have separate use classifications and requirements.

PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

Fence permits. City instructions require residential fence permits for fences over seven feet and for specified masonry fences or fence/gate columns, pool barriers, front-yard fences, subdivision fences and floodplain fences. Apply through the online permitting route on the City’s Construction Information page. The locally amended residential code exempts fences not over seven feet nominal from its building-permit requirement, except masonry fences or support columns; zoning and other applicable approvals still apply.

Masonry, columns and retaining walls. The fence guide requires a sealed engineered design for retaining walls, masonry fences or columns measuring 48 inches or more from the bottom of the footing. For the guide’s over-four-foot footing work, the engineer’s field-compliance letter must be uploaded before scheduling the City foundation inspection or placing concrete. The City inspection precedes the pour. A Miscellaneous Fence Final inspection checks permitted fences, retaining walls and pool barriers against the approved documents.

Pool projects. A barrier or fence can be included in the pool permit when identified on the application and shown on the plans; otherwise it requires a separate permit. Pool plans show the barrier, combined improvements, construction access and drainage/grading. The permanent barrier must be approved before plastering and in place before filling, with any applicable adopted-code alternative addressed in the approval. Upload the required direct-access protection certification and request the preplaster inspection at least 48 hours ahead.

For applicable pool and accessory projects, the general contractor must be currently registered with the City before application. The published registration fee is $100; state-license holders are not charged a registration fee. Adding fencing, lighting or a permanent goal to a multipurpose sport court requires the separate court permit.

Other site approvals. Fences in a special flood hazard area require floodplain development review. Excavation or a change in grade can also require an earth-disturbance permit; the local code includes an exception for isolated, self-contained grading that creates no danger to the public and no adverse effect on adjoining property. Where an earth-disturbance permit applies, submittals include the plot or plat, soil/excavation locations, tree protection, drainage direction and engineered grading information, erosion controls and Public Works stormwater-plan acceptance. Required protections are installed and inspected before release or site work. Where a development or site plan is independently required, show fence and wall locations, types and heights.

Tree permits and exemptions. Altering a protected tree ordinarily requires a tree or multiple-tree-clearing permit. A protected tree has a diameter at breast height of at least six inches, measured 4½ feet above ground; for multiple trunks, add the largest trunk diameter and half the diameter of each additional trunk. The tree ordinance expressly exempts:

• Residential trees: trees under ten inches in diameter at breast height on residential property where the dwelling is the person’s residence. A separate exemption covers non-street trees on qualifying owner-occupied residential lots shown on development applications or plans submitted after the article’s effective date, except designated tree-preservation areas and trees protected on an approved post-effective tree-conservation plan. The listed districts include SF20, SF30, SF1, RE and residential-only portions of transition, rural conservation, planned-unit, employment-center and Downtown districts. Earlier applications remain under Ordinance 585-B unless expired, abandoned or significantly altered.

• AG residential acreage: trees on AG-zoned property actively used for agriculture or as a residence, within a 150-foot radius of the principal structure or the owner’s residence.

• Urgent conditions: immediate alteration necessary for public health, welfare or safety; natural-disaster disruption of a public utility, limited to the portion reasonably needed to restore service.

On actively agricultural AG-zoned property, an owner-requested permit for no more than seven protected trees per calendar year must be issued, and those covered trees are exempt from replacement and protection requirements. More than seven requires the applicable tree or multiple-clearing permit and ordinance compliance. Council may approve multiple clearing for a legitimate agricultural use; if the land ceases that use within five years, replacement duties apply, including the transfer and approved payment alternatives. Apply in writing with the affected-tree survey/diagram, tree count, sizes and locations, reasons and fee; administrative and Planning & Zoning Commission recommendations precede Council’s determination.

For a tree permit unrelated to development, provide the property use and zoning, owner/applicant contacts, reasons and legal basis, amount of disturbance, methods, equipment, dates and a legible diagram showing structures, property lines, rights-of-way, easements, utilities and affected tree names, sizes and locations. Approval grounds include necessary utility work, qualified selective thinning, the AG allowance, disease or hazard, structural risk, legal requirements, vermin risk or a Fire Marshal determination of fire risk. Plan-protected trees or requests outside the administrative criteria may be referred to Council. A standalone tree permit expires after 180 days; one associated with another permit or plan lasts for that approval’s period.

FENCE PLACEMENT RULES

Yard edges and boundaries. Section 39 allows fences, walls and hedges in required yards and along yard edges, subject to its other restrictions. A property line, street right-of-way, building setback and easement can occupy different locations. A fence approval does not determine ownership of the land or fence. Recorded surveys, plats, easement terms and approved development plans remain important to the location.

The subdivision ordinance’s utility-easement definition excludes permanent structures other than fences. Fence placement remains subject to the actual easement grant, utility access, required approvals and excavation protection. A drainage easement may not contain a permanent structure, fence or other obstacle that hinders safe stormwater transfer.

Utilities Code Chapter 251 covers its defined excavation using explosives or powered/mechanized equipment, including augers, to disturb soil 16 inches or more. Ordinary notice is given no earlier than the 14th day before work and no later than 48 hours before it, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. Its Saturday-notice provision allows notice before 11:59 a.m. Saturday for commencement at 11:59 a.m. Tuesday, or Wednesday when Monday is a holiday. Statutory exceptions have their own conditions.

Railroad Commission pipeline-damage rules are separate and can reach manual earth movement more than 16 inches deep. Their default ticket life is 14 working days; refresh unfinished work before expiration unless the applicable longer-period signed and dated written agreement applies. Retain the required excavation records for at least four years. Southlake also requires one-call and appropriate utility-coordinating-system notification before powered or hand-tool digging that may damage a pipeline. Physical pipeline contact must be reported to the operator for inspection and repair of pipeline or coating damage.

For homeowner fence construction, repair, replacement or maintenance on, across, over or under a pipeline easement or right-of-way, Health & Safety Code Chapter 756 provides for operator notice and the applicable route: an operator determination of no increased risk; payment before work of reasonable, necessary, documented protective-work costs when risk increases; or work under an existing written agreement. Contrary written agreements can also affect the subchapter’s applicability.

Drainage and roadside flow. Texas Water Code 11.086 prohibits diversion or impoundment of natural surface water that damages another’s property by overflow, subject to its qualifications. Fence foundations, walls, grading and stored materials must also comply with Southlake’s drainage and easement rules. Work changing water flow across the lot or adjoining property can require Public Works review.

Owners routinely maintain natural drainageways and unimproved drainage easements on their property, including debris removal and positive stormwater flow; the duty excludes maintenance requiring specialized or heavy equipment. The City maintains surface structures within drainage easements, while owners maintain unimproved portions. Owners ordinarily maintain roadside bar ditches and culverts and replace failed culverts that may impede flow. Applicable agricultural-operation limits on adjacent-road maintenance are addressed below.

Floodplain and floodway. Obtain the development permit before development in a special flood hazard area. “Development” includes manmade changes such as grading, excavation, fill, paving and equipment or material storage. Scaled plans in duplicate show proposed alterations and existing/proposed structures in relation to the flood hazard area. The City Engineer reviews flood and erosion effects, flow, swept materials, access and other applicable site factors.

In a designated regulatory floodway, encroachments require hydrologic/hydraulic engineering analysis demonstrating no increase in base-flood elevation. In Zones A1–30 or AE without a designated floodway, cumulative existing and anticipated development must not raise the base-flood water surface more than one foot at any point in the community. The ordinance allows a conditioned increase only after the community completes the applicable federal 44 CFR 65.12 process. Council’s floodway variance route does not allow an increase in base-flood levels.

Drainage modifications for exceptional site hardship require Council action protecting the public interest and the ordinance’s intent; they do not authorize inherently unsuitable development. More stringent lawful overlapping floodplain restrictions and easement terms remain applicable.

Protected tree roots. A critical root zone is the circle centered on the trunk extending to the outermost drip line. The drip line uses the greater area of the canopy projection or a circle with radius half the tree’s height. Regulated alteration includes root damage, compaction, trenching, harmful changes to grade or drainage, lethal chemicals and impermeable cover. A protected tree is considered altered when more than 25% of its critical root zone is adversely affected, more than 25% of its canopy is removed, or disfigurement makes survival unreasonable to expect. The permit exemptions above qualify these rules.

For regulated protected trees, keep construction/waste materials and equipment-cleaning liquids out of the critical root zone; do not attach nonprotective signs, wires or other attachments to the tree. Traffic and parking restrictions have stated pad/grading-access, routine utility, emergency and mowing exceptions. Grade changes require advance written approval and protective methods; impervious paving in the regulated root zone is prohibited except as allowed by the article. Heavy equipment inside the drip line requires prior written administrative approval. Trenching across the root zone requires written approval or an applicable exemption, and the tree permit and protective plans where required.

Temporary construction access across another property requires the owner’s access/construction permission, route information and applicable tree/erosion protections. The City checklist calls for tree protections within 40 feet of the access route or as approved. Separately, the tree ordinance restricts owner-permitted access or an access/construction easement intersecting or within ten feet of a protected tree’s critical root zone; its defense requires the Administrative Official’s determination that this is the only reasonable access, minimized in size and impact.

Where replacement is required after permitted tree alteration, evaluate tree-saving designs first. Approved replacements must together equal or exceed the altered tree’s diameter at breast height, each at least two inches. The article provides exceptions for qualified selective thinning, limited AG clearing, hazardous trees and specified approved improvements. Approved other-site planting or payment alternatives apply when onsite planting is unsuitable. Replacement is due within 90 days of the order or 30 days after a final appeal; weather/arboricultural deferral can reach 180 days, with a further conditioned 180-day deferral using bond/payment. A replacement dying within three years must be replaced within 90 days of an order. Transfer does not erase the replacement obligation.

Joint or attached fences. Agriculture Code 143.121 restricts removal of a jointly owned dividing fence or a fence attached to another person’s fence without consent or the subchapter’s process. Section 143.122 allows an owner of an interest in an attached fence to physically withdraw that fence after six months’ written notice of the intended separation to the other owner, agent, attorney or lessee. Section 143.123 similarly permits the owner of a fence wholly on the owner’s land to require disconnection of another attached fence after six months’ written notice to its owner, agent, attorney or lessee.

Before digging postholes. Request a Texas811 locate, wait for the lawful ticket start, check responses and markings, resolve missing or conflicting information, protect the marks and dig carefully. Arrange separate identification of private services and facilities outside the notification system’s coverage. A locate is separate from permit approval, property permission and pipeline-easement construction notice.

FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES

General and taller rear-yard fences. Zoning Ordinance Section 39.1 states an eight-foot general maximum, except as otherwise provided. The City’s February 2026 fence guide says perimeter fences over eight feet require a Zoning Board of Adjustment variance, and describes rear-yard fences at least ten feet inside the property line as able to reach 14 feet before a variance is required. These differing published height instructions require a project-specific height and variance determination from Planning & Development Services before building above eight feet.

A screening device is eight feet high unless another ordinance provision specifically permits or requires a different height, Council grants a variance during the specified plan/SUP review, or the Board of Adjustment approves it. Screening height is measured vertically from the ground to the top. Mandatory and permissive screens must preserve traffic visibility on public and private streets, alleys and driveways.

Corner lots. Section 39 refers corner lots to Subdivision Ordinance 483, Section 8.02. Its sight area uses the ten-foot and 40-foot constructions along the intersecting property/right-of-way lines in both directions, with the diagonals projected to the back of curb on improved streets or edge of pavement on unimproved streets. The area includes the space between those lines and street pavement. The ordinance text governs; Appendix 10’s Sight Triangle Diagram is illustrative.

Within that sight area, no tree, shrub, plant, sign, soil, fence, retaining wall or other view obstruction may exceed two feet. Measure above the line between the curb tops or pavement edges where the referenced diagonal intersects both streets. The narrow tree exception applies to trunks under 12 inches diameter kept trimmed so no branch or growth lies below seven feet above that measurement line.

On interior lots in any district, nothing erected, placed, planted or allowed to grow may impede vision or create a traffic hazard for motorists entering or leaving highways, streets, alleys, private streets or driveways.

Subdivision perimeter screens. Where a screen separates a residential subdivision from public right-of-way, later fences or screens running parallel, perpendicular or approximately so cannot exceed the existing subdivision screen’s height. Where a developer or HOA nonopaque wrought-iron or similar fence adjoins a thoroughfare, a later parallel screening fence or wall is prohibited within the required side or rear yard.

RCS, TZD and Downtown qualifications. In the Rural Conservation Subdivision district, the Council-approved Development Plan adopted with the district establishes height, setbacks and fence design. RCS perimeter and interior fences must be open and visually permeable, typical of rural roads. In the Transition Zoning District, Sections 39 and 42 have an exception that does not extend to lots immediately adjacent to existing residential development; the Corridor Overlay remains applicable. Council-approved district standards can also qualify Section 34 accessory uses. Downtown single-family and Garden District development have express Section 43 exceptions and their own development standards and approved-plan conditions.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS

Fence and wall definitions. Section 39 treats construction or a hedge over 30 inches used for protection, escape prevention, a boundary or decoration as fencing, and includes walls. Soil-retaining dikes and retaining/restraining walls are separately classified. Visibility and retaining-wall approval requirements still apply under their own terms.

Wood, synthetics and metal. Recognized fence/decorative-post materials include brick, stone, masonry, natural and treated wood, synthetic materials, ornamental metal or wrought iron, and decorative aluminum or metal with a factory-applied nonmetallic matte finish. PVC and other synthetics must meet the ordinance’s quality requirements and applicable district/design conditions. Corrugated metal panels and materials with similar properties are prohibited.

Chain-link. Except as otherwise required by the ordinance, chain-link is permitted only in AG, SF-1A, SF-1B, SF-2, SF-20A, SF-20B, SF-30, RE-5, RE-7, CS, I-1, I-2 and B-2. Pool barriers and approved special-district standards have additional conditions.

Required screens. Screening must be opaque and durable, without openings other than passage openings. It can use masonry, wood or concrete alone or combined, including a metal frame; a properly landscaped dense hedge maintained in healthy growth; or an administratively approved landscaped berm. More stringent applicable screening provisions govern. Required bufferyard F1 fences are eight-foot opaque fences; F2 walls are eight-foot masonry. The finished side faces the residential or less intense use.

Major-road frontage. Section 39.5(c)(4) directs residential fences along SH 114, FM 1709, FM 1938 and the affected Carroll Avenue frontage to the Corridor Overlay architectural-fence clause. Fencing roughly parallel to those rights-of-way uses the building’s primary masonry material, wrought iron or living plants; it is offset at least six feet every 60 feet and stands no closer to the right-of-way than half the required bufferyard width. Applicable district exceptions and approved plans qualify this frontage treatment.

Along other designated arterials or collectors, use masonry, ornamental metal/wrought iron, stained cedar board-on-board with cap and masonry columns no more than 14 feet center-to-center, or an administratively approved combination. For platted subdivisions, material and color remain consistent along the entire subdivision-adjacent length. Repairs, modifications and extensions of a subdivision perimeter screen must retain its color, material and character; extensions cover its whole length, including interruptions at streets, alleys and access ways.

RCS’s open-fence design guide includes wood and pipe rails and open ornamental-metal designs, sometimes with masonry columns. Solid privacy panels and walls are shown as unacceptable; the masonry caption does not authorize a solid masonry privacy wall. The approved Development Plan remains part of the fence design requirements.

Where a neighbouring nonresidential use must provide an eight-foot side/rear screen beside residential property or an occupied dwelling, a written agreement can allow an existing residential screen to serve that purpose. The nonresidential owner must maintain the required screening; destruction exceeding 50% of its fair-market value triggers that owner’s compliant replacement duty. Any private shared-fence or access agreement should be read together with those public conditions and the statutory attached-fence process above.

Agricultural wire and electric fences. Barbed wire may be used with agricultural and related activities, but not on platted property zoned for single-family residential use. UL-approved electric fences and charging devices are allowed only with agricultural/related activities to contain horses or livestock or secure crops grown onsite, and must be plainly labeled.

Animals and rural residences. City animal rules require adequate containment of animals and fowl, and livestock fences/barriers sufficient to prevent escape. The private-stable/grazing-animal provisions outside AG require fences, pens and corrals of sufficient height and strength. The district table lists RE-5, RE-7, SF-1A, SF-1B and SF-2 with its stated minimum-lot qualification referencing SF-1A/SF-1B; it then includes SF-30 and SF-20A/B with that qualification again.

Under that grazing-use provision, usable and accessible pasture, pens, corrals and stable area must total at least 15,000 square feet per animal over 500 pounds or 5,000 square feet per animal under 500 pounds; partitioning for separation and pasture recovery is permitted. The text supplies no category for exactly 500 pounds. Fences and corrals may stand at the property line; the 25-foot separation from adjoining residential property applies to enclosed sheds and stables. Other fence, visibility, easement and pool rules remain applicable.

Qualifying agricultural operations, including those on residential acreage, receive Agriculture Code 251.0055’s limits on City requirements. These include clear-and-convincing evidence of a listed imminent danger and the inadequacy of less restrictive means, a health report and Council resolution, and the statute’s express prohibitions. Agricultural-operation status and applicable dates matter; the City may not require the operation to hold the specified agricultural-use tax appraisal. Section 251.006 protects qualifying agricultural improvements, including fences designed for animal/aquatic shelter, restraint or feeding, produce/feed storage or agricultural management implements, from its specified liability and nuisance claims when construction was not expressly prohibited by statute or a governmental requirement lawfully adopted under Section 251.005 in effect when built. State and federal enforcement remain.

A City requirement may not make the owner or lessee of an agricultural operation mow, bale, shred or hoe material on an adjacent public-road right-of-way. The livestock-protection-dog restraint exception applies while the dog protects livestock on property controlled by the owner. Wildlife-management status may require the statutory written management plan.

After a dangerous-animal finding, the owner has 30 days after notification to provide restraint by leash under the immediate control of an adult at least 17 or a secure enclosure. That enclosure must be locked, prevent escape and public entry including children, and be marked as containing a dangerous animal. Fences facing public areas must display the approved bold DANGEROUS ANIMAL signs obtained from Animal Control.

Maintenance and repair. Keep fences sound, safe and secure, including existing fences; maintain braces, bolts, nails, frames and fastenings free of deterioration, termites, rot, rust and loosening and able to resist their design wind pressure. A fence over four feet may lean no more than one foot from vertical at its top; one four feet or less may lean no more than six inches. Maintain painted surfaces against rust, peeling and blistering, and remove graffiti or other markings except permitted signs.

Replace broken, damaged, removed or missing parts within ten days after City notice with the original material or a comparable composition, color, size, shape and quality. For unusual circumstances, request an extension in writing with the scope, materials and completion schedule; the Administrative Official may grant only the reasonably necessary time. A fence not required by Council order, ordinance or building code may instead be completely removed within the ten-day period, subject to applicable ownership and attached-fence rights.

Preexisting fences using materials no longer permitted may be maintained while safe, not dilapidated and not a public nuisance. If the Administrative Official finds those conditions are not met, repair with approved materials or remove the fence. Repairs cover complete post-to-post sections. If repair exceeds 50% of the total linear fence length or exceeds a combined 100 linear feet, replace the entire fence with approved materials.

A fence removed, damaged or destroyed through land/right-of-way acquisition by an agency with eminent-domain power may be relocated or rebuilt with the same or similar materials and configuration, provided it does not conflict with the agency’s real-estate interest and otherwise complies. A property-line fence does not remove ordinary debris/high-weed maintenance duties toward the curb or pavement edge, subject to the agricultural-operation limit above.

Temporary protection for regulated trees. Where tree-protection procedures apply and no exemption does, install the protective fence around the outer critical root zone before permits or site work and keep it through exterior construction. The general minimum is four feet high, clearly visible, with tree-protection signs every 20 feet and approved supports no more than ten feet apart. Orange vinyl or similar protection is generally used only without construction/vehicle activity within ten feet. Where such activity is expected within ten feet, the specified chain-link/similar metal, wood or supported semi-rigid vinyl system must be six feet high.

Post the tree-protection sign, instruction detail and approved plan at entrances/designated locations and obtain the required protection inspection before permit release. When the Administrative Official identifies bark damage risk, protect the trunk’s full circumference with secured 2×4 lumber without damaging it. Where utility boring under a protected root zone is required because trenching around it is impossible, bore at least 48 inches deep. Exposed roots at least two inches in diameter must be square-cut with the specified sharp medium-tooth saw and covered with pruning compound within two hours.

Fence-site erosion and concrete work. The erosion article applies to construction-site erosion/sediment affecting public property or right-of-way; private-to-private deposition is outside it unless flow passes through the municipal storm system. Clearing, grading, excavation, stockpiling or other exposed-soil work can qualify; immediate emergency protection of life, property or natural resources is excepted. Controls must minimize erosion and retain sediment considering soil, topography and rainfall.

Sites/common plans disturbing less than one acre comply with the article except its Sections 408/409 submittal provisions, unless the Public Works director directs otherwise; more-than-one-acre sites/common plans follow all provisions. For disturbance of exactly one acre, confirm the applicable submittal requirement with Public Works. Where the erosion-control submittal is required, submit at least ten days before work and obtain its review/release; conditioned or temporary approval is available under the article.

Covered sites require inspection for violations/potential violations and within 24 hours after City-measured rainfall exceeding two inches, plus applicable construction-permit inspections. Prevent offsite sediment tracking and maintain an entrance where required. Preserve vegetation as practicable; initiate stabilization promptly and within 14 days of work stopping, except where earthwork resumes within 21 days. Final stabilization includes at least 70% of native background perennial cover evenly distributed on unpaved/unbuilt areas or equivalent permanent measures.

Maintain controls until final stabilization and repair failure/damage within 48 hours of discovery and before the next rain. Remove failed-control sediment from streets, sidewalks and the storm system within 48 hours of discovery or before the next rain. Promptly restore damaged controls and remove temporary erosion materials after stabilization. Manage wastes, chemicals and dust; do not send concrete washout, unused mortar/concrete, debris or polluted liquids into areas draining to the storm system. Covered concrete work requires a washout containment area/device and a six-square-foot English/Spanish CONCRETE WASHOUT AREA sign visible to delivery trucks.

Private-pool fencing and adopted alternatives. Zoning Section 34.1(f) calls for a fence/gate around at-grade private pools deeper than 24 inches and above-grade pools at least 24 inches deep, except portable tot pools. Decorative ponds/pools under 24 inches have no special fencing duty under that clause. Section 33.17 separately exempts natural and comparable manmade lakes, ponds, stock tanks and drainageways from its zoning enclosure requirements.

Southlake’s 2021 pool-code adoption and local amendments govern the applicable barrier design. For one-/two-family dwellings and townhouses, an ASTM F1346 lockable spa/hot-tub cover or powered swimming-pool safety cover exempts the area from ISPSC Sections 305.2–305.7. That exception is limited to those code sections; address any separate zoning fence duty in the project approval.

For an inground pool/spa, maintain the construction enclosure from excavation until the permanent barrier. The City requires at least four feet measured from outside grade, no opening passing a four-inch sphere, and steel T-posts/tubing at least five feet long and 14 gauge, spaced no more than ten feet apart. Rebar, wood stakes or another support method requires advance approval.

Where the permanent barrier requirements apply, the top must be at least 48 inches above grade on the side away from the pool/spa, maintained around the perimeter and for three feet horizontally outside it. Bottom clearance is no more than two inches over grass/gravel and four inches over a solid surface; a barrier mounted on the pool/spa has no more than a four-inch gap above its top. Openings may not pass a four-inch sphere. Solid surfaces cannot provide climbing handholds/footholds beyond ordinary construction tolerances and tooled masonry joints. Keep equipment outside the barrier at least 36 inches from it.

Mesh barriers. Install to manufacturer instructions. The bottom is no more than one inch above the installed surface/grade, cannot be lifted more than four inches, and cannot permit a four-inch sphere underneath. Bottom-to-solid-surface clearance is at most four inches. Attachments are at least 45 inches high; deck sleeves are nonconductive and gates meet the gate rules. Mesh barriers cannot be installed atop an onground residential pool. Keep the inside of the mesh fence at least 20 inches from the nearest water edge.

Members and openings. With horizontal members less than 45 inches apart top-to-top, put them on the pool side; vertical spacing and decorative cutouts are no more than 1¾ inches. With horizontal members at least 45 inches apart, vertical spacing is no more than four inches and decorative cutouts remain at most 1¾ inches. Chain-link openings are no more than 1¾ inches, including openings reduced by slats secured at top and bottom. Diagonal-member openings are no more than 1¾ inches, with diagonals no more than 45 degrees from vertical.

Pool gates and latches. Barrier doors/gates must accommodate a lock. Pedestrian gates open away from the pool and self-close and self-latch. Utility/service gates remain locked when unused; double/multiple gates secure at least one leaf and self-latch the adjoining leaf. For residential pools, an outside-access latch that is not self-locking is at least 54 inches above floor/ground; a self-locking key/electronic/combination system has its control and latch release no higher than 54 inches. Where the sole self-latching release is on the pool side, it is at least three inches below the gate top. Openings within 18 inches of an inside release are no larger than ½ inch. A vehicle entry gate used in the barrier must open and close within two minutes of opening with one switch activation.

Dwelling walls and access protection. Where a one-/two-family dwelling, townhouse or accessory wall forms part of the barrier, direct-access doors/gates and operable windows with sills under 48 inches above the indoor floor use UL2017 alarms under the alarm alternative. Alarm deactivation is at least 54 inches high in nonaccessible dwellings, or 48–54 inches in accessible/Type A/Type B dwellings. Alternatives include a listed/labeled ASTM F1346 cover or approved equivalent protection such as self-closing/self-latching doors. The City certification form includes doors with the specified 54-inch latch and other approved direct-access protection; complete its certification before the required pool inspection.

Onground pools and natural features. The pool wall can serve as barrier when its bottom is on grade, top at least 48 inches around the perimeter, it meets Section 305.2 and the manufacturer permits it. A top-mounted barrier must provide the compliant combined height and follow manufacturer instructions. Secure, lock or remove ladders unless separately enclosed; resulting gaps cannot pass a four-inch sphere. For the locally amended private shoreline alternative, there is no public shoreline access and barriers extend at least 18 inches beyond the water edge; no barrier is needed between that shoreline and pool. Governing-body-approved natural rock/topography can serve where it prevents direct access and provides at least equivalent protection.

Safety glazing is required for all panes in a pool/hot-tub/spa enclosure fence or wall where the bottom is less than 60 inches above the walking surface and the glazing is within 60 inches horizontally of the water edge.

PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS

Recorded covenants, deed restrictions, private easements and architectural approvals can affect fence design, placement and maintenance. The zoning ordinance preserves lawful private restrictions and applies its stated more-restrictive standard, subject to Texas statutory limits. City permit approval does not decide private ownership, shared costs or contractual rights. The City’s pool/accessory guides require the Carillon HOA approval stamp on applicable plans before permit submittal.

Property Code 202.023 generally protects an owner’s installation of security measures, including perimeter fencing, while allowing an applicable property owners’ association to regulate fence type and prohibit obstruction of license areas identified in a written agreement or plat, public/community sidewalks and drainage easements/areas. The association may require a driveway gate at least ten feet back from right-of-way where the driveway intersects a laned roadway. A restrictive covenant may prohibit fencing ahead of the dwelling’s front-most building line. This section excludes Chapter 81/82 condominiums and Chapter 215 master mixed-use associations.

The 2025 amendment protects maintenance of perimeter/front-building-line fencing installed before September 1, 2025. Its front-fence prohibition exception also protects installation where the residential address is legally confidential or the owner supplies law-enforcement documentation of a need for enhanced security. These provisions retain their stated scope; they do not dispense with public safety, easement or permit requirements.

Property Code 202.022 protects a conforming, nonclimbable pool enclosure of transparent mesh or clear panels in metal frames no more than six feet high. Associations may regulate appearance and colors, but cannot prohibit the specified black transparent-mesh form. The six-foot figure defines this statutory protection; applicable pool safety requirements still govern.

REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT

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

• Approvals and construction: required fence, masonry, pool-barrier, floodplain, grading or tree approvals and compliance with approved plans.

• Location and design: height, corner visibility, subdivision perimeter screens, corridor frontage, approved district conditions, easements and drainage.

• Maintenance and safety: structural condition, leaning, missing parts, required replacement, animal containment, pool gates/barriers and construction protections.

• Separate rights and duties: utility/pipeline excavation requirements, applicable agricultural protections and statutory joint/attached-fence removal. Association review and private disputes follow their separate instruments and legal limits.

USING THIS INFORMATION

This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within the City of Southlake, 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 Planning & Development Services 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.