FENCE RULES – DUNBAR (CITY), WEST VIRGINIA
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within City of Dunbar, subject to local regulations. For properties located outside Dunbar municipal limits, Kanawha County regulates fences in unincorporated areas.
The principal local standards appear in Section 1331.05, Fencing, Walls, Trees and Hedges, of the City of Dunbar Planning and Zoning Code. Related provisions address required yards, clear sight triangles, zoning administration, barbed-wire fencing, private swimming pools, and the locally adopted West Virginia State Building Code.
This page focuses on typical single-family residential fencing. If the jurisdiction’s code, ordinance, or zoning materials do not state a specific limit or requirement, this page notes that the controlling regulatory text does not specify one. If no local code, ordinance, or zoning text is available in the approved source packet, this page notes that the jurisdiction does not publish the relevant standard in the referenced published materials.
Compiled From the City of Dunbar Planning and Zoning Code, including Sections 1303.01, 1309.03, 1309.05, 1331.03, 1331.04, 1331.05, 1331.07, and 1331.23; Article 1105; Article 1705, West Virginia State Building Code; the City of Dunbar Building Inspector materials; the incorporated 2018 International Residential Code, International Building Code, and International Swimming Pool and Spa Code; and West Virginia 811 materials as of July 2026.
GOVERNANCE
The City Council of the City of Dunbar adopts the municipal zoning and building-code regulations. The Planning and Zoning Code applies to land, buildings, structures, and signs within the City.
The City of Dunbar Building Inspector/Zoning Officer administers and enforces the Planning and Zoning Code, reviews permit applications, maintains the zoning map, and provides zoning information. Section 1331.05 contains the principal fence height, placement, visibility, orientation, material, and maintenance standards.
The City has adopted the West Virginia State Building Code, including the 2018 International Residential Code, 2018 International Building Code, and 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. The City Building Inspector, Deputy Building Inspector, and Code Enforcement Officer are authorized to enforce the adopted building code.
The City Engineer and Chief of Police administer the separate permit and inspection provisions for barbed-wire fencing under Article 1105.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Standard Residential Fence Permit: The Planning and Zoning Code regulates standard fences but does not explicitly state that an ordinary residential fence requires a zoning permit or a separate fence permit.
• Building-Permit Context: The City of Dunbar Building Inspector administers the locally adopted West Virginia State Building Code. The incorporated 2018 residential and building codes include a building-permit exemption for fences not over 7 feet high. Dunbar does not publish a separate local building-permit requirement for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• General Permit Context: Dunbar publishes zoning- and building-permit procedures for buildings and structures, but the referenced published materials do not explicitly state that standard residential fences require those general procedures.
• Barbed-Wire Permit: A fence, barrier, or obstruction made wholly or partly of barbed wire requires a permit from the City Engineer under Article 1105. The City Engineer and Chief of Police inspect the proposed location, and certain objections are referred to City Council.
• Pool-Barrier Context: A fence used as part of a regulated private swimming-pool, spa, or hot-tub barrier must comply with the locally adopted 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code and the zoning setback requirements applicable to the pool site.
• Zoning Compliance: Building-permit exemptions and State Building Code adoption are separate from zoning, setbacks, subdivision, floodplain, floodway, stream, stormwater, drainage, historic, road, right-of-way, easement, utility, and plat requirements. Confirm any applicable zoning conditions, setbacks, plat requirements, and site-specific limitations with the City of Dunbar Building Inspector/Zoning Officer before construction.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Required Yards: Fences may project into required yards, subject to the location, height, visibility, and clearance standards in Section 1331.05.
• Property Lines: The Planning and Zoning Code does not state a setback requirement for standard residential fences from property lines; however, fences must be located entirely on the owner’s property and must not encroach into rights-of-way or easements.
• Street and Road Clearance: A fence must be at least 5 feet from the edge of streets and roads where it is located in a front or side yard.
• Alley Clearance: A fence must be at least 3 feet from an alley.
• Rights-of-Way and Visibility: Fences, walls, and hedges are prohibited within a right-of-way or clear sight triangle and may not obscure or impair the visibility of a motorist entering or exiting property.
• Accessory-Structure Clearance: Where a fence and an accessory building or structure are on the same lot, the code requires a 3-foot clear space between them.
• Pool Sites: Private swimming pools are permitted only in rear yards. Pools and protective barriers must comply with the applicable zoning-district setbacks and the Building Code.
• Utility Safety: West Virginia law requires notice through West Virginia 811 before excavation or demolition where the Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Act applies. For covered fence work involving digging, drilling, augering, boring, trenching, grading, or other excavation, notice must be given not less than 48 hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and federal or state legal holidays, and not more than 10 workdays before work begins. A change in the proposed starting date or time requires at least 24 hours’ advance notice, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. West Virginia 811 notice is separate from local fence permitting, zoning approval, building-code review, easement limits, right-of-way or WVDOH approval, floodplain review, stormwater review, drainage review, historic or design review, HOA restrictions, and other applicable requirements.
FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES
• Front-Yard Edges: A fence, wall, or hedge along the sides or front edge of a front yard may not exceed 3½ feet in height.
• Side and Rear Yards: A fence, wall, or hedge along the edge of a side yard or rear yard may not exceed 6 feet in height.
• Corner Lots: No chain-link fence on a corner lot may exceed 4 feet, and no privacy-style fence on a corner lot may exceed 42 inches. A fence along the sides or front edge of a front yard remains subject to the separate 3½-foot limit.
• Clear Sight Triangles: At the intersection of two or more streets or alleys, the clear sight triangle must remain free of fencing and other landscaping, objects, or structures that might obscure vision. The code does not publish a separate numerical triangle dimension in Section 1331.07.
• Driveway Visibility: A fence may not obscure or impair the visibility of a motorist entering or exiting property.
• Building-Code Distinction: The incorporated 7-foot building-permit exemption is not a local maximum fence height. Dunbar’s ordinary zoning limits are lower and vary by yard location and corner-lot condition.
• Pool Barriers: A barrier governed by the locally adopted pool code must be at least 48 inches high and must satisfy the separate opening, climbability, gate, self-closing, self-latching, and access-control requirements for the pool or spa.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Finished Side: The finished side of a fence must face the front of the lot or the adjacent property owner, unless the fence is not visible from adjoining property.
• Construction and Maintenance: Fences must be durably constructed and well-maintained. A deteriorated fence must be replaced or removed.
• Prohibited Improvised Materials: Fences, walls, and hedges may not be constructed from fabric, junk, junk vehicles, appliances, tanks, or barrels.
• Barbed Wire: Barbed-wire fencing is subject to the Article 1105 permit. It may not be erected or maintained along or within 18 inches of a property line or partition line without the adjoining owner’s written consent, and it is restricted along or within 18 inches of streets, avenues, alleys, or public walks within the City fire zone.
• Electric and Razor Fencing: The Planning and Zoning Code does not publish a separate standard for electric or razor fencing on a typical single-family residential lot.
• Pool-Barrier Construction: A fence serving as a pool or spa barrier must satisfy the locally adopted pool code’s requirements for height, openings, climbability, gates, self-closing, self-latching, and access control.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate independently from City of Dunbar fence rules.
HOA covenants, deed restrictions, subdivision restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, recorded agreements, acknowledged agricultural partition-fence agreements, conservation easements, and other private restrictions may impose stricter limits than the City standards.
Municipal zoning compliance, a barbed-wire permit, building-code treatment, or any other City review does not determine private boundary rights, private easement rights, HOA approval, or compliance with private covenants.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Height: A front-yard-edge fence, wall, or hedge exceeding 3½ feet; a side- or rear-yard-edge fence, wall, or hedge exceeding 6 feet; or a corner-lot fence exceeding the applicable chain-link or privacy-fence limit.
• Street, Alley, and Right-of-Way Placement: A fence inside a right-of-way, closer than 5 feet to the edge of a street or road in a front or side yard, or closer than 3 feet to an alley.
• Visibility: A fence within a clear sight triangle or a fence that impairs visibility for a motorist entering or exiting property.
• Construction and Orientation: A fence constructed from prohibited improvised materials, placed with the finished side contrary to the ordinance, or allowed to deteriorate.
• Accessory-Structure Clearance: A fence located without the required 3-foot clear space from an accessory building or structure.
• Barbed Wire: Barbed-wire fencing installed without the Article 1105 permit, adjoining-owner consent where required, or compliance with the fire-zone location restriction.
• Pool Barriers: A private pool or spa barrier that does not comply with the applicable zoning setbacks or the locally adopted pool code.
• Building-Code Context: The City enforces the locally adopted West Virginia State Building Code, including the building-permit exemption for fences not over 7 feet high. This exemption does not override Dunbar’s lower zoning height and placement limits.
• Utility Safety: Fence-post excavation or other covered earth disturbance that does not follow West Virginia 811 notice requirements.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within City of Dunbar, based on the referenced published materials as of July 2026.
In addition to local fence rules, certain West Virginia laws apply statewide. See Statewide Fence Laws in West Virginia.
It is not legal advice and does not replace official ordinances, permits, certificates, development approvals, applicable building-code requirements, surveys, or professional guidance. Rules and interpretations may change, and application may vary based on zoning district, county zoning coverage, site conditions, easements, rights-of-way, floodplain or floodway status, stream conditions, stormwater requirements, drainage conditions, road or highway conditions, WVDOH jurisdiction, historic district status, design-review status, rural or agricultural context, livestock, lawful-fence or agricultural partition-fence context, State Building Code adoption and enforcement status, contractor-licensing context, pool-barrier use, West Virginia 811 utility-safety requirements, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants, deed restrictions, private agreements, acknowledged partition-fence agreements, or conservation easements. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with the City of Dunbar Building Inspector/Zoning Officer and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from City of Dunbar Building Inspector/Zoning Officer or Code Enforcement staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.