FENCE RULES – UNIVERSAL CITY (CITY), TEXAS

OVERVIEW

This page covers residential fencing within the corporate limits of the City of Universal City, Texas, a home-rule municipality in Bexar and Guadalupe counties.

Universal City distinguishes a new or replacement fence from minor maintenance: a new fence and major maintenance require a permit, while specified minor repairs do not. Front-yard fencing is generally limited to 3 feet, with a 4-foot option for a decorative fence that is at least half transparent; other yards generally allow 6 feet. Wood and chain-link are listed materials, while vinyl/PVC is not specifically named. Corner visibility, utility-access gates, drainage easements and private-pool barriers can change a design. Qualifying agricultural operations have separate Texas protections, and electric pet fencing needs particular attention because two City code provisions differ. Updated November 2026.

Quick question	Universal City answer
Permit or approval	Permit, fee and inspection for new fences and major maintenance; specified minor maintenance is exempt. Electric pet-fence permit provisions conflict; confirm the project with Development Services.
Typical fence height	Front: 3 feet decorative/ornamental, or 4 feet if at least 50% transparent and decorative/ornamental. Other yards: generally 6 feet from natural grade; a qualifying commercial/multifamily adjacency allows 8 feet.
Placement & property lines	Fences may stand on or along property lines, subject to visibility, boundaries, utility/drainage easements and access. Corner lots require at least a 30-foot visibility triangle.
Common fence materials	Wood: listed; rot-resistant wood recommended. Vinyl/PVC: not specifically named in the allowed-material list. Chain-link: listed, but slatted chain-link is prohibited in residential zoning.
Important local conditions	Fence rules may be further affected by corner visibility, retaining walls, pools, utility-access gates, recorded drainage restrictions, floodplain conditions, approved planned developments, animal-confinement orders and qualifying agricultural use.
Official local resource	Universal City permits, applications and current fees

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 your property, review the linked official sources, and confirm site-specific questions with the Development Services Department or the responsible office identified for that issue.

GOVERNANCE

• City Council and zoning: City Council adopts the municipal fence requirements. Chapter 4-5 of the Universal City Code of Ordinances contains the zoning and fence standards. Sections 4-5-70 and 4-5-71 apply to new fences, replacement fences and fence maintenance within the corporate limits.

• Permits and construction codes: The Development Services Department administers zoning and building permits through its Building and Inspections division. The City identifies the 2021 International Residential Code and International Building Code with amendments and the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. Fence-specific permitting and maintenance categories appear in the zoning chapter.

• Different responsibilities: The Zoning Administrator determines fence-height treatment on retaining walls. The Development Services Director or designee administers floodplain requirements; stormwater staff administer clearing, grading and drainage review. Public Works responsibilities include public streets, utility access and drainage. Code Compliance addresses maintenance and visibility violations. The Board of Adjustment handles zoning variances and designated appeals, and also serves as the building-code Board of Appeals. Animal Control may impose the specific confinement measures described below.

• Parcel-specific controls: Recorded plats and easements, approved Planned Unit Development (PUD) plans or agreements, and mapped overlays can add conditions. Overlay requirements supplement base zoning, with the more restrictive conflicting requirement applying. An approved PUD may expressly replace particular base standards; otherwise those standards remain. The code also refers to Redevelopment Overlay arrangements for specified screening requirements. Check the approved arrangement applicable to the parcel.

• Military-compatible land use: The Randolph Compatible Use Zone Overlay incorporates Air Installation Compatible Use Zone requirements. Clear Zones prohibit land-use activity; Accident Potential Zone I allows limited industrial, commercial, recreation and open-space use, and Accident Potential Zone II permits uses other than Public/Quasi Public under the City’s stated framework. Development Services makes case-specific use determinations, subject to Air Force AICUZ Administrator review. These mapped conditions require parcel-specific confirmation.

PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

• New fences and other modifications: Section 4-5-71 requires a permit, the Chapter 1-4 fee and related inspections for a new fence where none existed and modifications outside the defined minor/major maintenance categories.

• Minor maintenance—no permit, fee or inspection: This includes power washing, painting and staining; repairing or replacing fewer than 17 pickets (1–16); and the listed lattice, rail runner, trim, post caps, kickboards, gates and gate components, including hinges and handles. The code’s definition does not expressly classify replacing one ground-anchored post; ask Development Services to classify that work.

• Major maintenance—permit, fee and inspections: This includes repairing/replacing more than one ground-anchored post; 17 or more pickets; work changing fence-to-ground clearance for stormwater runoff; and in-kind replacement in the same location, height, material and ground clearance.

• Application and fees: Use the City’s permit portal, establish the account and complete applicable contractor registration before permit submittal, review, payment and issuance. The schedule effective October 1, 2026 lists $150 for a fence, $25 for major fence maintenance and $123 for reinspection. Three plan reviews and the initial inspection fees are included; additional reviews/inspections and separately applicable charges can add costs. The in-ground pool fee is $550 and includes the pool fence; the above-ground pool/retaining-wall category is $320; floodplain development is $150. These are separate categories, with the actual project assessed by the City.

• Homeowner and contractor registration: The home-improvement provisions expressly include fences. Contracting businesses and their salespersons generally require City registration. An occupying homeowner with a homestead exemption may obtain a renovation/addition permit and must demonstrate qualification in writing if requested. Rental property does not qualify for that registration exception. When a qualified homeowner obtains the permit, the contractor need not register under that exception; mechanical, electrical, plumbing and irrigation contractors must register and obtain their required permits. The homeowner who obtains the permit bears the project liability stated in the code.

• Electric pet fences—different permit provisions: Section 4-5-71(4)(e) says no installation permit is required for its described dog/cat control system. Section 4-1-13 separately requires a permit, a $7 fee including inspection, and a sketch showing the enclosure area, residence, controller, installation method and voltage. Confirm the applicable installation and permit requirements with Development Services before installing this type of fence. The construction differences are explained in MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS.

• When an enclosure is required: Fencing is generally optional, but pool enclosures and other specified uses require it. A nonresidential use abutting residential property requires privacy screening unless an applicable PUD or Redevelopment Overlay agreement specifies otherwise. Churches, schools, Multifamily Residential (R5), Manufactured Housing (MH1) and Mobile Home Parks (MH2) abutting R1, R2, R3, R4 or R-OT residential property have the stated privacy-fence requirement, subject to those approved arrangements. The MH1 adjacency rule can affect an existing manufactured-home property.

• Building permit administration: The local amended building-work exemption lists do not include a fence-height exemption. The fence-specific minor/major categories above govern ordinary fence work. Permits/certificates are conditioned on payment of fees/fines and discharge of the specified City demolition/nuisance-abatement liens arising from final Board of Appeals orders. Required construction documents and any professional design depend on the applicable project and state-law qualifications; confirm fence submittals with Building and Inspections.

• Flood-hazard property: Chapter 4-7 requires floodplain development review for covered work in special flood hazard areas. Development includes manmade changes such as excavation and fill. Submit the City’s form to the Floodplain Administrator; plans may need scaled locations, dimensions, elevations, landscape alterations and their relation to flood hazards, plus a description of changes to natural drainage or watercourses. The Administrator interprets disputed mapped boundaries with supporting evidence. Floodway and drainage constraints appear below.

• Additional tree clearing or regrading: Section 2-10-143 requires Director approval and a clearing/grading permit for tree removal, clearing and grading. The permit lasts six months, with extensions for ongoing work and additional fees. Exemptions include emergency work addressing immediate danger to life/property or substantial fire hazards; underbrush removal; City-verified hazardous trees; normal agricultural crop clearing/grading except timber cutting; and permitted tree transplanting. A separate exemption covers grading no more than one acre on one lot under one ownership for a single-family residence to be constructed under the submitted building plan, except environmentally sensitive areas or predominant slopes over 15%. Confirm the applicable permit, exemption and plan requirements for a fence project involving clearing, tree removal or regrading.

• Post-construction stormwater work: Section 2-10-143 uses broad development/redevelopment permit wording, while its permit definition refers to new development and significant redevelopment; significant redevelopment adds 3,600 square feet of impervious cover. Confirm the project’s classification with the Director before work. A Director-approved linear-project exemption below 3,600 square feet of resulting impervious surface requires plans and counts future extensions. Applicable construction-stormwater thresholds include smaller sites within a common development plan: at least one but less than five acres for small construction, and five or more acres for large construction, with stated routine-maintenance exclusions.

• Pipeline easement construction: Health and Safety Code Chapter 756 separately covers building, repairing, replacing or maintaining construction on/across/over/under a pipeline easement or right-of-way, and construction physically affecting or risking a covered pipeline. Unless a contrary written agreement or statutory exception applies, notify the pipeline operator and satisfy one of the statutory routes: the operator determines no increased public/pipeline risk; or, when risk increases, pay the reasonable, necessary and documented protective-work cost before proceeding; or proceed under an existing written agreement; or qualify for prompt regulated-utility work caused by a natural disaster. Protective work can include fortifications, barriers, conduits or other necessary improvements. Specified municipal-property and navigation-district/port-authority exceptions apply. An 811 ticket does not replace this process.

• Qualifying agricultural operations: Agriculture Code Chapter 251 limits City requirements for actual agricultural operations inside the corporate limits. The City must satisfy §251.0055: clear and convincing evidence that less restrictive means cannot address the purpose and that the rule is necessary against a listed imminent danger to nearby residents or persons on nearby public property; a public-health finding by resolution after the specified health-officer/consultant report; and compliance with the section’s prohibitions. Listed dangers include explosion, flooding, vermin/insects, physical injury, attributable contagious disease, loss of lateral/subjacent support, water contamination, radiation, improper toxic-material storage, traffic-hazard vegetation and regulated weapons discharge. The report must address the hazard, need and manner of regulation and generally accepted agricultural practices, including reasons for restricting a practice identified as not threatening public health.

• Agricultural protections and outcomes: Actual cultivation, feed/forage production, horticulture, wildlife management, livestock, poultry, aquaculture and other defined operations can qualify; acreage or zoning alone is insufficient. A City cannot require an agricultural tax designation, prohibit necessary vermin/disease control, or impose the stated feed/forage restrictions except within the vegetation provision. It cannot require the operation’s owner/lessee to mow, bale, shred or hoe an adjacent public-road right-of-way. A City vegetation maximum must be at least 12 inches and confined to portions within 10 feet of a boundary adjoining a public sidewalk/street/highway or another owner’s inhabited property. Generally accepted practices receive the statute’s protection, subject to its report/evidence conditions. The City may require the specified written wildlife-management plan to establish that category.

• Agricultural fences: Under §251.006, qualifying agricultural improvements include fences designed for sheltering, restricting or feeding animal/aquatic life, produce/feed storage or agricultural implement/equipment storage or maintenance. When not expressly prohibited by a statute or a qualifying governmental requirement in effect when constructed, the owner/lessee/occupant receives the stated protection from liability to the State, governmental units and neighboring agricultural-land parties; the improvement is not a nuisance or otherwise subject to suit/injunction. State/federal statutes remain enforceable. Chapter 251 prevails in a conflict with other law, and an aggrieved owner/operator/lessee may seek declaratory/injunctive relief against unlawful governmental enforcement, with court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees for a prevailing claimant.

FENCE PLACEMENT RULES

• Property boundaries: Fences may be built on or along property lines in all districts. They cannot cross onto public or another person’s private property. Establish the legal boundary using appropriate survey and recorded documents; existing fences, curbs, pavement and map lines may not identify it. Public rights-of-way, easements and setback lines are separate location constraints.

• Joined fence lines: Adjoining/intersecting fence lines must be securely joined or affixed; gaps or spacing between abutting, adjacent or perpendicular lines and back-to-back fences are prohibited. Ownership and authority to alter or attach to an existing fence must also be respected.

• Utility easement used as lawn: Sections 4-1-7/8 allow fencing across a utility easement used for lawn only with side-lot gates 16 feet wide—two 8-foot gates—capable of opening/closing at all times and remaining unlocked. A center drop rod or similar device cannot obstruct passage; its keeper must be flush with the ground; no permanent center pole is allowed. Keep the easement clear of structures, debris, trees, shrubs and landscaping except regularly mowed lawn grass. Normal curb exposure is required where the easement intersects a street. An owner fencing the yard at the easement line remains responsible for maintaining the unused area beyond the fence.

• Public and utility access: No structure may be erected in a public right-of-way. Fences cannot block a utility meter or fire hydrant. Fire-code provisions also require immediate discernibility and access to hydrants, fire-department connections and protection-system control valves. Recorded utility-access and drainage rights remain applicable to the parcel.

• Drainage easements on subdivision/commercial development: The detention/runoff standards for subdivision-plat and commercial-building-permit applications require plat/site-plan language against fencing/structures across drainage easements. The adjacent fencing provision requires a Director-issued floodplain development permit for an easement crossing, places property fences outside or on the edge of the 100-year floodplain and limits the fencing to wrought iron. Obtain the City’s determination under the applicable plat, easement and approval conditions before planning a crossing. These standards have that subdivision/commercial approval context; an existing home’s recorded restrictions must be checked individually.

• Waterways and flooding: A waterway must remain free of unauthorized obstructions; a development plan approved by the stormwater authority governs authorized modifications. In a regulatory floodway, encroachments including fill and other development require standard hydrologic/hydraulic analysis showing no increase in base-flood levels, subject to the specified federal approval route. Where no floodway is designated in Zones A1–30 or AE, the cumulative effect of development generally cannot raise the base flood more than one foot without that federal process. Keep fence foundations, fill and panels consistent with the applicable floodplain approval.

• Natural surface water: Water Code §11.086 restricts diversion or impoundment of the natural flow of surface water, or continuation of one, in a manner damaging another’s property by overflow. The statute preserves authorized flood-control improvements and canals, while barring canals/ditches that obstruct defined natural drainage. It also permits an affected landowner to fill a gully/slough opening through a river/creek bank up to the adjoining bank height under its stated conditions. Plan fence bases and grading around actual drainage paths and easement conditions.

• If clearing/grading is part of the project: Follow the approved grading plan, protect adjoining property from excavation/fill encroachment or collapse, preserve drainage/utility easement function and prevent induced flooding, erosion or water pollution. Required engineered retaining or slope protection remains part of qualifying work. Remove debris within 30 days after completion, use stockpile controls and stabilize stockpiles within 14 days. Temporary stabilization is required within 15 days from grading-permit issuance unless staff makes another arrangement.

• Removing a joint or attached fence: Agriculture Code §§143.121–.123 restrict removal of jointly owned dividing fences and fences attached to another’s owned/controlled fence without mutual consent or the statutory process. An owner of an interest in an attached fence may withdraw it after six months’ written notice to the other fence’s owner or agent, attorney or lessee. An owner whose fence is wholly on that owner’s land may require an attached fence disconnected/withdrawn after the corresponding six months’ written notice. Permit approval does not settle ownership, attachment rights or cost allocation.

• Covered utility excavation: Utilities Code Chapter 251 covers explosives or powered/mechanized tools, including augers, disturbing soil to at least 16 inches. Ordinarily notice must be received no earlier than 14 days and no later than 48 hours before excavation, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. A Saturday notification before 11:59 a.m. permits the statutory Tuesday 11:59 a.m. start, or Wednesday 11:59 a.m. if Monday is a holiday. Supply accurate excavation location, excavator/contact details, start/completion dates and explosives information; coordinate a changed start when an operator has arranged to attend. Extraordinary circumstances can affect responses.

• Statutory excavation exceptions: The advance-notice exceptions include private-property agricultural activities defined through Tax Code §23.51(2), and excavation by a qualifying owner/lessee/mineral lessee who operates all underground facilities at the site. An agricultural operator choosing to comply receives the statute’s protection if the underground-facility operator then fails to comply. A qualifying emergency allows immediate careful work with notice as promptly as practicable. Private ownership alone is not an exception covering every project; separate pipeline requirements may still apply.

• Private lines and separate pipeline rules: Some owner/tenant-only lines entirely on the owner’s property and other listed facilities are exempt from Chapter 251; water/sewer/slurry and voluntarily converted facilities have distinct participation categories. Arrange any needed private-line location separately. Railroad Commission pipeline rules also cover applicable manual excavation beyond 16 inches and have their own exceptions. Under those rules, the normal ticket life is 14 working days from original notice, while marking validity runs 14 working days from positive response. Refresh unfinished areas when required; an extension requires a signed, dated written agreement. Retain required tickets/positive-response records for at least four years.

• Pipeline response and careful excavation: Where Railroad Commission pipeline rules apply, keep a valid ticket available, identify the correct work area and inspect for pipeline markers. Check positive responses and use the required additional-notice process for missing, unclear, erroneous or false-clear responses. Resolve the response/start status through that process before proceeding. Protect markings and use the required careful excavation methods within the pipeline tolerance zone, including hand, soft/vacuum or other approved noninvasive/operator-approved methods as applicable.

• If a utility or pipeline is damaged: Immediately notify the operator, or the notification center if the operator is unknown. Only an authorized party repairs it; delay backfilling until reporting and an agreed repair schedule. Keep ignition sources away from a flammable hazard. Do not cover exposed pipe without operator approval. Promptly call 911 for a hazardous release and comply with applicable Railroad Commission damage/response-failure reporting requirements.

• Before post digging: Request a locate through Texas811’s excavation and locate guidance before digging, wait the applicable lawful period and follow ticket/start instructions. Check operator responses and site markings, resolve missing or conflicting information through the applicable process, protect the marks and excavate carefully. An 811 request does not replace permits, easement rights, private-line location, pipeline construction notice/protective-cost requirements or private approval.

FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES

• Front yard: The fence must be decorative/ornamental and 3 feet or shorter. It may reach 4 feet when at least 50% transparent and decorative/ornamental.

• Other yards: The ordinary maximum is 6 feet in total height, measured from natural grade. A fence on a retaining wall, rather than a decorative wall, requires Zoning Administrator review to determine its height treatment.

• Residential property adjoining commercial/multifamily property: A residential-district fence on the boundary abutting a commercial district or a multifamily residential district with more than eight attached dwelling units may be 8 feet high. The allowance also applies when an alley separates those properties.

• Property in C4/C5 districts: Fences in General Commercial (C4) and Highway Commercial (C5) districts may reach 8 feet, with posts up to 9 feet. The code excludes its listed commercial barbed/electric/slatted-chain-link/razor/sharp features from the total height measurement. Confirm the parcel’s zoning and approved use before applying this district branch.

• Corner lots and intersections: A property-line fence beside a public street must not impair motorists’ or pedestrians’ views, must preserve a visibility triangle of at least 30 feet and must not interfere with utility/drainage easements. The subdivision definition measures 30 feet from the corner radius along each curb line at a public or private street intersection, connecting the two right-angle legs. Landscaping within that triangle is limited to 2 feet above pavement and cannot obstruct views.

• Traffic-control intersections: Owners/persons in control cannot allow obstructing fences, vegetation or structures. Within the visibility triangle, objects over 24 inches above the roadway are declared a nuisance/traffic hazard. Failure to remedy within 10 days after service of notice permits the stated City removal/remedy, citation and cost recovery. The roadway datum differs from the natural-grade height measurement.

• Existing nonconforming fencing: The general nonconforming-structure provisions allow normal repairs/maintenance subject to their conditions and limit expansion or relocation. Disaster-restoration provisions require a building permit within two years, with a conditional Board extension requested at least 60 days before that period expires. Replacement fences and major maintenance remain subject to the fence-specific requirements; confirm the lawful status and proposed work before relying on an existing height.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS

• Allowed-material list: Fences must be built of wood, metal, chain link, bricks or masonry, using no more than two materials. Wood fences “should” be rot resistant. Vinyl/PVC is not specifically named in this list; confirm acceptance of a proposed vinyl/PVC product with Development Services before buying it.

• Residential prohibitions: In residential zoning districts, the code prohibits barbed wire, electrically charged wire, chain-link with slats, razor wire and other sharp-edged fence surfaces. The separate dog/cat electric-control provisions below address that particular installation.

• Finished side and structural members: The smooth finished side generally faces away from the lot. Adjacent owners sharing a fence may agree on its finished-side orientation. That requirement does not apply when a fence backs onto an alley, utility right-of-way/easement or drainage area outside the public viewshed. The viewshed includes visibility from public roads, drive aisles, parking lots, alleys, pedestrian/multipurpose paths and public/private parks, including HOA parks. Posts and rails are required on the inside. Maintain fence integrity and the space between the fence and property line.

• Electric dog/cat control systems: Only commercially sold devices labeled for dog/cat control qualify. Section 4-5-71 says that if a residential fence exists, the electric system is secondary inside it, with the conductor on individual stakes at least 24 inches inside the main fence. Section 4-1-13 instead requires secondary installation within a fence without that “if” condition, and requires manufacturer-compliant installation. Resolve the installation/permit differences with Development Services. The system must remain on residential property, outside the public right-of-way including the sidewalk-to-curb strip. An easement installation is at the owner’s risk; damage from City/easement-holder work is repaired/replaced at the owner’s cost.

• Private residential pool barriers: The City’s adopted 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code applies to the relevant household/guest pool use. Residential classification covers detached one-/two-family homes and qualifying townhouses no more than three stories; apartment, association/common-area or public use can require different treatment. A pool barrier must satisfy its safety construction rules as well as applicable City fence-material/location requirements.

• Pool safety-cover and construction alternatives: A spa/hot tub with a lockable safety cover, or a pool with a powered safety cover, complying with ASTM F1346 receives the §305.1 alternative to §§305.2–305.7. For an in-ground pool under construction, a temporary barrier at least 4 feet high is required from excavation until the permanent barrier is installed.

• Ordinary pool-barrier dimensions: The barrier top is at least 48 inches above grade on the outside, including the three-foot horizontal area outside it. Maximum bottom clearance is 2 inches over nonsolid grade or 4 inches over a solid surface. A barrier mounted on the pool has a maximum 4-inch gap above the pool structure. Ordinary openings cannot pass a 4-inch sphere.

• Solid pool barriers: A solid barrier without openings must not have indentations or projections that provide handholds or footholds, except for normal construction tolerances and tooled masonry joints.

• Mesh pool barriers: Follow manufacturer installation instructions. Bottom clearance is limited to 1 inch; the barrier cannot lift more than 4 inches or permit a 4-inch sphere below it. Section-attachment devices must be at least 45 inches above grade. Use compliant hinged gates and nonconductive post sleeves. Mesh barriers cannot be mounted on top of on-ground pools; maintain at least 20 inches from the inside barrier face to the pool/spa water edge.

• Pool-barrier horizontal/vertical members: When the distance between tops of horizontal members is less than 45 inches, horizontals face the pool and vertical spacing is at most 1¾ inches. At 45 inches or more, vertical openings are limited to 4 inches. Decorative cutouts remain limited to 1¾ inches. Chain-link openings are limited to 1¾ inches unless the code’s compliant slat option applies; Universal City’s residential slatted-chain-link prohibition still applies. Diagonal members have openings at most 1¾ inches and an angle no more than 45 degrees from vertical. Outside equipment must remain at least 36 inches from the barrier.

• Pool gates: Access gates must accommodate a lock. Pedestrian gates swing outward away from the pool and are self-closing/self-latching; utility/service gates remain locked when unused. One leaf of a double gate is secured, with the adjacent leaf self-latching. For residential exterior releases, a non-self-locking release is at least 54 inches high; a self-locking control is no higher than 54 inches. A private-pool release accessible only from inside is at least 3 inches below the gate top. Within 18 inches of an inside release, openings cannot exceed ½ inch.

• House walls forming a pool barrier: Where doors, gates, screens or operable windows with sills below 48 inches provide direct access, the code requires its listed UL2017 alarm protection or the qualifying ASTM F1346 safety-cover/approved equivalent alternative. Dwelling alarm controls are generally at least 54 inches high; accessible Type A/Type B units use the specified 48–54-inch range. Have Building and Inspections confirm the selected wall/access arrangement.

• On-ground pools and natural barriers: A manufacturer-approved pool wall/barrier arrangement must supply the continuous 48-inch outside height and other applicable §305 conditions. Mounted barriers follow manufacturer instructions. Secure, lock or remove access ladders/steps, or surround them with a compliant barrier; resulting openings cannot pass a 4-inch sphere. A natural-water-edge exception requires no public shoreline access and barrier extension at least 18 inches beyond the water edge. Natural topography requires approval and equivalent protection.

• Pool-side walking area: The City’s accessory-structure table identifies a 36-inch minimum clear walking surface measured from the in-ground pool/spa water edge under its referenced building/accessibility context. Confirm the applicable pool design with Building and Inspections.

• Ordinary animal confinement: Fenced restraint must prevent an animal from going under/over/through, climbing, digging or jumping out; keep gates securely latched. The code’s enclosure can be a home, fence or structure/pen. A structure/pen must be sound and maintained, generally at least 5 by 10 feet and 5 feet from a fence/property line, with shelter/protection from the elements. Animal Control should confirm an enclosure design; boundary-fence placement remains subject to the fence-location provisions.

• Animal-specific remedial orders: After a violation, the Court or Animal Control may require a locked pen with sides at least 6 feet high, a secure top, a secure floor or sides embedded at least 2 feet, relocation, and specified fence height/material/bottom changes. The order sets a compliance period, extendable for good cause, and other zoning/building rules still apply.

• Dangerous or aggressive animals: The dangerous-dog secure-enclosure provision describes a pen at least 5 by 10 feet, 6 feet high or higher as required, on a concrete slab with four sides/top, inside a perimeter fence and at least 5 feet from it; it must prevent escape/bites and remain locked. Perimeter fencing uses 6-foot vertical boards or greater height required by Animal Control and stays locked. The code also states the alternative of a dwelling with all doors/windows closed and locked. Graphic warning signs must be visible from adjoining-property exposures. An aggressive animal requires a secure building or permanent fenced yard with a locked gate when not under immediate adult restraint. Animal Control can require preventive installation/repair based on behavior, temperament, size and residents’ safety.

• Livestock and agricultural residences: The local animal code prohibits the listed mules, jacks, jennets, cattle, sheep, goats and similar animals. Its horse exception requires at least 16 contiguous City acres, the owner’s primary homestead, no business or agricultural-tax-exempt use, no more than four horses and a Council conditional-use permit; its livestock enclosure is at least 500 feet from others’ sleeping/dining/living buildings and sanitary. The poultry/small-animal pen/coop/enclosure provision requires at least 25 feet from others’ living buildings and sanitary conditions. Livestock cannot run at large. For a qualifying agricultural operation, these local provisions are subject to the Chapter 251 limits described above; the City cannot require agricultural tax designation. City dog-restraint requirements do not apply to a dog protecting livestock on owner-controlled property while used there for that purpose.

• Collector-vehicle screening: The exception for antique/special-interest vehicles stored by a collector requires vehicles and outdoor storage areas maintained without a health hazard and screened from ordinary public view and neighboring property by fencing, trees, shrubs or other appropriate means.

PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS

• Separate private review: Deed restrictions, HOA architectural requirements, private recorded easements and maintenance/boundary/cost agreements can affect a fence independently of City approval, within Texas statutory limits. Review the actual documents applicable to the property. City approval does not decide ownership, private attachment rights or who pays for a shared fence.

• Security measures under current Texas law: Property Code §§202.022–202.023 limit association restrictions. Section 202.023 generally protects security measures including perimeter fences, but excludes Chapter 81/82 condominiums and Chapter 215 master mixed-use associations. An association may regulate fence type and prohibit obstruction of a defined license area, public/community sidewalk or drainage easement/area. It may require a driveway gate at least 10 feet from the right-of-way when the driveway intersects a laned roadway. A restrictive covenant may prohibit fences before the dwelling’s front-most building line.

• 2025 maintenance and security exceptions: An owner may maintain perimeter/front-building-line fencing installed before September 1, 2025, notwithstanding the listed retained controls. The front-building-line covenant prohibition cannot bar the protected installation when the owner’s residential address is legally exempt from public disclosure or the owner supplies law-enforcement documentation of a need for enhanced security. Other statutory controls remain applicable.

• Protected pool enclosures: Section 202.022 protects a safety-compliant, nonclimbable water-feature enclosure made of transparent mesh or clear panels in metal frames, no more than 6 feet high. Associations may regulate appearance/colors but cannot prohibit the specified black transparent-mesh/metal-frame enclosure. Public pool-safety and City fence rules remain applicable to the installation.

REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT

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

• Permits and design: New/replacement fencing, major maintenance, the electric pet-fence provisions, correct fees and applicable construction submissions.

• Height and placement: Front-yard transparency, natural-grade/retaining-wall measurements, qualifying district/adjacency exceptions, visibility triangles and boundary/access conflicts.

• Site conditions: Utility-access gates, drainage easements, recorded plats, floodway impacts, clearing/grading, waterway obstruction and applicable PUD/overlay conditions.

• Safety and special uses: Pool-barrier/gate compliance, dangerous/aggressive-animal orders, qualifying agricultural protections and separate excavation/pipeline requirements.

• Variance requests: The Board of Adjustment considers unique property conditions causing substantial hardship, preservation of a substantial property right, effects on public health/safety/welfare and neighboring property, consistency with the Future Land Use Plan and unreasonable restrictions on property use. Financial disadvantage, inconvenience or self-created hardship alone is insufficient. City forms and supporting materials are required; owners within 200 feet receive at least 10 days’ notice and newspaper notice is at least 15 days before hearing. Authorized action, including permit issuance, must begin within 90 days; good-cause extensions are limited to 90 days each. The code restricts extensions after expiration exceeding 60 days and reapplications within 12 months after denial or withdrawal following hearing notice. Floodplain variances have separate minimum-relief, hardship and public-safety conditions and cannot increase floodway flood levels.

• Private disagreements: Association approvals and boundary, ownership, attachment or cost disputes are separate from public code enforcement. Resolve them under the applicable documents and Texas law.

USING THIS INFORMATION

This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within the City of Universal City, 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 Development Services Department and the responsible office for each applicable issue, and review applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with controlling law, adopted regulations or official requirements, the controlling authorities govern. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.