FENCE RULES – JONESBORO (CITY), ARKANSAS
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within City of Jonesboro, subject to local regulations. For properties located outside City of Jonesboro municipal limits, Craighead County regulates fences in unincorporated areas.
The City of Jonesboro publishes fence rules in the Jonesboro Code of Ordinances, especially Chapter 117, Zoning, Sec. 117-329, Fences (permit required). Fence-related requirements also appear in the city’s Fence Permit materials, Planning & Zoning FAQ, Inspections materials, Stormwater Management chapter, and Swimming Pools article.
This page focuses on typical single-family residential fencing. If the jurisdiction’s adopted materials do not state a specific limit or requirement, this page notes that the code does not specify one.
Compiled From City of Jonesboro Code Enforcement materials, Inspections materials, Planning & Zoning materials, Planning and Zoning FAQ, Fence Permit materials, Jonesboro Code of Ordinances Chapter 105, Chapter 112, and Chapter 117 as of May 2026.
GOVERNANCE
The City of Jonesboro is the governing authority for residential fence rules inside municipal limits.
Planning & Zoning administers zoning review, zoning questions, permit intake, the permitting portal, and planning-related applications. The Planning & Zoning FAQ states that the City Code regulates fence location, height, and material, and that a fence permit is required for all new fencing.
Inspections administers plan review, permits, inspections, and Arkansas Fire Prevention Code compliance for construction inside the city limits.
Code Enforcement oversees complaint-based enforcement contexts including pool enclosures, intersection and driveway obstructions, property conditions, and other code violations.
The Jonesboro Code of Ordinances contains the city’s principal fence standards in Sec. 117-329, with related visibility standards in Sec. 117-327, drainage and stormwater standards in Chapter 112, and pool-enclosure standards in Sec. 105-230.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Fence Permit Required: A fence permit is required for all new fencing in the City of Jonesboro. The Fence Permit materials require a site plan and materials list for new fence permits.
• Fence Repair Permit: A permit is required to repair or replace more than two sections or 16 feet of preexisting fence. A permit is not required for non-structural vertical or horizontal repair actions, such as replacement of existing fence planks.
• Owner / Contractor Responsibility: If a property owner builds or repairs a fence themselves, the property owner is responsible for obtaining the required permit. If a contractor is hired, the contractor is responsible for obtaining the permit. The permit holder must comply with city building codes and ordinances and must adhere to setbacks, easements, and rights-of-way.
• Planning Commission Height Approval: Fences may not exceed 6 feet in height unless approved by the Planning Commission.
• Drainage Easement Permit: Fencing of drainage easements is by permit only under the Stormwater Management standards. If permitted, drainage-easement fencing must pass a 3-inch object without obstruction and must be gated to allow inspection and maintenance access.
• Pool Enclosure Requirement: Every outdoor pool or family pool must be completely surrounded by a fence or barrier of non-climbable construction at least 4 feet high, with the opening and gate requirements stated in the Swimming Pools article.
• Zoning Compliance: Fence permit requirements are separate from zoning district setbacks, corner visibility, drainage easements, rights-of-way, utility easements, stormwater requirements, pool-enclosure rules, and private restrictions reviewed or enforced by Planning & Zoning, Inspections, Code Enforcement, and other applicable city offices.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Front Setbacks: Front setbacks for fences must follow the zoning requirements for the applicable zoning district.
• Interior Side Setbacks: Interior side setbacks are not required for fences.
• Exterior Side Setbacks: Exterior side setbacks for fences must be at least 10 feet from the edge of the property line.
• Rear Setbacks: Rear setbacks are not required for fences.
• Property Location Responsibility: The code states that the exact location of fencing is the sole responsibility of the property owner.
• Rights-of-Way: Fencing is prohibited within any street right-of-way.
• Easements and Setbacks: The permit holder must comply with setbacks, easements, and rights-of-way. The code does not state a separate citywide setback from ordinary private utility easements, but the Fence Permit materials prohibit certain fence types in utility easements.
• Drainage Easements: Fencing in drainage easements is by permit only. If permitted, the fence must pass a 3-inch object without obstruction and must be gated to allow access to the easement for inspection and maintenance.
• Stormwater / Lot-Line Drainage: Fencing must not obstruct the passage or storage of floodwater, surface runoff, or stormwater along lot lines as regulated under the city’s Stormwater Management chapter.
• Corner Visibility: Fences must comply with the corner visibility standards of Sec. 117-327. On corner lots at intersecting two-way streets, the restricted sight triangle is measured 25 feet from the point where the street-side property lines intersect.
• Utility Safety: Arkansas law requires notice through Arkansas 811 before excavation where the Arkansas Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Act applies. For fence projects that involve digging, including fence post holes, notice may be required before excavation begins. Arkansas law also includes specific exemptions, including certain agricultural-purpose posthole digging on private property outside an operator right-of-way.
FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES
• General Maximum Height: Fences may not exceed 6 feet in height unless approved by the Planning Commission.
• Front Yard Fences: Fences that are 50 percent open may be erected to a maximum height of 4 feet in the front yard.
• Height Exemptions: The fence height limitation does not apply to fencing in the I-1 and I-2 districts, areas abutting interstate highways, fencing around tennis courts and other recreational amenities, and lots or tracts containing 5 acres or more.
• Corner Visibility: On corner lots at intersecting two-way streets, nothing may be erected, placed, planted, or allowed to grow in a manner that materially impedes vision between 2 feet and 8 feet above curb grade within the triangular area formed by the street-side property lines and a line connecting those property lines 25 feet from their point of intersection.
• City Adjustment of Sight Triangle: The city may increase the corner sight-triangle standard where necessary for traffic safety and may lessen it at intersections involving one-way streets.
• Driveway Visibility: Code Enforcement materials identify driveway obstructions as a code-enforcement context, but the code does not specify a separate residential driveway sight-triangle dimension for fences.
• Pool Barrier Height: Outdoor pools and family pools must be surrounded by a non-climbable fence or barrier at least 4 feet high above finished ground level, measured on the side of the barrier away from the pool.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Support Posts: In all residential zoning districts, fences must be constructed so that horizontal and vertical support posts are inside the fence area or hidden from view from outside the fenced area.
• Support Post Exceptions: The support-post orientation rule does not apply to fences that abut nonresidential zoning districts, lots abutting interstate highways, or situations where the owner of the adjacent lot gives written permission for support posts to be placed on the outside of the fence.
• Exposed Steel: All exposed steel, except galvanized metal, must have a color finish coat and must be preserved against rust and corrosion.
• Maintenance: All fences must be maintained in their original upright condition. Fences designed to be painted or to have other surface finishes must be maintained in their original condition as designed.
• Replacement Materials: Missing boards, pickets, or posts must be replaced in a timely manner with material of the same type and quality.
• Barbed Wire / Electrified Fences: Barbed wire and electrified fences are prohibited on all lots of less than 2 acres in area.
• Utility Easement Materials: The Fence Permit materials state that brick, masonry, and welded steel fences are not allowed in utility easements.
• Drainage Easement Construction: If fencing is permitted in a drainage easement, it must be able to pass a 3-inch object without obstruction and must be gated for inspection and maintenance access.
• Pool Barrier Openings: Pool fences or barriers may not have openings, holes, or gaps larger than 2 inches in any horizontal dimension or 4 inches in any vertical dimension, except for doors and gates. If a picket fence is used, the horizontal dimensions may not exceed 2 inches.
• Pool Gates: Gates or door openings through pool enclosures must have self-closing and self-latching devices that keep the gate or door securely closed when not in actual use, except that the door of a dwelling that forms part of the enclosure does not have to be so equipped.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
• Private Covenants: HOAs, subdivision covenants, deed restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, private boundary agreements, and similar private restrictions operate independently from City of Jonesboro fence rules and may be more restrictive.
• Subdivision and Easement Limits: Plat filings, drainage easements, utility easements, access easements, rights-of-way, and private subdivision restrictions may limit fence placement even where the city code does not state an additional setback.
• No City Enforcement Assumption: The published materials do not state that the City of Jonesboro enforces private HOA covenants or private deed restrictions as part of ordinary fence permitting.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• New Fence Permits: All new fencing requires a fence permit through the City of Jonesboro permitting process.
• Repair Permit Threshold: Repairing or replacing more than two sections or 16 feet of preexisting fence requires a permit.
• Height Review: Fences over 6 feet require Planning Commission approval unless an exemption applies.
• Front-Yard Review: Front-yard fences are reviewed for the 50 percent open requirement and 4-foot maximum height.
• Setback Review: Fence placement may be reviewed for front zoning setbacks, the 10-foot exterior side setback, rights-of-way, easements, and drainage conditions.
• Corner Visibility: Fences may be reviewed for obstruction within the 25-foot corner sight triangle and the 2-foot to 8-foot visibility zone.
• Drainage Easements: Drainage-easement fencing is reviewed for permit status, 3-inch object passage, gate access, and obstruction of floodwater, surface runoff, or stormwater.
• Rights-of-Way: Fences placed in a street right-of-way are prohibited.
• Utility Easements: Utility-easement fencing may be reviewed for prohibited brick, masonry, or welded steel construction.
• Materials and Maintenance: Fence support orientation, exposed steel treatment, upright condition, surface finish, and replacement of missing boards, pickets, or posts may be reviewed under the fence standards.
• Pool Enclosures: Outdoor pools and family pools may be reviewed for the required 4-foot non-climbable enclosure, opening limits, and self-closing/self-latching gate requirements.
• Code Enforcement: Code Enforcement materials identify pool enclosures, intersection and driveway obstructions, and resident complaints as enforcement contexts.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within City of Jonesboro, based on publicly available materials reviewed as of May 2026.
In addition to local fence rules, certain Arkansas laws apply statewide. See Statewide Fence Laws in Arkansas.
It is not legal advice and does not replace official ordinances, permits, surveys, or professional guidance. Rules and interpretations may change, and application may vary based on zoning district, site conditions, easements, rights-of-way, floodplain status, historic district status, rural or agricultural context, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants or private agreements. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with Planning & Zoning, Inspections, and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from City of Jonesboro staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.