FENCE RULES – HORIZON CITY (TOWN), TEXAS

OVERVIEW

This page covers residential fences within the corporate limits of the Town of Horizon City, Texas, in El Paso County. A Horizon City mailing address alone does not establish that a property is inside the Town.

Horizon City requires a fence permit and approval of location, height and materials. Its residential rules distinguish rock-and-mortar rear walls, side fences, iron front fences and gates. Designated transit-oriented development districts have additional privacy-fence and streetscreen rules. Drainage easements, street visibility and pool use can change the design.

Quick question	Horizon City answer
Permit or approval	Required. Building Official approval and a permit are required to erect, place or alter a fence or wall.
Typical fence height	Ordinary rear rock-and-mortar walls: 4–6 feet. Qualifying extensions may reach 8 feet with all abutting owners’ written consent. Front rock portions, visibility areas, mobile-home districts and designated TOD districts have different limits.
Placement & property lines	Rules depend on the yard and district. Keep gates on the property, preserve sidewalk/ROW passage, drainage and easement access, and observe sightlines.
Common fence materials	Wood and chain-link are listed for specified extensions, side fences and gates. Vinyl/PVC is not specifically named; prefabricated fencing is listed in particular locations. Rear base walls and front fences have separate rock/iron requirements.
Important local conditions	Fence rules may be further affected by TOD zoning, mobile-home and planned-development conditions, pool barriers, home occupations, drainage ponds, easements, agricultural operations and private restrictions.
Official local resource	Town of Horizon City Building Services

The table above is for quick reference; additional fence-rule details appear in the corresponding sections below. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, read the sections that apply to the property, review the linked official sources, and confirm site-specific questions with the Building Official or the responsible office identified for that issue.

GOVERNANCE

Horizon City is an incorporated home-rule municipality with a mayor–council government. The City Council adopts municipal ordinances. The zoning ordinance’s wall and fence standards govern ordinary residential fence approvals within the Town. This guide’s municipal scope excludes the extraterritorial jurisdiction and unincorporated El Paso County.

Administering offices: The Building Official and Building Services/Building Inspection administer fence and building approvals. Planning and Zoning and the Board of Adjustment handle their respective zoning functions. The Director of Public Works administers floodplain, grading, stormwater and street/ROW matters; the City Engineer reviews applicable drainage and engineering plans. County animal-control service arrangements are separate from municipal fence approval.

Adopted construction codes: Horizon City adopted the 2021 International Residential Code by Ordinance 0301 on March 12, 2024, and the 2021 International Building Code by Ordinance 0300 on the same date. The residential amendment literally identifies deletions from “A105.2,” including Building items 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 and Mechanical items 4 and 7; the building-code amendment has a different deletion list. The zoning ordinance expressly requires fence permits. The Building Services webpage’s older 2009 edition reference differs from the later codified adoption. The Town also adopted the 2021 International Fire Code without printed amendments; gates on required emergency-access routes remain subject to applicable fire-access requirements.

Designated TOD districts: Ordinance 0320, adopted June 10, 2025, establishes the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) code for designated TOD properties. Its conflict provisions make the TOD regulations controlling as to the matters regulated, authorize designated staff to determine applicable requirements and apply stricter rules where appropriate, and expressly call for the more stringent rule when TOD and general zoning conflict. A property’s actual district and approved development conditions determine which rules apply.

Planned residential property: Residential Planned Development (R-PD), Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Conditional Overlay conditions may supplement the general rules. Conditional overlays must be more restrictive and can reduce allowed heights or increase required yards. Approved plans and recorded access rights remain important on gated and zero-side-yard properties.

PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

Fence permit and design approval: Zoning §802.1 requires Building Official approval of location, height and materials, plus a permit, before a fence or wall is erected, placed or altered on a lot. Zoning §103 separately requires permits for building any fence.

Application: Submit the Town’s written application identifying the work, land and intended use, applicable construction documents, total labor/material/equipment valuation, applicant or authorized-agent signature and other required information. Fence work is listed as minor construction, for which plans are not normally required unless another provision specifically requires them. Location, height and material approval still applies. Minor construction excludes electrical and plumbing work. The separate rule requiring plans for other construction exceeding $15,000 applies to that “other” construction; the Building Official can require plans for work affecting structural integrity regardless of valuation.

Review and fees: Applications that do not conform or have an inadequate valuation may be rejected with written reasons. Acceptable detailed valuation estimates may address valuation questions. Fees must be paid before issuance. The ordinance provides written approval or disapproval within 30 days, with notice when additional research time is needed. An application is abandoned after 180 days unless pursued in good faith or a permit is issued; justified written extensions may be granted for up to 90 days each.

Permit life: A permit lasts one year from issuance. A passed valid construction inspection provides an automatic 90-day extension; permits older than one year require inspections within 90 days of each inspection. Written reasonable-cause extensions may be granted for no more than 90 days each with the adopted fee. Failure to start within 180 days, or suspension or abandonment for 180 days after starting, invalidates the permit. Renewal costs 50% of the original permit fee. Keep the permit conspicuously posted until completion. Starting before the required permit adds a fee equal to the regular permit fee.

Powered gates and related work: Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work requires its applicable separate permits and qualifications. A powered gate may involve electrical approval in addition to the fence permit. Grading, floodplain development, ROW work and pool work have separate requirements when those activities apply.

Mobile-home district: Under §408.6, fences, rock walls and garden walls other than developer-built walls require prior written Building Inspection approval of materials, location and appearance. The district’s approval provision operates alongside other applicable permit requirements.

TOD review: The Planning Director or designee interprets and administers TOD applications, plans and permits. Development and associated clearing, grading, excavation and vegetation changes must comply with the applicable code and approvals. Master-site-plan approval is separate from construction approval; administrative special exceptions, Commission exceptions and Council amendments have different procedures. For an existing residential fence replacement, confirm the applicable site approval and review requirements with Planning rather than assuming a new development-scale master plan is required.

Pool work: The Town’s pool and spa application calls for two dimensioned plan sets, with plot/pool placement, survey and applicable elevations, sections, materials and systems information. Plans must show the required six-foot fence, and the final pool inspection includes the fence. Applicable trade permits and contractor-registration requirements also apply.

Permit appeals and zoning relief: Under §103.7, a signed written appeal of a permit refusal, suspension or revocation goes to the City Clerk within 30 calendar days after receiving the written decision, with the decision and grounds attached. A weekend/holiday deadline moves to 5 p.m. the next City working day. Council decides that appeal. Zoning §809 separately routes variance requests through Building Inspection and/or Planning and Zoning to the Board of Adjustment.

Board of Adjustment: Article 1.03 Division 3 provides zoning-error appeals, special exceptions and hardship variances. File an administrative zoning appeal within 30 days with both the deciding administrative officer and the Board; the ordinance requires a decision within 15 working days. Proceedings normally stay pending appeal except for certified imminent peril. Special-exception standards address public welfare, special conditions, neighboring property and safeguards. Board authorization generally supports permits/inspections for 12 months unless directed otherwise; extensions requested within that year require no fee, notice or hearing, while expired authorizations require a new appeal and fees. The Board does not reconsider the same or very similar denied application for one year and may revoke relief for noncompliance. Residential applicants pay adopted fees and applicable City appeal costs.

FENCE PLACEMENT RULES

Boundaries and existing fences: Confirm the legal lot line, recorded plat and easements before locating a wall or its footing. An existing fence, tax map or GIS line does not conclusively establish ownership or the legal boundary. Fence ownership and attachment to another owner’s fence are separate questions from location. Preserve survey markers and obtain the necessary access rights for work on adjoining land.

Ordinary rear and side walls: Section 802.2.1.A places the required rock-and-mortar walls on the rear and side property lines in its described rear portion. The subsection’s literal location wording is “between the rear wall and the rear portion of the dwelling.” Confirm the intended segment with the Building Official when that wording affects a proposed layout. Side fences between the front and rear portions of the dwelling and fences/gates between the dwelling and a side wall have their own height and material rules below.

Gates: A house-to-side-wall fence or gate must be at or behind the front of the structure. A front gate must be wholly on the owner’s property, must not encroach into ROW or obstruct a sidewalk/ROW passage, and must not open outward. An approved rear-yard driveway to an alley may have an opening in the alley wall; its gate must stay on the property without alley encroachment or outward opening. Street-backed rear pedestrian gates likewise must remain on the property without ROW encroachment or outward opening.

Mobile-home district location: Section 408.6 prohibits a fence, rock wall or garden wall nearer a street than the minimum building setback line. On a corner lot, the rear wall may extend from the interior rear lot line to the side-street lot line and then forward along that line to the front building setback. The Board of Adjustment may recommend a deviation where the dwelling faces the side street. Necessary properly engineered retaining walls are not precluded.

TOD privacy and frontage: In designated TOD districts, residential privacy fences belong along side and rear property lines and may not be in the front yard or closer to the street than the façade line. The common-yard frontage type has an unfenced front yard visually continuous with neighboring yards. Streetscreens are a separate frontage feature: garden walls, fences or hedges may run along frontage/other lot lines or parallel to building façades, with the streetscreen conditions below. Streetscreens are prohibited in ROW.

Utility and maintenance easements: Section 404 prohibits structures, plantings or other material that may damage or interfere with utility installation or maintenance. The lot owner maintains easement areas except for the responsibilities assigned to the utility or public authority. Mobile-home district provisions preserve utility/drainage easements and utility trimming/removal rights. R-PD zero-side-yard arrangements reserve a five-foot strip on the affected adjoining lot for construction, inspection, maintenance, repair and reconstruction access, with debris removal and reasonable surface restoration. Fences must preserve the applicable access rights.

Drainage easements: The subdivision ordinance requires a plat note keeping drainage easements clear of fences, buildings, plantings and other obstructions to operation and maintenance. Its minimum 15-foot drainage-easement width and channel-alignment provisions describe the actual drainage corridor; the recorded plat identifies the restriction affecting a particular lot. Preserve gutter and side-ditch drainage. Required drainage openings/design must receive Building Official or designee approval.

Parking beside a street: Where parking immediately behind and adjacent to street ROW could let vehicles extend into ROW, Council may require curbs or barriers. Under §3.06.192 those required barriers are at least six inches high and normally at least three feet from the ROW line on the adjacent property; walls or fences over 24 inches high may be at the property line. Other fence, visibility and ROW requirements continue to apply. A gate project that alters a driveway also requires the applicable driveway approval.

Private drainage ponds: Section 811 requires a six-foot rock wall on the property line wherever a private ponding area abuts that line. Public easement rights and City inspection/vector-control access must remain unimpaired. Site drainage in a platted subdivision must follow applicable approved grading/drainage plans. Owners maintain private pond capacity, inflows and landscaping and remove refuse and silt.

Grading and retaining-wall projects: Article 3.05 covers land-surface disturbance with earth-moving or other heavy equipment. Applicable grading approval, erosion controls and maintenance duties depend on the actual work. Permit-application exceptions include qualifying building-permitted work on a legally platted residential lot or an unplatted residential lot of one acre or less, official waivers for previously graded platted lots, utility trenching and qualifying minor landscaping/small work. The claimant bears the exception’s proof requirements; other article duties remain. Cuts and fills should be at least five feet from property lines and fences, with walls and structures sufficiently separated from slopes for maintenance and stability. Excavations must protect adjacent land; fill must not wash or slide onto others or impair drainage. Exposed cut/fill faces normally may not be steeper than 2:1 unless an engineer determines otherwise; fill above slopes steeper than 3:1 is set back at least five feet from the slope top. Owners maintain retaining walls, drainage, slopes and protective measures and obtain applicable utility clearances.

Flood-hazard property: Article 3.03 requires floodplain development approval for covered development, including applicable filling, grading, excavation and other land changes. Applications may require scaled location/dimension/elevation drawings and descriptions of landscape, drainage and watercourse alterations. Regulatory-floodway encroachments require a qualified engineer’s demonstration of no increase in base-flood levels. In A1–30/AE areas without a designated floodway, the ordinance limits cumulative increases to one foot, subject to its federal conditional-approval provisions. Confirm the current hazard designation with Public Works.

Stormwater from larger residential projects: Article 13.02 covers soil disturbance of at least one acre, or a smaller disturbance within a common plan ultimately disturbing at least one acre, including qualifying residential construction. Routine maintenance preserving original line/grade, capacity or purpose is excluded. Before a qualifying larger acreage fence project, confirm applicable stormwater approval and requirements with Public Works.

Drainage and construction waste: Texas Water Code §11.086 prohibits diversion or impoundment of natural surface water that damages another’s property by overflow, subject to its specific statutory provisions. The Town’s stormwater ordinance prohibits illicit discharges, including mortar/concrete, hazardous household waste, trash, yard waste, animal-pen runoff and materials clogging the storm system.

Work in ROW: Cutting, excavating or constructing in a City street, alley, sidewalk, parkway or driveway ROW requires the applicable Public Works permit, separately for each cut/address. Applications include authorization and utility-locate verification.

Pipeline excavation: Railroad Commission Chapter 18 has a separate scope: earth movement no deeper than 16 inches is excluded, while deeper hand excavation can be covered. Its days are ordinarily working days; the default locate life is 14 working days unless a qualifying signed, dated written agreement extends it. Required locate and positive-response records must be retained at least four years. Missing, incorrect or inconsistent responses require the applicable second-notice process. The rule describes a tolerance zone using half the nominal pipeline diameter plus at least 18 inches on each side of the outside edge, measured horizontally; use required reasonable-care, noninvasive or operator-approved methods in the actual zone. Pipeline easement construction may also require notice, risk/protective-work arrangements and costs under Health and Safety Code §§756.121–.123, subject to its existing-agreement and other statutory exceptions.

Agricultural residences and acreage: Agriculture Code Chapter 251 protects qualifying agricultural operations, including relevant fences, pens and improvements, subject to its actual activities and statutory conditions. Agricultural zoning, acreage or tax treatment alone does not determine qualification. Within-city restrictions are subject to §§251.005–.0055, which limit municipal requirements and condition their use on the statute’s public-health-and-safety findings and procedures. State and federal requirements continue to apply. The statute has specific livestock-protection-dog and wildlife-management provisions.

Cultivated land: Agriculture Code §143.001 requires a sufficient hog-excluding fence at least five feet high around cleared cultivated land, with different treatment in adopted stock-law areas. Section 143.002 requires an unlocked gate at least ten feet wide for a fence extending more than three lineal miles generally in one direction around cultivated land. Stock-law fence specifications depend on an actual adopted subchapter, animal class and territory; a parcel’s applicable local stock-law status requires separate confirmation.

Animals at a residence: The animal ordinance requires physical restraint on the owner’s premises or competent-person direct control offsite. Outdoor pens, cages and shelters must be within a fenced or rock-walled area; those for animals other than dogs/cats must sit at least five feet from a fence/wall immediately adjoining developed or occupied property. Dangerous animals need confinement preventing contact with people/animals except supervised breeding. Dangerous-dog secure enclosures under Health and Safety Code Chapter 822 must be locked, prevent public/child entry and dog escape, carry the required warning and meet local enclosure requirements. Local livestock provisions distinguish platted residential-zoned areas, a qualifying one-small-livestock/6,000-square-foot-lot exception, and the outside-defined-residential-area branch for more than ten acres; qualifying agricultural-operation protections remain relevant.

Shared or attached fence removal: Agriculture Code §§143.121–.123 restrict removal of a separating/dividing jointly owned fence or one attached to a fence another owns/controls without mutual consent or the statutory process. A person withdrawing their attached fence must provide six months’ written notice to the other fence owner or the specified agent, attorney or lessee. An owner whose fence is wholly on their land may require an attached fence to be disconnected/withdrawn after the same six-month written notice to the appropriate recipient.

Existing TOD conditions: The TOD code permits lawful nonconformities only under its terms. Removal terminates the nonconformity, with subsequent work required to conform. Before replacing an existing fence, confirm the property’s applicable nonconforming status and approval requirements, together with the separate sightline limitations.

Texas811 before digging: Request a Texas811 locate before posthole work, wait the applicable lawful period, check ticket responses and site markings, resolve missing or conflicting information, protect markings and excavate carefully. Utilities Code Chapter 251 covers explosives or powered/mechanized excavation, including augers, disturbing soil to 16 inches or more. Ordinary notice is no earlier than the 14th day before excavation and no later than the 48th hour before it, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. The Saturday-before-11:59-a.m. branch allows a following-Tuesday-11:59-a.m. start, or Wednesday if Monday is a legal holiday; follow the ticket’s actual instructions. Private facilities and some utility classes have different coverage; private services may need separate location. Statutory agricultural-operation and all-facilities-owned/operated exceptions have specific conditions. Separate Railroad Commission pipeline rules can cover deeper hand digging and have their own response and excavation-care requirements. Health and Safety Code Chapter 756 separately addresses construction risking pipelines or crossing pipeline easements/ROW. Utility notice does not replace permits, easement rights or landowner permission. Report utility damage immediately to the operator, or the notification center if the operator is unknown; use authorized repairs, agree repair arrangements before backfilling and protect against ignition where flammable facilities are involved.

FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES

Ordinary rear/side rock walls: In the rear portion described by §802.2.1.A, property-line rock-and-mortar walls must be 4–6 feet high from finished grade. A two-foot extension, with total height no more than eight feet, requires written consent of all abutting property owners. Material and appearance conditions appear below.

Mid-side fences: Between the front and rear portions of the dwelling, a side-property-line fence may be no higher than the abutting rear wall or six feet from finished grade, whichever is lower. Where it abuts an extended rear wall, it may match that wall up to eight feet. For materials other than chain-link or wrought iron, the fence may not exceed 36 inches within 20 feet of a street intersection or where vehicle/pedestrian visibility might be impeded.

House-to-side-wall fences and gates: At or behind the structure front, height is limited to the abutting side/rear wall or six feet, whichever is lower. A fence or gate abutting a qualifying extended wall may match it up to eight feet. Rear-alley driveway gates may not exceed the abutting walls.

Front portions: Rock-and-mortar side walls between the front of the dwelling and the front property line may be no higher than 30 inches from finished grade. Front wrought-iron fencing may reach six feet. For iron over a rock wall or between rock/finished-masonry pillars, the rock/finished-masonry wall portion remains subject to the 30-inch limit; the total combination remains limited to six feet from finished grade. Pillars must be at least three feet and no more than ten feet apart. Front gates may not exceed the adjoining fence.

Street-backed rear lots: A rear property line abutting a street requires a rock-and-mortar wall at least six feet high from finished grade on the street-ROW side. Rear gates serving a street, ROW or pedestrian open-space area may be no taller than the abutting walls and no wider than 48 inches.

Golf-course rear walls: Section 802.2.3 specifies a two-foot rock-and-mortar base, one-foot-square rock pillars every ten feet and iron rails between them. Iron sections may reach six feet from finished grade, and pillars may match the iron height. The Building Official may adjust pillar locations to fit property dimensions. Pool requirements also apply where relevant.

Mobile-home district: Section 408.6 limits walls to six feet. Its district-specific limit and street-location restrictions require Building Inspection review where an eight-foot extension under the general residential section is proposed.

TOD privacy fences: In designated TOD districts, residential side/rear privacy fences have a six-foot maximum, with the front-yard/façade restrictions described above. TOD requirements must be considered with the general zoning rules and the code’s stricter-rule provisions.

TOD streetscreens: Section 5.2.D sets a three-foot minimum. In T3 and T4 zones the maximum is four feet along Primary Frontage and up to the build-to zone, and six feet along other frontages. In T5 the maximum is four feet along all frontages. The transect parking tables require streetscreens, garden walls, fences or hedges along unbuilt street ROW to shield parking; their T3/T4 wording extends the four-foot branch up to the primary structure, while §5.2.D says build-to zone. Planning determines the applicable layout where those different descriptions matter. The glossary defines a garden wall as no higher than 48 inches. Privacy fences and streetscreens have distinct provisions.

Corner, driveway and alley sightlines: Section 806 separately prohibits sight-obstructing fences, walls or plantings between two and ten feet above roadway level within the corner triangle formed by street property lines and a line joining points 25 feet from their intersection. For a rounded corner, use the intersection of the extended street property lines. The same sightline limitation applies where a street property line connects with a driveway or alley pavement edge. This 25-foot geometry operates alongside the separate 20-foot/36-inch mid-side-fence rule.

Vegetation and passage: Vegetation may not encroach on sidewalks, and branches must clear sidewalks by eight feet. Vehicles, plants and other matter may not block sidewalk or driveway passage. Section 806.1.2 has differing roadway-branch language: an eight-foot clearance, including a clause for branches extending more than five feet from the curb, followed by a ten-foot requirement for branches extending beyond five feet. Confirm the required roadway pruning clearance with the responsible Town office when a hedge or tree affects the project.

Existing sight obstructions: Lawfully preexisting walls and permanent structures have nonconforming status under §806.2. If destroyed, they may not be rebuilt contrary to sightline requirements, and alterations may not increase the nonconformity.

Accessory connections, porches and terraces: Section 807.1.H.6 allows a detached residential garage/accessory structure to connect to the house by a fence or wall up to six feet high, or a breezeway no wider than five feet and at least 75% open on both sides. Section 812.2.D allows an unenclosed porch or entranceway patio with a wall up to six feet, each no more than 150 square feet in roof area, to extend up to ten feet into the required front yard. Under §812.3.E, a terrace no higher than ground/first level, no more than 150 square feet in floor area and with a six-foot screen wall may project five feet into a required yard while remaining at least two feet from the adjoining lot line. These permissions concern their specified accessory features.

Home occupations: Outdoor activities of a permitted home occupation must be screened from neighboring property by a solid fence at least six feet high. Equipment, materials and merchandise associated with the business may not be displayed or stored where visible from a street or public ROW. Applicable district, visibility and permit rules continue to govern the installation.

Private pools: Local §807.1.O requires swimming pools in a rear yard with a minimum six-foot fence. Yard gates must be six feet tall from finished grade, self-closing and lockable from inside; the gate bottom may clear finished grade by no more than four inches. Iron or steel-slat gate spacing may be no wider than four inches. Pools must be at least five feet from the dwelling and rear/side property lines. A spa or hot tub must have a locking cover or meet the swimming-pool fencing requirements. The ordinance’s private-pool definition covers water over 24 inches deep, recreational swimming/bathing associated with R-3 occupancy and use only by the household and guests, including in-, above- and on-ground pools, spas and hot tubs.

Pool barrier methods and cumulative local rules: Texas Local Government Code §214.103 establishes the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code as it existed May 1, 2019 for municipalities electing to regulate pools/spas, with later municipal editions and amendments permitted. The 2018 base §305 describes a 48-inch minimum barrier measured outside, with that height maintained for three feet horizontally outward; Horizon City’s six-foot pool-yard and gate duties apply separately. Base ground clearance is at most two inches over nonsolid ground, or four inches over a solid surface or when mounted on the pool. Openings must reject a four-inch sphere. Solid barriers lack climbable handholds/footholds apart from normal construction tolerances and masonry joints.

2018 base barrier construction: Mesh barriers follow manufacturer instructions, with bottom clearance no more than one inch, no more than four inches of lift/under-panel access, attachment at least 45 inches high, a compliant gate and nonconductive deck sleeves; mesh may not be used atop an onground pool. With horizontal rails less than 45 inches apart, rails go poolside and vertical/decorative gaps are limited to 1¾ inches. With rails at least 45 inches apart, vertical gaps may be four inches and decorative cutouts remain limited to 1¾ inches. Chain-link/slatted openings are limited to 1¾ inches. Diagonal openings are limited to 1¾ inches and members to a 45-degree angle from vertical. Keep a 36-inch exterior clear zone from permanent climbable structures/equipment and at least 20 inches between pool-side barrier and water edge.

2018 base gates and alternatives: Pedestrian gates open away from the pool, self-close/self-latch and accommodate locking; service gates remain locked when unused, and double gates secure one leaf with the adjacent leaf self-latching. Where a latch is below 54 inches, it is poolside at least three inches below the top, with no opening over ½ inch within 18 inches. Section 305 provides qualifying ASTM F1346 powered-pool/lockable-spa-cover alternatives to its barrier sections; dwelling-wall alternatives use a UL2017 alarm for directly accessing doors and qualifying operable windows, a listed cover or an approved equally protective method. The alarm window-sill threshold is below 48 inches; deactivation controls are at least 54 inches high, or 48–54 inches in accessible units. An onground pool wall may serve as the barrier where its bottom is on grade and its top is at least 48 inches above grade around the entire perimeter, it complies with §305.2 and the manufacturer permits that use. A barrier mounted on the pool must also have its top at least 48 inches above grade and follow manufacturer instructions. Access ladders must be secured, locked, removed or separately enclosed; resulting openings must reject a four-inch sphere. Shoreline alternatives require no public shore access and an 18-inch extension beyond the water edge, or an approved protective natural barrier. Applicable model alternatives do not eliminate Horizon City’s separate six-foot swimming-pool yard requirement. Its express locking-cover option for spas/hot tubs remains distinct.

Local pool-form wording: The Town’s pool form labels dwelling-wall alternatives “2021 IRC, AG105 … #9” and describes a powered ASTM F1346 cover, UL2017 door/screen alarm with deactivation at least 54 inches above the threshold, or an approved equally protective method. That older-style AG105 reference appears alongside the form’s 2021 IRC label. Confirm the applicable approved wall/door arrangement with Building Services. Section 807.1.O’s enclosed-pool setback/height cross-reference names subsections J and L, which the code marks repealed in 2015. The direct pool-yard, gate and spa-cover provisions remain separately stated.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS

Required base walls: Ordinary rear/side walls in the rear portion described in §802.2.1.A are rock and mortar only. Wood and chain-link are expressly listed for particular extensions, mid-side fences, house-to-wall fences and specified gates. Vinyl/PVC is not specifically named in §802; commercially available prefabricated fencing is a listed category in those particular branches. Obtain approval for the actual product and location.

Rear-wall extensions: Allowed materials are rock and mortar, wood, chain-link, wrought iron or commercially available prefabricated fencing. Where the dwelling already has a non-rock side-property-line fence under §802.2.1 installed by or for any owner, the extension must match that material or its color and appearance. The eight-foot total height still requires every abutting owner’s written consent.

Mid-side fences: Allowed materials are rock and mortar, wood, chain-link, wrought iron or commercially available prefabricated fencing. If a rear rock-wall extension installed by or for any owner exists, the mid-side fence must match its material/color/appearance, or combine rock and mortar with the matching material. The separate visibility restriction applies to materials other than chain-link or wrought iron.

House-to-side-wall fences and gates: Fences may use rock and mortar, wood, chain-link, iron or commercially available prefabricated fencing. Unless rock and mortar is selected, match the material or color/appearance of an existing qualifying rear-fence extension. Gates may use wood, chain-link, iron or prefabricated fencing and must match the abutting fence or qualifying rear extension in material/color/appearance, except where the extension is rock and mortar or iron is chosen for the gate.

Rear-alley and street-backed pedestrian gates: Wood, chain-link, wrought iron and commercially available prefabricated fencing are listed. Where the abutting wall has an extension, use iron, the extension material or a material with the same/similar color and appearance. Observe the different gate-height, width, ownership and swing requirements for the particular opening.

Front fences and finishes: Front gates must be wrought iron. In §802, wrought iron includes metal designed and built to mimic its appearance. Concrete or similar finished masonry used in the permitted front combination must have tinted/painted stucco, a veneer mimicking natural masonry such as brick, or an incorporated raised design with an earthen tint. The separate rock-and-mortar wall rule prohibits painting either the rock or mortar and prohibits covering it with stucco or a similar coating.

Rock-wall construction: Section 802.2.8 incorporates the Town’s construction design standards. Rockwall Design sheet 2-02 specifies a concrete footing at least 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep, two continuous #4 reinforcing bars and 3,000-PSI concrete at 28 days. Stone must be as nearly uniform in section as practicable, dense and resistant to air and water, and thoroughly soaked before placement. Use fractured quarried rock; river rock is prohibited. Mortar must be Type S, 1,800 PSI per ASTM C270, with mortar joints no more than two inches. Provide one-inch expansion joints every 100 lineal feet.

Masonry structural design: Sheet 2-02 requires structural-wall design for masonry walls over six feet high and for earth retention over two feet. Its wording calls for structural design; the separate express professional-engineer-stamp rule for a commercially zoned retaining fence is described below. Wall height remains “HEIGHT PER ORDINANCE.” The diagram’s six-inch crest callout provides no additional permitted zoning height.

TOD streetscreen form: Streetscreens over four feet should be at least 25% permeable or articulated. Section 5.2.D describes nonpermeable streetscreens “by warrant,” while the adopted development-review provisions use Administrative Special Exception terminology. Confirm the applicable Planning approval for that design. Openings may be no larger than needed for vehicle/pedestrian access. Hedges used as streetscreens must be evergreen; streetscreens may not occupy ROW.

TOD equipment and service screening: At-grade mechanical equipment visible from an adjacent street or sidewalk must be screened by a fence or streetscreen. The definition includes residential heating/cooling and electrical equipment, pumps, exterior water heaters/softeners, meters/boxes, garbage cans, tanks/generators, geothermal wells and EV chargers. Dumpsters/similar collection areas belong at the rear or side and must be screened from neighboring property, public ROW and pedestrian walkways, excluding alleys. Preserve service and easement access.

Residential service areas: Section 404 recognizes fences, walls or plantings to conceal clotheslines, equipment, service yards, wood and storage piles. R-PD clotheslines must be in a fenced service yard or otherwise concealed. Accessory-structure provisions place central AC condensing units at least three feet from a lot line or existing fence/wall and prohibit accessory-roof runoff onto a rock wall or neighboring property.

Fence maintenance: Keep fences and walls vertical, uniform, structurally sound and in good repair. A hazardous deteriorated rock-and-mortar wall/fence may require repair or replacement at the owner’s expense, or adjoining owners’ expense when on their common property line.

Residence on commercially zoned property: Section 805.1.1 has separate Building Official approval/permit standards. Front fences are limited to five feet from finished grade, using a two-foot rock/mortar solid wall plus three feet of chain-link/iron, or up to five feet of chain-link/iron. Specified outdoor dilapidated-vehicle/surplus-inventory storage requires solid front screening. Side and rear fences have a six-foot minimum; corner lots/off-street multi-parking areas have a two-foot maximum above curb level and applicable sightline requirements. Pools have a six-foot minimum. Barbed wire is allowed only above six feet from finished grade; rock-wall painting and using a fence as a building wall are prohibited. A retaining fence holding more than two feet of soil requires design and stamping by a Texas professional engineer. Ingress/egress openings need authorization on the approved site plan; keep fences graffiti-free. Tennis courts may have fences up to 16 feet on side/rear lines. Confirm district applicability where a residential use is in a commercial district.

PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS

Recorded restrictions and access: Zoning approval and private covenants address different obligations. Review recorded covenants, plats, easements and applicable association approvals. Public zoning preserves recorded covenants, subject to current Texas limits on association authority. Permission from an adjoining owner for a fence extension does not replace municipal approval or create access rights on the neighbor’s property.

HOA security fences: Property Code §202.023 limits association prohibitions of security measures, including perimeter fences, but excludes Chapter 81/82 condominiums and Chapter 215 master mixed-use associations. An association may regulate fence type, prohibit obstruction of written-license/plat-license areas, public/community sidewalks and drainage easements/areas, require a driveway gate to sit at least ten feet from ROW where the driveway meets the defined laned roadway, and enforce a covenant prohibiting fences ahead of the dwelling’s front-most building line.

HOA statutory exceptions: Section 202.023 protects maintenance of perimeter/front-line fences installed before September 1, 2025 notwithstanding the subsection(c) controls. Its exception to the front-building-line prohibition also covers qualifying owners with protected confidential addresses or documented enhanced-security needs under the statute. These provisions operate alongside public fence and safety requirements.

HOA water-feature enclosures: Section 202.022 protects a conforming nonclimbable transparent-mesh or clear-panel enclosure in a metal frame no higher than six feet. Associations may regulate appearance/color but may not prohibit the protected black transparent-mesh/metal-frame form. Compliance with applicable public safety requirements remains necessary.

R-PD and mobile-home property: R-PD recorded covenants assign private-street, gate-structure and associated lighting maintenance/liability to the homeowners association, with unrestricted emergency, utility and municipal-enforcement access. Common-space/stormwater maintenance and zero-side-yard access provisions also apply. In the manufactured/mobile-home district, a party wall/fence is on the property line with agreed adjoining-lot encroachment, and maintenance is shared equally; developer rock walls are party walls except the street-side corner wall. These district provisions govern their specified properties.

REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT

The Town may require correction, repair or replacement of noncompliant or hazardous work and use applicable ordinance enforcement remedies. A permit approval does not resolve a private boundary, ownership, covenant or access dispute.

Before replacing an existing fence, confirm the applicable yard and district rules, any lawful nonconforming status and the approval route for the work. Permit appeals, zoning relief and TOD review follow their separate procedures described above. Maintain required access, drainage, visibility and pool protection throughout the project.

USING THIS INFORMATION

This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within the Town of Horizon 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 Building Official 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.