FENCE RULES – HUNT (COUNTY), TEXAS

OVERVIEW

This page covers residential fences in unincorporated Hunt County, Texas. It distinguishes the county’s Lake Tawakoni planning area from other unincorporated territory. The statutory lake planning area extends 5,000 feet from Lake Tawakoni’s 447-foot-elevation project boundary, or take line. Incorporated municipalities have their own requirements; subdivision administration in a city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction depends on the applicable agreement and legal authority.

Hunt County does not administer zoning in unincorporated territory outside the Lake Tawakoni planning area. Within that area, the lake ordinance regulates fence permits, front-yard height and openness, architectural compatibility and district-specific placement. A single-family required-front-yard fence generally has a 40-inch maximum and must be at least 50% open. Elsewhere, recorded subdivision conditions, intersection visibility, roads, easements and floodplain review remain consequential. Wood, vinyl/PVC and chain-link have no individual listing in the lake ordinance’s ordinary residential fence provisions; design and special-use requirements still matter. Updated November 2026.

Quick question	Hunt County answer
Permit or approval	Lake planning area: the residential permit application includes fences, with site-plan approval and final inspection. Other unincorporated territory: the county does not publish a separate fence-specific local permit requirement or exemption for ordinary residential fences. Floodplain, county-property and applicable special approvals are separate.
Typical fence height	Lake planning area: a fence or wall in a single-family district’s required front yard is limited to 40 inches and front-yard fences and walls generally must be at least 50% open. Other district and special-purpose rules appear below. Outside this planning area, ordinary fence heights are not set by county zoning.
Placement & property lines	The lake ordinance expressly permits side- and rear-property-line fences, subject to its other applicable provisions. Mobile Home (MH-1/MH-2) district locations have a separate placement restriction. Public rights-of-way, recorded easements, drainage, corner-yard classification and sight areas can restrict placement throughout the covered territory.
Common fence materials	Wood: not individually specified in the lake ordinance’s ordinary residential fence provisions. Vinyl/PVC: not individually specified there. Chain-link: not individually specified there; the Engineering Standards Manual separately specifies chain-link for certain detention-facility safety fences. Architectural compatibility, openness, screening and special-site requirements apply in their stated settings.
Important local conditions	Fence rules may be further affected by Lake Tawakoni zoning district and required yards, corner and driveway visibility, subdivision plat conditions, utility and drainage easements, floodplain or floodway development, county or state road rights-of-way, gated-subdivision entrances, Sabine River Authority permit areas, pool-barrier use, livestock and agricultural conditions, and private restrictions subject to Texas law.
Official local resource	Hunt County Development Office

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

GOVERNANCE

Hunt County Commissioners Court adopts county regulations under the authority granted for each subject. Hunt County has no general countywide zoning system. The county’s zoning program applies to the Lake Tawakoni planning area, while separate subdivision, road, floodplain and other requirements have their own coverage.

• Lake Tawakoni planning territory: Local Government Code Chapter 231, Subchapter F establishes the special lake-area framework. For Lake Tawakoni, the statutory boundary is measured from the 447-foot-elevation take line, with the planning area extending 5,000 feet from that line. The Lake Tawakoni Planning Commission administers the Lake Tawakoni zoning ordinance, with Commissioners Court action where the ordinance requires it. The take line and the current water’s edge are different boundaries.

• Other unincorporated territory: Hunt County does not administer zoning outside the Lake Tawakoni planning area. County subdivision regulations, engineering standards, floodplain regulations, county-road requirements and applicable recorded instruments remain relevant to residential fence projects.

• Subdivision administration and ETJs: The Hunt County Development Office administers county subdivision and development requirements. City-county agreements allocate subdivision and related-permit administration in municipal extraterritorial jurisdictions, or ETJs. The Poetry agreement assigns county subdivision review, floodplain and on-site sewage functions in its covered Hunt County ETJ; the Campbell agreement assigns county subdivision and related-permit administration; the Blue Ridge agreement assigns exclusive city plat control in its covered ETJ. The county revoked its 2002 Greenville plat agreement in 2023 and retained enforcement of specified city infrastructure standards in Greenville water/sewer service-certification areas to the extent allowed by law. These are function-specific arrangements; the property’s current location and the particular approval determine the responsible office.

• Floodplain administration: The Hunt County Floodplain Damage Prevention Order designates the Department of Homeland Security or its designee as Floodplain Administrator. That administrator reviews covered development and interprets flood-hazard boundaries when necessary.

• Roads and gated subdivisions: Commissioners Court, the applicable precinct and the county’s engineering representative administer county-road and subdivision infrastructure requirements. The Fire Marshal reviews gated-subdivision entrances under the subdivision regulations. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is responsible for applicable state-highway right-of-way requirements.

• Sabine River Authority land: The Sabine River Authority’s Lake Tawakoni administration controls use and improvements on its land and limited-use-permit areas. Its land and permit boundaries are separate from the county’s broader lake zoning area.

PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

• Lake planning area fence permits: The Lake Tawakoni residential permit application expressly includes fences. The ordinance’s permit process requires approval before the applicable erection, alteration or conversion. Article 5 requires an approved site plan before a development building permit. The application identifies the project location, zoning, work description, valuation, owner and contractor information. It states that all permits require final inspection.

• Lake-area site-plan duration: If development of a lot has not commenced within two years after site-plan approval, the plan expires and must be resubmitted for approval before construction. Site-plan review addresses applicable district standards, circulation, screening, drainage and other project conditions.

• Outside the lake planning area: Hunt County does not publish a separate fence-specific local permit requirement or exemption for ordinary residential fences. Its residential house/duplex construction notification and inspection program applies to the defined building work. Floodplain development, work on county property and other covered activities have separate approval requirements.

• Floodplain fences and walls: The Hunt County Floodplain Damage Prevention Order expressly includes fences and fence-type walls within the floodplain in its definition of development. Covered development in areas of special flood hazard requires a Development Permit. Application requirements include plans showing proposed changes and their relationship to flood hazards, information about altered watercourses or natural drainage, and a Texas professional engineer’s site plan showing proposed development, grading, drainage and effects on adjacent development. Project-specific building certifications apply where the order requires them.

• County property and public rights-of-way: A county permit is required before covered land disturbance or private encroachment in public rights-of-way or other property covered by Section 12 of the subdivision regulations. This includes relevant driveway, culvert, landscaping and other encroachment work associated with a fence or gate. The regulations exclude county property wholly under the operational control of specified federal, state or special entities. Site Development Authorization permits under Section 13 generally remain valid for two years, subject to the section’s stated exception for on-site sewage permits.

• Gated-subdivision approvals: The Development Support Committee must approve a subdivision entrance gate before installation. For a new subdivision, the Fire Marshal must test and approve it before the Letter of Public Improvement Compliance is issued. For an existing subdivision, Fire Marshal testing and a letter of approval are required before the association operates it. The gate must remain open until approval.

• Subdivision and access documents: The March 24, 2026 subdivision amendment requires disclosure of applicable governing instruments during subdivision review, including architectural-control and private-road/access documents. Final instruments must be submitted and recorded concurrently with the applicable final plat. New instruments changing specified recorded-plat layout, access or maintenance obligations require an authorized plat-amendment process; internal governance amendments outside those conditions have a separate treatment. The amendment applies to subdivision applications for which a preliminary plat had not been filed at its effective date.

• Pool-barrier projects: A fence serving as a pool or spa barrier must satisfy the requirements applicable to the actual pool use as well as ordinary fence requirements. The lake ordinance includes a separate pool-code adoption. Specified association and multiunit-rental pools have separate Texas enclosure requirements, and public pools have a separate state regulatory framework. Confirm the applicable pool approval and barrier design before selecting a fence or gate.

• Sabine River Authority permit areas: Construction on covered Authority land requires its written approval. Applicable plans, construction applications, fees and other required governmental approvals must be completed before work begins. The Authority’s private limited-use-permit requirements are described below.

FENCE PLACEMENT RULES

• Legal boundaries: Establish the legal property boundary and read the recorded plat and easements before setting posts. An existing fence, ditch, mowing line, tax-map line or pavement edge may be in a different place. Public rights-of-way can extend beyond the traveled road.

• Lake-area side and rear property lines: Sections 3-504 and 3-601 expressly permit a fence on the property line adjacent to a side or rear yard. The ordinance’s district, front-yard, visibility and other location provisions also apply to the relevant property.

• Lake-area Mobile Home (MH-1 and MH-2) districts: The district provisions limit fences to the area behind the structure’s front wall through the rear building line. Fences must be architecturally harmonious with the development.

• Lake-area Patio Home district: A wall may be placed on the front property line when it is at least 50% open. Walls and fences must be harmonious with the district, and applicable front-yard requirements remain relevant.

• Lake-area corner lots: For one- or two-family corner lots platted after the ordinance’s effective date, both street exposures are treated as front yards. An exception applies where a platted building line designates a street exposure as a side yard of 15 feet or more. For lots officially recorded before the ordinance’s effective date, the street-side yard follows the respective district’s minimum side-yard requirement. Required yards and approved plats determine the area subject to the front-yard fence rules.

• Utility easements on subdivision property: Required easement and plat language preserves utility and county access and permits removal of fences and other improvements that endanger or interfere with the respective systems. Property owners maintain these easements. Read the instrument affecting the lot before enclosing the corridor or installing a gate across it.

• Drainage easements and open channels: The Engineering Standards Manual requires drainage easements to remain free of encroachments unless the county’s engineering representative or designee approves otherwise. Required subdivision plat language prohibits blocking water flow, constructing improvements in drainage easements, or filling or obstructing a floodway. Existing drainage channels remain open, and the applicable owners maintain them.

• Recorded floodplain-easement conditions: Where the required 100-year-floodplain easement note applies, construction requires county approval and detailed engineering plans and studies showing that flooding and obstruction of natural flow will not result; affected property owners must join the request. Owners must keep natural drainage channels free of debris, silt and other obstructing material. Floodplain permits and floodway engineering conditions also apply in their stated settings.

• County road widening and fence replacement: When directed during subdivision right-of-way dedication, the subdivider must remove fencing from newly dedicated right-of-way. A separate provision governs the county’s acquisition of right-of-way for county-road construction or reconstruction outside the platting process. Fence removal/replacement negotiations must be completed before the county takes the deed. The county provides and maintains temporary electric fencing during road construction and replaces existing affected fences with the same type at county expense on the owner’s side of the new boundary. A reimbursement request must reach the county’s engineering representative before road construction begins and requires the stated approvals.

• Surface-water flow: Water Code Section 11.086 prohibits diverting or impounding natural surface water in a way that damages another property by overflow, subject to its statutory qualifications. Fence bases, masonry walls and grading must be considered together with the site’s drainage.

• Existing dividing or attached fences: Agriculture Code Sections 143.121–143.123 restrict removal of qualifying jointly owned dividing fences and fences attached to another person’s fence, except through mutual consent or the statutory process. Under Section 143.122, a person who owns an interest in a fence attached to a fence owned wholly or partly by another person may physically withdraw their own fence from the other fence after giving six months’ written notice of the intended separation. Notice must be given to the owner of the attached fence or that person’s agent, attorney or lessee. Under Section 143.123, an owner whose fence is wholly on that owner’s land may require the owner of an attached fence to disconnect and withdraw the attached fence after six months’ written notice of the required disconnection. That notice must be given to the owner of the attached fence or that person’s agent, attorney or lessee. Ownership and attachment determine which provision applies.

• Texas811 and pipeline protection before post digging: Request a locate through Texas811 before digging, wait the applicable lawful period, check ticket responses and site markings, resolve missing or conflicting information through the ticket process, protect markings and dig carefully. Utilities Code Chapter 251 covers specified powered or mechanized excavation, including augering, to 16 inches or more. Ordinary notice is no earlier than 14 days before excavation and at least 48 hours beforehand, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. A Saturday notification permits a start the following Tuesday at 11:59 a.m., or Wednesday at 11:59 a.m. if the intervening Monday is a holiday. Use the ticket’s lawful-start instructions. Private irrigation, pool, outbuilding and other customer-owned lines may need separate locating. Railroad Commission rules for covered pipelines separately reach qualifying manual digging deeper than 16 inches and ordinarily use 14-working-day tickets, with refresh requirements, a written signed-and-dated longer-ticket agreement option, and required records retained at least four years. Utility notice, easement rights and project permits are separate requirements.

• Construction affecting pipeline easements: Health and Safety Code Sections 756.121–756.123 cover construction, repair, replacement and maintenance affecting easements or rights-of-way for pipelines carrying natural gas or gathering or transmitting oil, gas or their products. The construction definition includes work physically on, across, over or under the corridor, or physically impacting or creating a risk to the pipeline. For covered work on, across, over or under the easement or right-of-way, give notice to the pipeline operator and satisfy one of Section 756.123’s alternatives before proceeding: the operator determines that the work will not increase risk to the public or increase the risk of a break, leak, rupture or other pipeline damage; if the operator determines risk will increase, the constructor pays the reasonable, necessary and documented costs of the additional protective fortifications, barriers, conduits or other required changes or improvements; the work is conducted under an existing written agreement; or the work must be done promptly by a regulated utility company because of a natural disaster’s effects. Section 756.122 makes the subchapter subject to a contrary written agreement between the pipeline owner or operator and the person placing or causing construction on the corridor, including a Texas Department of Transportation right-of-way agreement. It excludes municipal construction on municipally owned property unless for private commercial use, and the specified construction, repair, replacement or maintenance on property owned by a navigation district or port authority created or operating under Article III, Section 52, or Article XVI, Section 59 of the Texas Constitution.

FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES

• Outside the Lake Tawakoni planning area: Ordinary fence heights are not set by county zoning. Recorded subdivision restrictions, sight easements, drainage, floodplain, road and other applicable conditions still govern their respective subjects.

• Lake-area single-family required front yards: Section 3-904 limits a fence or wall to 40 inches. A combination of a berm and fence also may not exceed 40 inches. Front-yard fences and walls must be at least 50% open, except headlight screens.

• Lake-area day-care play areas: A fence enclosing an outdoor play area in a day-care center’s front yard may reach 48 inches under the specific exception. The applicable front-yard openness and visibility provisions remain relevant.

• Lake-area Multiple Family (MF) district: This district permits detached single-family residences as well as other listed residential uses. Its front-yard wall provision allows a wall up to 8 feet when it is at least 50% open and compatible with the development’s general architecture.

• Lake-area residential/nonresidential boundaries: Where a residential district sides or backs onto a nonresidential district, Section 3-904 requires a solid screening wall or fence at least 6 feet and no more than 8 feet high on the dividing property line. The nonresidential owner is responsible for construction. The Planning Commission may approve an irrigated living screen instead.

• Lake-area streets and driveways: A fence, screen, wall or other visual barrier may not obstruct a motorist’s vision approaching a street or driveway intersection.

• Subdivision sight-visibility easements: The Hunt County subdivision regulations, Section 5.05.D, Table 9 and Figure 5, specify property-line leg dimensions of 15 feet along the local approach and 5 feet along the alley for a local/alley intersection; 15 feet on each leg for a local approach meeting a local or collector street; and 30 feet on each leg for collector/arterial approaches meeting collector/arterial streets. Required plat language prohibits vision-obstructing structures, objects and plants, expressly including fences, between 24 inches and 10 feet above the curb or pavement edge within the sight easement.

• Engineering intersection standards: Engineering Standards Manual Section 7.4.6 separately prohibits trees, shrubs, plants, signs, soil, fences, retaining walls and other view obstructions higher than 2 feet within the required triangle. Height is measured above the line joining the relevant curb or pavement-edge elevations of the intersecting streets. Additional sight distance may be required because of topography, curvature, vegetation or other obstructions. A deviation requires an adequate sight-distance demonstration under American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards and approval by the county’s engineering representative.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS

• Wood, vinyl/PVC and chain-link: The Lake Tawakoni ordinance’s ordinary residential fence provisions do not individually specify wood, vinyl/PVC or chain-link. The ordinance instead imposes architectural compatibility, applicable openness, visibility and screening requirements. Outside the lake planning area, county zoning does not prescribe ordinary residential fence materials; applicable plat, easement and special-purpose requirements still need to be observed.

• Lake-area fence and gate design: Screening walls and fences must be in keeping with the development’s general architecture. Openings must have gates equal in height and screening characteristics to the wall or fence. Screening walls must be equally finished on both sides. Single Family (SF-40, SF-20 and SF-10) and Resort Commercial (RC-1) district provisions also require harmonious fence design; the RC-1 provision expressly includes gates.

• Subdivision detention-facility fencing: Engineering Standards Manual Section 4.6.2 requires safety fencing where detention-facility side slopes are steeper than 4:1, the 100-year design depth exceeds 4 feet, significant exposure to children or elderly people is likely, or the county’s engineering representative directs it. The specified safety fence is chain-link at least 6 feet high, with maintenance access. The engineering representative or designee may approve alternative materials or other protective measures, including decorative fencing or privacy hedges.

• Gated-subdivision dimensions and operation: The minimum unobstructed single-gate opening is 24 feet; one or more gate sections may provide that width. The Fire Marshal may approve a narrower divided arrangement incorporating a median, guard booth or similar feature, but no clear gate or roadway opening may be less than 18 feet. An overhead obstruction requires at least 14 feet of vertical clearance above the finished roadway across the full minimum opening. Approach and departure areas must accommodate emergency vehicles. Automatic gates must comply with the referenced county fire-code design and performance requirements. The homeowners association (HOA) or property owners association (POA) must service and repair the system and maintain continuous electrical supply with backup operation during a power failure.

• Gated-subdivision visitor and resident entrances: Where multiple gated entrances exist, at least one must accommodate visitors. Its call/code box must be separated from the right-of-way or subdivision boundary by at least 50 feet for queuing. A turnaround with a minimum outside radius of 30 feet is required between the box and gate so denied vehicles can leave without backing up; no-parking signs must protect that space. A visitor entrance may also serve residents. Resident-only entrances follow the stated standards and exceptions: the Fire Marshal may approve fob access, and an entrance lacking the specified queuing or turnaround space must have signs visible from the nearest public road identifying resident-only access. If private roads are converted for county ownership and maintenance, the required conversion process includes removal of gates, guard booths and other features the county will not accept.

• Sabine River Authority private limited-use-permit areas: Under the Lake Tawakoni Rules and Regulations, the permittee must submit a detailed site plan showing permit boundaries, conservation-pool elevation and property lines, obtain the required other approvals, and receive written Authorization to Construct. Fence material must be preapproved. The permittee locates boundaries, builds within the permit area and keeps fences from extending beyond conservation-pool elevation. Required removal or relocation is at permittee expense. Covered contractors must carry general liability of $500,000 per occurrence/$1,000,000 aggregate, automobile coverage of $500,000 per occurrence and statutory workers’ compensation, or be shown as additional insured on the permittee’s policies. Insurance certificates must accompany the construction application, name the Authority as additional insured and provide a waiver of subrogation in its favor. For associated retaining-wall, dredging or excavation work, retaining-wall materials need preapproval, slopes may not exceed 4:1, and dredging or excavation cannot bring conservation-pool water within 200 feet of the project boundary. Dredged material must be placed above conservation-pool elevation, with erosion controls and compliance with applicable permits.

• Floodway and flood-hazard construction: In an adopted regulatory floodway, the floodplain order prohibits encroachments, including other development, unless the required hydrologic and hydraulic analysis demonstrates no increase in flood levels during the base flood. The order retains the separate federal Section 65.12 procedure for an approved increase. In applicable AE/A1–30 areas without a designated regulatory floodway, proposed development must satisfy the order’s one-foot cumulative base-flood-rise condition. These engineering requirements apply to the covered location and project.

• Livestock and agricultural fences: Hunt County’s 1907 stock-law proclamation prohibits the listed horses, mules, jacks, jennets and cattle from running at large within the county. Agricultural sufficient-fence provisions depend on their statutory animal and local-option context. Qualifying agricultural operations and improvements, including certain agricultural fences, have separate protections under Agriculture Code Chapter 251; operation and regulation dates and statutory conditions matter. Ordinary residential fencing and agricultural fencing can therefore have different legal contexts.

PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS

Recorded deeds, subdivision covenants, HOA or POA documents, architectural standards, private easements and boundary or maintenance agreements may impose independent requirements within the limits of Texas law. Review fence ownership, location, design approval, costs and future maintenance before building or replacing a boundary fence. Obtain permission before entering another person’s land or attaching work to that person’s fence.

• HOA perimeter-security fences: Property Code Section 202.023 limits restrictive covenants preventing security measures, including perimeter fences. It preserves association authority to regulate fence type and prohibit fencing that obstructs a defined license area, public/community sidewalk, drainage easement or drainage area. An association may require a driveway gate to be set back at least 10 feet from the right-of-way where the driveway meets a statutorily defined laned roadway. A restrictive covenant may prohibit fencing in front of the dwelling’s front-most building line.

• Existing fences and enhanced security: Section 202.023 protects maintenance of perimeter fencing and front-building-line fencing installed or constructed before September 1, 2025. Its front-building-line restriction has exceptions for owners whose residential address is exempt from public disclosure or who provide law-enforcement documentation of a need for enhanced security. The section excludes the specified condominiums and Chapter 215 master mixed-use associations.

• HOA pool-enclosure protections: Section 202.022 protects a qualifying nonclimbable water-feature enclosure consisting of transparent mesh or clear panels in metal frames, no more than 6 feet high, that meets applicable state or local safety requirements. Associations may regulate appearance and colors within the statute’s limits, but may not prohibit the specified black transparent-mesh enclosure in metal frames.

Public approvals address their own regulatory subjects. Private ownership, access, cost-sharing and contractual obligations remain governed by the applicable instruments and law.

REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT

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

• Lake-area permits and district requirements: Fence location, front-yard height and openness, architectural compatibility, required screening and approved site plans.

• Visibility, roads and easements: Street or driveway sight obstructions, subdivision visibility areas, county-property encroachments, utility access and drainage obstructions.

• Floodplain and floodway development: Development permits, approved engineering conditions, drainage effects and compliance with recorded floodplain-easement restrictions.

• Gated subdivisions and special facilities: Entrance approval, emergency access, required operational maintenance and detention-facility safety fencing.

• Authority land, pools and utilities: Sabine River Authority construction approvals, applicable pool-barrier requirements, underground-facility protection and pipeline-easement construction conditions.

• Existing fences and private matters: Applicable statutory removal/attachment rules and livestock requirements remain separate from HOA review, private easement rights and neighboring owners’ agreements.

USING THIS INFORMATION

This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within unincorporated Hunt County, 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 Hunt County Development Office 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.