FENCE RULES – GREENBRIER (COUNTY), WEST VIRGINIA

OVERVIEW

Residential fences are permitted on private property within the unincorporated portions of Greenbrier County, subject to applicable county and state requirements.

This page applies only to the unincorporated portions of Greenbrier County covered by the Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance. County zoning coverage is limited or parcel-dependent; incorporated municipalities and unregulated county areas are outside the stated zoning scope.

Greenbrier County administers separate building-code and floodplain programs in unincorporated territory. The zoning ordinance applies only to mapped portions of the Lewisburg and Fort Spring Tax Districts, and the official zoning map maintained through the Greenbrier County Planning and Permits Office controls the zoning-status determination for a specific parcel.

This page focuses on typical single-family residential fencing. If the jurisdiction’s code, ordinance, or zoning materials do not state a specific limit or requirement, this page notes that the controlling regulatory text does not specify one. If no local code, ordinance, or zoning text is available in the approved source packet, this page notes that the jurisdiction does not publish the relevant standard in the referenced published materials.

Compiled From the Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance of May 2003 Revised Edition; the official Lewisburg and Fort Spring zoning map; Greenbrier County Planning and Permits Office Building Checklist, Building Code, and Forms & Docs materials; the Greenbrier County Commission Order Adopting the 2022 State Building Code; Greenbrier County Floodplain Ordinance; Greenbrier County Subdivision Ordinance; the West Virginia State Building Code; West Virginia 811 requirements; West Virginia fence statutes; West Virginia contractor-licensing law; and WVDOH right-of-way materials as of July 2026.

GOVERNANCE

The Greenbrier County Commission is the governing authority for unincorporated Greenbrier County and adopts county zoning, building-code, subdivision, and floodplain regulations.

The Greenbrier County Planning and Permits Office administers the county building-permit process, zoning administration in the covered districts, subdivision and plat review, floodplain administration, and related mapping and development functions.

The Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance of May 2003 Revised Edition governs only mapped portions of the Lewisburg and Fort Spring Tax Districts. The ordinance does not contain a consolidated residential fence code. Its residential fence provision is limited to enclosure of a private swimming-pool area.

The Greenbrier County Commission adopted the West Virginia State Building Code by order in 2022. The County publishes direct local administration under the incorporated 2018 International Residential Code, 2018 International Building Code, and 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code.

PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

• Building-Permit Context: The Greenbrier County Planning and Permits Office administers the locally adopted West Virginia State Building Code for the unincorporated portions of Greenbrier County. The incorporated 2018 residential and building codes include a building-permit exemption for fences not over 7 feet high. Greenbrier County does not publish a separate local building-permit requirement for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.

• General Development Approval Context: Greenbrier County publishes a building-permit application and checklist for construction and improvements governed by the County process, but the referenced published materials do not explicitly state that standard residential fences require that permit. Building-code status remains separate from zoning, setbacks, subdivision, floodplain, road, right-of-way, easement, utility, and plat requirements.

• Zoning Compliance: Within the mapped portions of the Lewisburg and Fort Spring Tax Districts, building-permit exemptions and State Building Code adoption are separate from zoning, setbacks, subdivision, floodplain, drainage, road, right-of-way, easement, utility, and plat requirements. Confirm parcel coverage and any applicable zoning conditions with the Greenbrier County Planning and Permits Office before construction.

• Private Pool Enclosure: Within the area governed by the Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance, a private swimming-pool area must be enclosed by a fence or wall, and all entrances and exits must be capable of being locked while the pool is not in use.

• Pool-Code Context: A fence used as part of a regulated private swimming-pool, spa, or hot-tub barrier must also comply with the locally adopted 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. The incorporated pool code uses a 48-inch minimum barrier height and separate opening, climbability, gate, self-closing, self-latching, and access-control requirements.

• Floodplain Review: The Greenbrier County Floodplain Ordinance applies throughout the unincorporated county territory. Regulated development in a mapped special flood-hazard area is subject to the County floodplain process. The ordinance does not publish a separate fence-specific permit trigger, but fence work involving excavation, grading, fill, an obstruction, or another regulated site alteration must be evaluated through the Greenbrier County Planning and Permits Office.

• Paid Installation: West Virginia contractor-licensing law applies to a person who, for compensation, undertakes covered residential work costing $5,000 or more. The statutory contractor definition excludes a person who personally performs construction work on real property the person owns or leases. Contractor licensing is separate from county permits, zoning, site restrictions, and other approvals.

FENCE PLACEMENT RULES

• Zoning Coverage: County zoning placement rules can apply only when the property is within the mapped portions of the Lewisburg or Fort Spring Tax District governed by the Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance. The official zoning map and the Greenbrier County Planning and Permits Office determine parcel coverage.

• Property Lines: Within the mapped zoning area, the zoning ordinance does not state a setback requirement for standard residential fences from property lines. Elsewhere in unincorporated Greenbrier County, the referenced published materials do not specify a countywide fence setback from property lines. Fences must be located entirely on the owner’s property and must not encroach into rights-of-way or easements.

• Yard Placement: The Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance does not publish separate front-yard, side-yard, rear-yard, corner-lot, or driveway-placement standards for standard residential fences.

• Roads and Rights-of-Way: A fence, gate, post, excavation, or other work proposed within or affecting a state highway right-of-way, shoulder, roadside ditch, culvert, drainage area, or access point is subject to applicable West Virginia Division of Highways review. An apparent roadway edge or existing fence line does not establish the legal right-of-way boundary.

• Floodplain and Drainage Conditions: Fence work in a mapped special flood-hazard area may be subject to site-specific review when it involves regulated development, excavation, grading, fill, an obstruction, alteration of drainage, or another covered site condition. The floodplain ordinance does not establish an ordinary countywide fence setback from a stream, floodplain, floodway, or drainage feature.

• Utility Safety: West Virginia law requires notice through West Virginia 811 before excavation or demolition where the Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Act applies. For covered fence work involving digging, drilling, augering, boring, trenching, grading, or other excavation, notice must be given not less than 48 hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and federal or state legal holidays, and not more than 10 workdays before work begins. A change in the proposed starting date or time requires at least 24 hours‘ advance notice, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. West Virginia 811 notice is separate from local fence permitting, zoning approval, building-code review, easement limits, right-of-way or WVDOH approval, floodplain review, stormwater review, drainage review, historic or design review, HOA restrictions, and other applicable requirements.

FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES

• Mapped Zoning Area: The Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance does not specify a maximum height for a standard residential yard fence in the mapped portions of the Lewisburg and Fort Spring Tax Districts.

• Other Unincorporated Territory: Greenbrier County does not publish a countywide maximum height for standard residential fences outside the mapped zoning area in the referenced published materials.

• Yard-Based Limits and Visibility: The referenced published materials do not establish separate front-yard, side-yard, rear-yard, corner-lot, driveway-visibility, clear-vision, sight-triangle, or intersection-visibility limits for standard residential fences.

• Building-Code Distinction: The incorporated building-code exemption for fences not over 7 feet high is a building-permit exemption. It is not a county maximum fence height, a zoning approval, or an affirmative statement that every fence over 7 feet requires a permit.

• Pool Barriers: A barrier governed by the locally adopted pool code must be at least 48 inches high and must satisfy the separate opening, climbability, gate, latch, and access-control standards for the pool, spa, or hot tub. These are pool-barrier requirements, not ordinary yard-fence height rules.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS

• Standard Residential Materials: The Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance does not publish defined permitted-material or prohibited-material standards for ordinary residential fences in the mapped zoning area.

• Other County Territory: Greenbrier County does not publish countywide opacity, finished-side, orientation, chain-link, masonry-wall, post-spacing, gate-construction, barbed-wire, razor-wire, electric-fence, or security-fence standards for ordinary residential lots in the referenced published materials.

• Pool Enclosures: In the mapped zoning area, the fence or wall enclosing a private swimming-pool area must have entrances and exits capable of being locked while the pool is not in use. A regulated pool barrier must also satisfy the separate construction and gate requirements of the locally adopted 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code.

• Agricultural and Livestock Fences: West Virginia Code Article 19-17 establishes lawful-fence and agricultural partition-fence standards for specified agricultural, grazing, and livestock contexts. Those statewide standards do not operate as ordinary county material, height, or placement rules for a standard residential yard.

PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS

Private restrictions operate independently from Greenbrier County zoning, building-code, floodplain, subdivision, road, right-of-way, utility, and statewide fence-law requirements.

HOA covenants, subdivision restrictions, deed restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, agricultural agreements, private boundary agreements, acknowledged partition-fence agreements, conservation easements, and other private restrictions may impose stricter fence placement, height, material, or appearance limits.

County zoning status, a building-permit exemption, a floodplain determination, or another governmental approval does not determine private boundary rights, HOA approval, easement rights, or compliance with private covenants.

REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT

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

• Zoning Coverage: Whether the property lies within the mapped portions of the Lewisburg or Fort Spring Tax District governed by the Greenbrier County Zoning Ordinance.

• Building-Code Administration: Whether the work falls within the locally adopted State Building Code and the building-permit exemption for fences not over 7 feet high, or involves a separate regulated feature such as a pool barrier.

• Private Pool Enclosures: A private swimming-pool area in the mapped zoning territory that lacks the required fence or wall, lockable entrances and exits, or applicable pool-code barrier features.

• Floodplain Conditions: Fence work involving regulated development, excavation, grading, fill, drainage alteration, or an obstruction in a mapped special flood-hazard area.

• Road and Right-of-Way Conditions: A fence, gate, post, excavation, or other work that enters or affects a state highway right-of-way, shoulder, ditch, culvert, drainage area, or access point.

• Property and Private Limits: A property boundary, easement, deed restriction, subdivision restriction, HOA covenant, conservation easement, or private agreement affecting fence placement or design.

• Agricultural or Livestock Context: Whether West Virginia lawful-fence, agricultural partition-fence, livestock, hedge-fence, or rural-property provisions apply to the property use.

• Paid Installation: Whether paid residential work costs $5,000 or more or involves another applicable contractor credential.

• Utility Excavation: Whether post-hole digging or other covered excavation follows the advance-notice requirements of West Virginia 811.

USING THIS INFORMATION

This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within the unincorporated portions of Greenbrier County, based on the referenced published materials as of July 2026.

In addition to local fence rules, certain West Virginia laws apply statewide. See Statewide Fence Laws in West Virginia.

It is not legal advice and does not replace official ordinances, permits, certificates, development approvals, applicable building-code requirements, surveys, or professional guidance. Rules and interpretations may change, and application may vary based on zoning district, county zoning coverage, site conditions, easements, rights-of-way, floodplain or floodway status, stream conditions, stormwater requirements, drainage conditions, road or highway conditions, WVDOH jurisdiction, historic district status, design-review status, rural or agricultural context, livestock, lawful-fence or agricultural partition-fence context, State Building Code adoption and enforcement status, contractor-licensing context, pool-barrier use, West Virginia 811 utility-safety requirements, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants, deed restrictions, private agreements, acknowledged partition-fence agreements, or conservation easements. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with the Greenbrier County Planning and Permits Office and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from Greenbrier County Planning and Permits Office staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.