Your All-Inclusive Guide to Fence Permitting in Harrisburg, PA

Your All-Inclusive Guide to Fence Permitting in Harrisburg, PA

If you’ve recently found yourself in a Google spiral on fence permitting in Harrisburg, then you’re in the right place. It can be difficult weeding out which guidelines are up to date when your screen is flooded with so much contradictory information. Making things easier for our customers is one of our top priorities at Superior Fence & Rail of Southern PA. This all-inclusive guide takes the weight off your shoulders because we have done the research for you and fact-checked it against current city requirements, so you don’t have to.

Do I Need a Fence Permit in Harrisburg, PA

Whether or not you need a fence permit depends on a few factors. In general, if your fence is made of standard materials like wood, metal, or vinyl and is under 4 ft. tall, you don’t need a fence permit. This applies to front, rear, and side yards. If your fence is taller than 4 ft., however, there are a few more factors at play. Some fence plans will only need a zoning permit, other fencing will need both a zoning permit and a building permit. 

Zoning Permit vs. Building Permit

A zoning permit looks at property lines, setbacks, and height limits. This ensures that your fence plan fits the surrounding area. Many fence plans will only need a zoning permit. A building permit is typically for masonry fencing or fences greater than 6 ft. It will assess the structural integrity of your fence and whether or not it meets safety regulations. 

Front Yard Fence Permitting

A fence plan for your front yard will require a zoning permit if it is greater than 4 ft. This ensures that your fence doesn’t obstruct people’s vision while driving or create any unsafe situations. If your front yard fence plan includes a fence greater than 6 ft., you will need both a zoning permit and a building permit.

Side Yard & Backyard Fence Permitting

For a side yard or backyard fence build, you will only need a fence permit if your fence is greater than 6 ft. tall. For a fence of this height, you will need both a zoning permit and a building permit. 

Required Documents and Applications

If you have determined that your fence plan requires either a zoning permit, a building permit, or both, the first thing you will need to do is establish your property lines. Your property survey will contain this information. If you don’t have a property survey, you can pay to have one done. This will be submitted with your fence permit application and fence plan to ensure that you are building your fence on your property. 

Documents Checklist:

• Property Survey: A document that outlines where your property ends and your neighbors’ begin, to ensure your fence is built on your property.
• Fence Plan: A detailed outline of your fence installation, ideally including pictures. A fence contractor can help you tremendously with this. 
• Fence Permit Application: The application that you can pick up from your municipality, fill out, and return with the above documents. 

Special Cases

Some fence plans aren’t so cut-and-dried. If your fence plan falls under one of the categories below, then there may be extra steps involved in your fence permitting. 

• Historic Districts COA: If your home is in a historic district, you will also need to submit a review to your historic society to obtain a certificate of appropriateness. This certifies that your fence plan complies with their aesthetic guidelines for preserving the historic scenery. 
• Floodplains: If your home is located in a floodplain, you’ll need to submit floodplain protection forms with your fence permit application. This ensures that your fence plan doesn’t worsen flooding or redirect water in harmful ways. 

What Makes a Good Fence Plan

A good fence plan can significantly increase your chances of approval. If representatives can’t understand your blueprint, then they can’t approve your fence plan. Worse, they misunderstand your blueprint, approve it, and you get fined during the final inspection. A good fence plan will address setbacks, utility access, visibility, and property boundaries. Diagrams are extremely helpful. Always include the materials you plan to use and the height of your fence. A fence contractor can help you come up with a detailed fence plan.

Submissions and Denials

Once you have all of the required documents, you will submit them together to your municipality. They will then review your fence permit package and send you a letter in the mail. This letter will either include your required fence permits or will be a denial letter. If you receive a denial letter, don’t be discouraged; it should explain why your fence plan was denied. This way, you can adjust your plan and refile. Once you have your permits, you typically have 6 months to complete construction. 

Final Walkthrough

Once you’ve completed your fence installation, you’ll need to schedule an inspection. The city will come out to inspect your fence to ensure it matches the plans you submitted. As long as your fence plan matches your application, all should be well. Just make sure your fence is built with the finished side facing outward. If you still have questions, feel free to give us a call at (717) 265-9181.