FENCE RULES – GOLDSBORO (CITY), NORTH CAROLINA

OVERVIEW

Residential fences are permitted on private property within City of Goldsboro, subject to local regulations. For properties located outside City of Goldsboro municipal limits, Wayne County regulates fences in unincorporated areas. The Goldsboro Unified Development Ordinance also states that the City’s planning jurisdiction includes the corporate boundaries and the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.

Local fence rules appear primarily in the Goldsboro Unified Development Ordinance, especially the accessory-structure, historic preservation overlay, watershed protection, stormwater, zoning-compliance, and subdivision provisions. Additional fence-related limits appear in the Code of Ordinances through the residential blind-corner rule, the flood damage prevention chapter, and the administrative authority of Planning, Inspections, Code Enforcement, Engineering, and Public Works.

This page focuses on typical single-family residential fencing. If the jurisdiction’s adopted materials do not state a specific limit or requirement, this page notes that the code does not specify one.

Compiled From Goldsboro Unified Development Ordinance; Code of Ordinances, City of Goldsboro, North Carolina; City of Goldsboro Planning Services Division text; City of Goldsboro Planning Division text; City of Goldsboro Code Enforcement Division text; City of Goldsboro Inspections and permitting materials supplied for this page; and the North Carolina statewide fence-law baseline stated for this page as of June 2026.

GOVERNANCE

The City of Goldsboro City Council adopts and maintains the Goldsboro Unified Development Ordinance and the Code of Ordinances. The Unified Development Ordinance is also called the UDO or Zoning Ordinance, and the Official Zoning Map is incorporated into that ordinance.

The Goldsboro Unified Development Ordinance applies within the City’s planning jurisdiction, including the area inside the corporate boundaries and the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. The UDO regulates zoning districts, overlay districts, approvals, historic preservation, watershed protection, stormwater management, subdivision design, zoning compliance, and related development standards.

The City of Goldsboro Planning Department / Planning Division administers and enforces the City’s zoning ordinances, reviews zoning and development proposals, reviews subdivision plats, provides zoning interpretation, issues permits within its authority, and provides staff assistance to the Planning Commission, Board of Adjustment, and Historic District Commission.

The Code Enforcement Division is a division of the Planning Department. It enforces zoning, property maintenance, health and safety, land-use, nuisance, and related ordinance requirements within the City limits and the City’s one-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction where applicable.

The Inspections Department administers permits and inspections under the North Carolina State Building Code and applicable local ordinances for buildings, structures, and trade work. The existence of the Inspections Department does not, by itself, create a local all-fences permit requirement.

The Code creates the Historic District Commission, while the UDO’s historic overlay provisions refer to the reviewing body as the Historic Preservation Commission / Commission for Certificate of Appropriateness review. The Engineering Department, City Engineer, Floodplain Administrator, and Watershed Administrator administer drainage, stormwater, floodplain, watershed, utility, easement, and engineering-related requirements where those standards apply.

PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

• Building Permit Baseline: Under the North Carolina State Building Code baseline, fences not over 7 feet high are exempt from a building permit. City of Goldsboro does not publish a stricter local residential fence permit threshold or an all-fences permit rule in the official source materials reviewed for this page. City of Goldsboro does not publish a separate taller-fence permit workflow in the official source materials reviewed for this page.

• Zoning Compliance: Building permit requirements are separate from zoning, setback, subdivision, floodplain, historic, coastal, right-of-way, easement, and plat requirements. Confirm any applicable zoning conditions, setbacks, and plat requirements with City of Goldsboro Planning Department before construction.

• Historic Districts and Landmarks: After designation of a landmark or historic district, no exterior portion of any building or other structure, including masonry walls, fences, light fixtures, steps, pavement, or other appurtenant features, may be erected, altered, restored, moved, or demolished on the landmark or within the district until a Certificate of Appropriateness has been submitted and approved. A COA is required before a building permit or other permit for that work, and it is required whether or not a building or other permit is required.

• Historic Minor Works: In the historic overlay process, the Planning Director may issue a COA for minor works that meet the Commission’s approval criteria and design standards. The UDO lists construction of fences under 48 inches in height for rear and side yards as minor work.

• Historic Normal Maintenance: Normal maintenance that does not change exterior appearance is handled separately from COA review under the historic overlay provisions.

• Floodplain Development: A floodplain development permit is required before development activities begin within Special Flood Hazard Areas. In regulated floodways and non-encroachment areas, fences that have the potential to block the passage of floodwaters, including stockade fences and wire mesh fences, must meet the floodway and non-encroachment limitations in the Flood Damage Prevention chapter.

• Watershed Protection: Within designated WS-IV-CA and WS-IV-PA watershed areas, additional watershed permits are required for certain development, building, built-upon area, land-use, and high-density development situations. The UDO requires a High Density Development Permit where development exceeds the applicable residential-density or built-upon-area thresholds stated in the watershed provisions.

• Stormwater Management: A stormwater management permit is required before land-disturbing activities as defined in the City of Goldsboro Stormwater Management Program, and for construction, alteration, operation, maintenance, removal, or abandonment of a regulated stormwater control measure. Fence work that affects a regulated land-disturbance area, stormwater control measure, drainage easement, access easement, or stormwater facility is reviewed under those stormwater provisions.

• Pool Barrier Context: All below-ground swimming pools must be enclosed by a 4-foot fence with a latching gate. This is a pool-barrier requirement and is not the ordinary height rule for non-pool yard fences.

FENCE PLACEMENT RULES

• Property Lines: The ordinance does not state a setback requirement for standard residential fences from property lines; however, fences must be located entirely on the owner’s property and must not encroach into rights-of-way or easements.

• Setback Exemption: The UDO states that fencing and walls are exempt from the setback requirements in the accessory-structure section. That exemption does not remove height, visibility, historic, floodplain, watershed, stormwater, drainage, easement, right-of-way, pool-barrier, or private-restriction requirements.

• Front Yard Placement: Solid fences, walls, and landscaped areas projecting into or enclosing a front yard are limited to 3 feet 6 inches in height unless another UDO provision specifies otherwise.

• Side and Rear Yard Placement: Solid fences and walls projecting into or enclosing a side yard or rear yard are limited to 6 feet 6 inches in height. The height may be increased to 8 feet if required by the ordinance, or along a rear yard if the rear yard is not the side yard of an adjacent lot and the fencing used is at least 25 percent open.

• Open Fences and Walls: Open fences and walls may be erected to any height, subject to applicable visibility, airport-height, historic, floodplain, watershed, stormwater, drainage, easement, right-of-way, pool-barrier, and private restrictions.

• Residential Blind Corners: On a property located at an intersectional street corner in a residential zone, the Code prohibits the planting of shrubs or construction of fencing, structures, or other obstructions between 3 feet and 8 feet above curb level within the corner sight area. The sight area is the triangular area formed by the right-of-way lines and a straight line drawn from a point 25 feet from the intersectional corner on one curb line to a point 25 feet from the intersectional corner on the other curb line, with triangle sides of 25 feet by 25 feet by 35.5 feet.

• Sight Triangles for New Development: The UDO’s technical design requirements state that on a corner lot in any zoning district, no structure, fence, wall, vegetation, object, or land surface that obstructs vision may be higher than 3 feet 6 inches within the sight triangle, measured from street grade.

• Recorded Easements and Drainage Areas: Subdivision and stormwater provisions require utility easements, drainage easements, stormwater easements, access easements, and drainage rights-of-way in certain development contexts. Where those recorded easements apply, the easement location controls site placement.

• Floodways and Non-Encroachment Areas: In regulated floodways and non-encroachment areas, fences that may block floodwaters, including stockade and wire mesh fence examples, must meet the Flood Damage Prevention chapter’s floodway and non-encroachment standards.

• Historic Districts and Landmarks: A fence or wall on a designated landmark or within a historic district is subject to COA review before the work is erected, altered, restored, moved, or demolished.

• Utility Safety: North Carolina law requires notice to the North Carolina Notification Center / NC 811 before excavation where the Underground Utility Safety and Damage Prevention Act applies. For fence projects that involve digging, including fence post holes, notice for non-subaqueous excavation must be given not less than three full working days before the proposed start date, and the notice expires 28 calendar days after the work start date. North Carolina law also includes specific exemptions, including certain work by the owner of a single-family residential property on the owner’s own land and certain agricultural or gardening excavations.

FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES

• Open Fences and Walls: Open fences and walls may be erected to any height under the UDO. This local zoning statement does not remove the North Carolina State Building Code building-permit exemption threshold, visibility limits, airport-height limits, historic review, floodplain limits, watershed limits, stormwater requirements, or private restrictions.

• Solid Front Yard Fences and Walls: Solid fences, walls, and landscaped areas projecting into or enclosing a front yard are limited to 3 feet 6 inches in height unless otherwise specified in the UDO.

• Solid Side and Rear Yard Fences and Walls: Solid fences and walls projecting into or enclosing a side yard or rear yard are limited to 6 feet 6 inches in height.

• Rear Yard Increase: Fence height may be increased to 8 feet if required by the ordinance, or along a rear yard if that rear yard is not the side yard of an adjacent lot and the fencing used is at least 25 percent open.

• Residential Blind-Corner Height Band: In residential intersectional street corners, fencing, structures, shrubs, or other obstructions are prohibited between 3 feet and 8 feet above curb level within the Code’s 25-foot by 25-foot by 35.5-foot sight area.

• UDO Sight-Triangle Limit: For new development governed by the UDO technical design requirements, fences, walls, structures, vegetation, objects, or land surfaces that obstruct vision within the sight triangle may not be higher than 3 feet 6 inches, measured from street grade.

• Airport and Air Installation Height Limits: No structure may exceed the applicable height limitations established by the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base AICUZ Update / Air Installation Compatible Use Zone report, FAA Part 77-based standards, the referenced Department of Defense airfield criteria, or the Goldsboro-Wayne Municipal Airport Layout Plan Report on file with the City of Goldsboro Planning Department.

• Building-Permit Threshold: The 7-foot figure in the North Carolina State Building Code baseline is a building-permit exemption threshold, not a City of Goldsboro maximum fence height.

• Pool Fence Height: A fence enclosing a below-ground swimming pool must be 4 feet high and must include a latching gate. This pool-barrier standard does not set the ordinary height rule for non-pool residential yard fences.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS

• Permitted Materials: The code does not specify a standard residential list of permitted fence materials.

• Open and Solid Fence Distinction: The UDO distinguishes between open fences and walls and solid fences and walls for height purposes. The code does not define a standard material list for open or solid residential fences.

• Barbed Wire: Barbed wire is prohibited below a height of 6 feet when adjacent to or enclosing residentially developed property.

• Razor Ribbon, Concertina Wire, and Electric Fences: Razor ribbon, concertina wire, electric fences, and similar devices are prohibited adjoining residentially zoned or developed property.

• Floodway Materials and Form: In regulated floodways and non-encroachment areas, fences with the potential to block floodwaters, including stockade fences and wire mesh fences, must meet the Flood Damage Prevention chapter’s floodway and non-encroachment limitations.

• Historic Materials and Appearance: In a historic district or on a designated landmark, fence and wall materials, form, scale, location, and exterior appearance are subject to the applicable COA review standards.

• Pool Gate: A below-ground swimming pool enclosure must include a latching gate.

• Finished Side: The code does not specify a finished-side or good-neighbor orientation requirement for standard residential fences.

• Maintenance / Order to Repair: Within the corporate limits, the UDO’s Order to Repair standards identify deterioration of fences, gates, garden walls, or accessory structures as an exterior-feature defect that may require repair where the standard applies.

PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS

Private restrictions operate independently from City of Goldsboro fence rules. Homeowners’ associations, subdivision covenants, deed restrictions, architectural-review covenants, private easements, agricultural agreements, boundary agreements, and recorded subdivision restrictions may be more restrictive than the public rules summarized on this page.

The UDO states that it is not intended to abrogate easements, covenants, or other agreements between private parties. Where the UDO imposes a greater restriction on the use or development of buildings or property than another ordinance, rule, regulation, or agreement, the UDO controls as a public regulation.

The City of Goldsboro does not publish a general rule stating that it enforces private HOA covenants or private architectural restrictions for ordinary residential fences.

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 Review: The City of Goldsboro Planning Department / Planning Division administers and enforces the UDO, including fence height, yard-location, zoning, overlay, subdivision, and interpretation issues within the City’s planning jurisdiction.

• Code Enforcement: The Code Enforcement Division enforces zoning, property maintenance, health and safety, nuisance, land-use, and related ordinance requirements within the City limits and the City’s one-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction where applicable.

• Historic Review: A COA is required for fences, masonry walls, and related exterior features on landmarks or within historic districts. Rear and side yard fences under 48 inches are listed as minor works that may be approved by the Planning Director if the applicable criteria and design standards are met.

• Visibility Review: Residential blind-corner conditions may be reviewed where a fence, shrub, structure, or obstruction falls within the 3-foot to 8-foot height band inside the 25-foot by 25-foot by 35.5-foot sight area. UDO sight-triangle standards for new development also limit obstructing fences, walls, vegetation, objects, and land surfaces to 3 feet 6 inches within the sight triangle.

• Floodplain Review: A floodplain development permit is required before development activity within Special Flood Hazard Areas. Fences that may block floodwaters in regulated floodways or non-encroachment areas must meet the chapter’s floodway and non-encroachment limitations.

• Watershed Review: In WS-IV-CA and WS-IV-PA watershed areas, watershed permits, built-upon-area limits, high-density thresholds, and the 50-foot vegetative buffer may affect fence-related site work when the fence project is part of regulated development or land disturbance.

• Stormwater and Drainage Review: Stormwater management permits, drainage easements, access easements, and stormwater control measure requirements may apply when fence work involves regulated land disturbance or affects stormwater facilities, recorded easements, or drainage areas.

• Airport and Air Installation Review: Fence or wall structures in areas affected by Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the Goldsboro-Wayne Municipal Airport, or applicable airfield height limitations must comply with the UDO’s special height regulations.

• Pool-Barrier Review: A fence used to enclose a below-ground swimming pool is reviewed as part of the pool-barrier context and must be 4 feet high with a latching gate.

USING THIS INFORMATION

This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within City of Goldsboro, based on publicly available source materials reviewed as of June 2026.

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

It is not legal advice and does not replace official ordinances, permits, surveys, or professional guidance. Rules and interpretations may change, and application may vary based on zoning district, site conditions, easements, rights-of-way, floodplain status, stormwater requirements, watershed status, coastal or CAMA jurisdiction, historic district status, rural or agricultural context, pool-barrier use, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants or private agreements. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with City of Goldsboro Planning Department and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from City of Goldsboro staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.